A-arm; and in addition to the greater trunk capacity there is half again as much space behind the rear seat. Seating is for five: two seperate, reclining front seats with adjustable lumbar support in the backrests, plus a full-width bench seat in the rear.

Some observers have been predicting that the growing popularity of front-wheel drive might just do in the rear engine jobs. Certainly the most effecient use of space in a compact sedan decrees the use of one or the other. But it looks as if the 411 may have given a new lease on life to the rear engine concept: by giving the car a large front overhang VW has achieved a weight distribution of only 45% front/ 55% rear (our last Beetle test car was 38/62 tail heavy!), and the Porsche 912 has demonstrated that the kind of suspension the 411 has can eliminate all the objections to rear heaviness except sidewind sensitivity. Finally, it's worth noting that the 411, especially in its 2-door form, is a rather attractive car - by far the most esthetically pleasing VW to date except for the Karmann-Ghia.

Switching over to VW's lineup for 1969, we find the usual year-to-year detail revisions. Most important of the lot is that all cars sold here, automatic transmissions or not, will have the current form of semi-trailing rear suspension instead of the old swing axles. This the tricky oversteer will be a thing of the past and riding qualities will benefit too. The other mechanical item is that the fully automatic transmission (mentioned above) will now be available in 1600s for the American market.

All models for 1969 will have electrically-heated rear window, an anti-glare rearview mirror and a greater adjustement range for the front seat backrests. Beetles and 1600s both get a door over their gas filler caps that is flipped open by a lever inside the car, like Porsche, and their trunk-lid releases have been moved into the glove box. Beetles get new warm-air outlets to improve windshield defrosting, and both series will have steering lock - to be required by U.S. law.

There are no changes in the Beetles or 1600s in basic dimensions, power, torque, or overall gearings; with nice stuff like the 411 coming right out of Wolfsburg these days, one cannot help but wonder just how much longer they can prolong the life of the archaic Beetle, healthy sales or not.

View of front-end components shows MacPherson struts, rubber mounted lower compliance struts, collapsible steering column.