Beetle Classic is the stuff of smiles
Iconic VW gets retro treatment, but is cute droptop past its prime?
David Booth: I had two cars in the driveway this past week — an impossibly bright Lamborghini Huracán LP 6104 and a Moonrock Silver Metallic Volkswagen Beetle — and, to the shame of gainfully employed auto journalists around the world, I often drove the Beetle.
Making matters worse, said Beetle was a pretentious little cabriolet Classic edition with all manner of period-piece accoutrements that are supposed to render it even more trendy. It had ’50s hotrodstyle moon-face chromed hubcaps, the seats were plaid and even the glovebox looked suspiciously retro.
It could have all been so poncy. Only it wasn’t.
The interior, tastefully retro, was anything but kitschy. Indeed, I found the entire plot quite attractive. More importantly, this third generation of “New” Beetle — powered by an amazingly sophisticated 1.8-litre turbo four — is actually quite a good car. Brian Harper: Easy there, David. Are you getting all sensitive and fashionista on me? I grant you, this new Classic convertible is a stylish little thing and full of these retro cues you mentioned, designed to generate warm and fuzzy feelings in the hearts and minds of Baby Boomers and seniors, who all connect with the original incarnation.
This is a genuinely iconic car that VW stopped importing to our shores 40-plus years ago after building some 15 million or so of them, and its basic engineering was conceived in the 1930s! At the risk of interrupting your Kumbaya session, there really are only two issues to deal with: 1. Is the Beetle Classic a good convertible? 2. Is it a good car?
The answer to the first question is easy. The Classic has a lovely power top that deploys in about 10 seconds — at speeds up to 50 km/h, according to VW. There’s nothing to latch and the top fits nice and snug. Points off, though, for a tonneau cover you have to fit yourself.
The second question, though, is worthy of further discussion. How much of this car is retro and how much of it is just plain past its prime? DB: Boy, oh boy, have you opened a can of whoopass! First of all, the Beetle is very much a good convertible. I just drove Audi’s $100,000 RS5 and it exhibited more cowl shake than the not-quite-$30,000 Beetle. Points, then, for structural integrity. It also means this Beetle Classic, droptop or not, rides very well.
And what a delicious little motor. Most will think the 1.8-litre TFSI is diminished compared with the 2.0-litre fours offered in other VWs and Audis, but I think it’s a gem. Its 170 horsepower is just perfect for the Beetle Classic’s needs, and it is one of the smoothest — if not the smoothest — fourcylinder power plants money can buy. Kumbaya, my ass. BH: OK, I agree that the car is tightly screwed together and the engine is smooth, which is fitting, in that the Classic is strictly a boulevardier, perfect for summer evening cruises. When the roads get hilly, though, I thought the engine was a little thin in the torque department (184 pound-feet), which is why the 2.0-litre four (with 207 lb.-ft.) that is offered in the Beetle Sportline version would be an allaround better bet.
I don’t want to appear picayune, because $28,550 for a new convertible is a truly cheap price of admission into the serene world of top-down driving. And I was so mellow when, pardon the pun, I was beetling around town alfresco that I think my heart stopped. That said, I found some of the car’s interior details lacking. No automatic headlights or push-button start, for instance; manual air conditioning instead of automatic. And the placement of the panic button on the car’s key? I kept setting off the damned alarm every time I turned off the car! I could get used to not having the most modern of modern conveniences for the sake of having an inexpensive droptop, but this car is likely to be used 12 months of the year, which makes these missing niceties noticeable. DB: But the CarPlay thingy from Apple is just absolutely wonderful. The iDrive system was first released in 2001: Why did it take so long for something so logical? Plug in your iPhone and all the important stuff just pops onto the dashboard screen with exactly the same icons used by your phone’s iOS. Really, it took 14 years to figure that out? Got to agree with you on the key fob though. Worst design ever. I must have awakened the neighbours 10 times in less than five days. No doubt Volkswagen will tell us we’re the only two it happens to. BH: Here’s my take, David. There’s no doubt the car is pretty, certainly one of the most visually arresting cars VW has built in a long time, while still being understated. The thing is, as pleasurable as it is to drive with the top stowed, it makes me feel older than I already am. My Miata keeps me young and involved with every shift of its gear lever. The Beetle Classic makes me think it should be given a pet name like Matilda or Winifred and I should be throwing my kid into the back seat and taking her to DQ for ice cream. DB: I normally don’t like convertibles — something about one sunburned bald spot too many — but I find myself wanting to defend this little Beetle. First of all, if you’re serious about a sports car, you’re buying a coupe, not a convertible. And sure, compared with that big Lambo I was driving, the Classic couldn’t pull the white off rice pudding. But — and this is a big but — it made me smile. Not many cars make you smile for $28,550. Remember the introduction of the concept, Brian, at the Detroit auto show way back in 1994? How it made us all smile? This is the first one since that makes me feel the same way.