Any appreciation for what might be the closest "modern" attempt to effectively replace the VW Beetle?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

ICE is still important for an all-purpose small car, as their range is better suited to the actual needs of the average Joe in a country like Brazil. In contrast to some attempts to strip-down some random European econobox and fit it with an underpowered engine, Brazilian engineer Amaral Gurgel was more considerate of the local conditions, which have led him to keep loyal to the rear-wheel drive layout, as it was better suited to deal with the unpaved roads on rural areas.

Unlike the Beetle, it had a front flat-twin engine often mistaken for a Beetle engine split in half, even though it's water-cooled and features a timing chain. Rear drive was through a solid axle, and the weight bias while unloaded was 50-50, switching to a higher bias at the rear axle just like the Beetle under basically any load condition.

[freebeard]

Yes, but....

I'd go with the Inrekor flat-pack chassis, even though they're as gone as Gurgel at this point.



The fools could have sold Porsche/VW chassis to subsidize their electric dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QBsA3UX69o

[Isaac Zachary]

Interesting car. How was the rest wheel drive better suited than front wheel drive? The 50/50 weight distribution would have advantages at high speeds, but at low speeds on poor surfaces having now weight over the drive wheels seems to be better IMO.

[freebeard]

It's an uphill vs downhill situation.

Edit:
There's quite a list of models produced:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurgel#Vehicles_produced.

The first one I ever saw [pictured] was the X15:


wikipedia

Which is interesting to compare with the 21st Century [solar] Xbus.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Maybe that Inrekor frame could be better suited to a replica of some older Gurgel still based on the rear-engined Volkswagen design, such as the X-12 or even the X-15.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

How was the rest wheel drive better suited than front wheel drive?

Not only the weight bias is more favorable to moderate off-road conditions, the rear-wheel drive layout improves handling on tight corners as it leaves more space for the front wheels to steer due to the absence of halfshafts, a valuable asset for inner-city driving.

The 50/50 weight distribution would have advantages at high speeds, but at low speeds on poor surfaces having now weight over the drive wheels seems to be better IMO.

The 50-50 weight distribution is with the car unloaded. Once it's been loaded up, even if it's only the driver on board, the bias shifts toward the rear axle.

[Ecky]

I'd argue that the spiritual successor to the Beetle, on the road today, is something like a Corolla. Relatively inexpensive, small, lightweight, easy to work on, tons of them on the road, parts are abundant.

The closest mechanical equivalent is definitely nowhere near the spiritual equivalent.

[freebeard]

I went with the Geo Metro (not this one).



It's got the glass headlight covers.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Meanwhile in Brazil, the small cars which now hold a status quite comparable to how the Beetle used to be seen as a cheap beater are local variants of the Fiat Uno and Opel Corsa B. Not to mention the Corsa was also the first small car to become a serious contender to the Beetle in Mexico.

Originally Posted by Ecky

I'd argue that the spiritual successor to the Beetle, on the road today, is something like a Corolla. Relatively inexpensive, small, lightweight, easy to work on, tons of them on the road, parts are abundant.

I usually refer to the Corolla as some sort of Japanese Beetle too, even though it might not be so suitable to the needs of some rural folks who still praise the rear-engined RWD layout of the Beetle.

The closest mechanical equivalent is definitely nowhere near the spiritual equivalent.

Neither was the Gurgel Supermini so close to the basic layout of the Beetle, but at least it took in consideration the actual requirements of rural Brazilians who previously would buy a Beetle mostly for its mild off-road ability.

[Piotrsko]

Whatever the successor it needs beetle traits: DIY maintenance or lack thereof, cheap parts, simple home repairs. Notice I did not mention reliable, cheap purchase,high economy. I had documents where my 72 super originally cost as much as dad's buick, and as much as my Pinto. The super got 25 city, 32 highway for 500k miles I owned it, the pinto did 28/40, hard to say on the buick since it had a tendency to smoke the tires when I drove it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Whatever the successor it needs beetle traits: DIY maintenance or lack thereof, cheap parts, simple home repairs. Notice I did not mention reliable, cheap purchase,high economy.

There were times when a 2WD Jeep CJ-5 was cheaper than a Beetle in Brazil. Also didn't really had an outstanding fuel economy. Reliability usually is often pointed out as good regarding both the Beetle and the CJ-5 here, no wonder once in a while I still see a daily-driven CJ-5 and a lot of Beetles roaming around too.

I had documents where my 72 super originally cost as much as dad's buick, and as much as my Pinto. The super got 25 city, 32 highway for 500k miles I owned it, the pinto did 28/40, hard to say on the buick since it had a tendency to smoke the tires when I drove it.

Earlier this week the owner of a 1300-L Beetle from the late-'70s told me its fuel economy was relatively good considering its age. Besides the air cooling which charges its toll on fuel-efficiency, maybe a 5th gear could be desirable to increase highway mileage too.