BEETLE’S BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP
Latest Bug still cutesy and quirky, but needs something more innovative
Volkswagen, the people’s car, a car for everyone. That was once the way, and now of course the company is a massive juggernaut encompassing everything from the Ducati Scrambler to the Bugatti Veyron. A machine for everyone? Jawohl, but which one?
If you’ve a fondness for the bubble- shaped original, if you remember its clattery air- cooled engine and its cheery bug- eyed headlights with affection, then here is the car VW would like you to see. It’s called the Beetle. And — psst, lean in to your screen for a second, I’ve a secret to share — this thing’s no more a Beetle than I am Liam Neeson. It’s a Golf in a bug suit.
First, as a sort of nitroglycerine cocktail sausage, say hello to Dave Hord’s 1971 Super Beetle, a sorta- replica of the Salzburg Rally Beetles of the 1970s but with way more everything. It has 150 horsepower, the dogleg transmission out of an early 911, a roll cage, and a bad attitude. I love this thing: driving around in it is like being trapped in some kind of steel German- Mexican jumping bean. It sounds like a pair of castanets and goes like the clappers.
Dave, whom you might know as one of the founders of Classic Car Adventures, drives his Bug a lot. Over the past 18 months or so, he has put about 50,000 kilometres on its odometer. That makes Dave a crazy person: using a 40- year- old tail- happy tin- can as a long- distance driver is nuts.
Thus, the sensibility of the modern Golf, er, I mean Beetle. The engine is now up front, and there are three to choose from. Heated seats are available and so is satellite navigation. It isn’t trying to kill you constantly. There’s a nice stereo.
Sure, it looks a bit like the original Beetle — or possibly a marshmallow version of it — but the new model is nothing like its grandpa. The old car was simple, economical, and durable. The new one has LED daytime running lights.
This particular tester doesn’t try to disguise its intent in any way; as a matter of fact, the trim level is called Comfortline. The engine is the 170- horsepower, 1.8- litre turbocharged unit shared with the Golf. It also makes a healthy 184 pound- feet of torque, and in this case it is attached to a six- speed automatic gearbox.
As with the Golf, you also have the option of a five- speed manual with the 1.8 turbo; a six- speed manual or dual- clutch gearbox is available for the other two engine offerings, both turbocharged and displacing 2.0 litres: a 150- hp diesel or a 210- hp gasoline version.
On the inside, our Comfortline has been made even cushier by the addition of leather, dual- zone climate control, a Fender- branded premium audio system, and satellite navigation. Unlike the previous- generation New Beetle, which had a dashboard the size of Upper Saxony, this car is nicely proportioned inside. The bodycoloured interior treatment looks handsome and simple, and there’s little that is cutesy or overwrought about it.
Overly retro it may not be, but the inside of the Beetle is getting a bit dated. The infotainment system is previous- gen technology, and while it’s functional, the screen is small and a bit fussy. Also, there’s no backup camera.
With the sound of the stuttering, grumbling Super Beetle power plant literally ringing in my ears, I fire up the modern variant and select Drive. This understandably involves much less drama than the 1971’ s three-footlong, rubber- handled emergency brake and lathe- turned aluminum gearshift.
So, too, is the driving experience entirely drama- free. The Beetle is smooth, quiet, peppy and unremarkable. There’s a bit more wind noise than in the Golf, and the steering wheel rim is a little thinner ( and yet strangely flat- bottomed). But that’s about it.
Like the Golf, the Beetle is very well behaved, scuttling down the Sea to Sky Highway with an aplomb that has me constantly checking the speedometer. ( If you haven’t already heard, VW’s speedometers often read high, a little higher than the Japanese competition.)
The 1.8- L turbocharged engine is a little charmer, just as it is in the Golf and the Sportwagon. The accessible torque is very good, and the Beetle zips forward with enough oomph to merge easily. The transmission is wont to upshift early and mine the torque for fuel economy. An optional sport mode livens things up a bit, but there are no paddle shifters. This egg- shaped car doesn’t egg you on.
The original Beetle was a breakthrough, a plucky little car that defied its murky origin story to become an icon and an innovator. It seems a bit sad that its descendant’s only real characteristic is that it looks a bit like the original.
Perhaps this is why VW is reportedly musing squishing the Bug permanently. With three- door Golf sales practically negligible worldwide, the Beetle and the Euro- only Scirocco might soon be only a memory once again.
And that’s a bit of a shame. While the left side of my brain helpfully points out that the seventh- generation Golf is smoother and more comfortable ( and in GTI form more fun; in wagon version more practical), does there not still exist a place in the VW lineup for something that’s at least a little quirky? Perhaps the Beetle might have some appeal to people who don’t want the better car?
If you’d like the experience that comes from owning a classic Beetle, buy an old one. They built 21 million of the things, so I’m sure you can find a half- decent one. Alternatively, buy three, as Dave did, and make one amazing one. If you want a modern people’s- car VW, just buy a Golf. There’s likely a flavour to suit you and they’re all pretty great. If you buy a Beetle, you’re making a conscious choice to pay more money for a car that’s not quite as good as others in the same showroom.
The good news is that this car doesn’t have many bad habits. The bad news is that its personality is only skin deep.
Overview: A touch of retro- style on a thoroughly modern chassis.
Pros: Looks a bit like the classic, drives just like a Golf.
Cons: Here, beauty is only skin
deep. Value for money: Average
What I would change: Add something innovative to be a real descendant of the Beetle.
How I would spec it: With the 2.0- litre diesel engine — at least that’s a bit unique.