Could this be the first-ever sex-change car? The Beetle (in its modern Golf-based reincarnation, not the rear-engined original) has always been resolutely female – from its cheeky, geometric styling and happy, wide-eyed face to the dashboard-mounted flower holder. Its customer demographic, unsurprisingly, was predominantly of the high-heeled, handbag-toting variety.
And yet the latest Beetle, just launched here, is a boy. Or so the ads tell us. It’s more assertively styled – the bonnet is longer, the windscreen set further back and the rear overhang longer. The glasshouse is (of all things) hot rod-inspired, with a flat, low roofline, a high waistline and shallow side windows. The proportions are less cuddly now, it no longer being possible to depict the car’s outline with three overlapping semi-circles.
The new Bug is also substantially larger than before – 84mm wider and 152mm longer, but 12mm lower, giving it a squatter, more purposeful stance. Styling details are likewise less cutesy, with a square-jawed front bumper, squintier-shaped headlamps and more conventional-looking tail-lamps in place of the predecessor’s big round ones.
The cabin is as self-consciously styled as the exterior. The dash is tall, upright and spanned by a body-coloured section, just as it was in the original Bug. The radio display and the vertical air vents flanking it are a nostalgic touch, harking back to the shape of the panels surrounding the speedo in the original Beetle. On the passenger side, there is a top-hinged glove compartment (VW calls it the “Beetle Box”) set into this coloured portion of the fascia, its cover shaped to mimic the glovebox lid on the original car. Below that, hidden in the grey lower portion of the fascia, is another glovebox – but a very large, conventionally hinged one.
Lovely Beetle interior blends yesterday’s elements with today’s comforts.
It’s airy up front, with lots of room for heads and shoulders. It feels more “normal” from the driving seat than before, the windscreen no longer miles away like it was in the 1998 New Beetle. But the front seat belts are an uncomfortable backward stretch away, no thanks to the long doors.
In contrast to the conditions in front, space in the back is far from generous, despite the new Bug being so much bigger than before – the rear bench is quite narrow, and a six-footer sitting behind another won’t have much kneeroom at all. And unlike the Golf, the Beetle does without rear air-con vents.
Storage space is ample, however. There’s a generous boot under that rear hatch, and apart from the aforementioned two gloveboxes, there are compartments and cubbyholes usefully placed throughout the cabin for loose items.
Fresh-air lovers will enjoy the huge optional glass sunroof, but for the ultimate open-air feel, you’ll want to wait for the convertible Beetle which is surely in the pipeline. Music-wise, there’s an eight-speaker system as standard, but also available is an optional 400-watt Fender setup, a subtle tip of the hat to the preferred guitar-makers of Jimi Hendrix.
Curious kids will be happier in here than seen-it-all adults, but everyone will enjoy grabbing the old-school straps on the B-pillars.
Rear legroom notwithstanding, there remains much to recommend the Beetle. The turbocharged 1.2-litre engine puts out a modest-sounding 105bhp, but the car remains surprisingly sprightly, moving off smartly from the lights and hitting 100km/h in just under 11 seconds. The 7-speed dry-clutch DSG gearbox slips through its ratios slickly and unobtrusively, although kickdown is usually preceded by a second’s delay. At 100km/h the cabin remains hushed, the engine purring at a relaxed 2000rpm with plenty in reserve for overtaking at three-figure speeds.
Boot is less accommodating than the three-door Golf’s, but asymmetrical split-fold back seat boosts the practicality.
The Bug rides well, smothering roadwork-scarred tarmac fusslessly and coping well with lower-frequency bumps, too. The damping is well judged, allowing enough compliance while maintaining an even keel when attacking severe undulations. Impressively, the car also handles with enthusiasm, its wide tracks (wider than its predecessor by 63mm at the front and 49mm at the rear) keeping it very planted, with body roll well contained.
The steering is sweet – light but evenly weighted lock to lock, accurate and perfectly linear in response, and with good feel. Especially nice is the steering wheel rim, which is thinner than the present-day norm – a retro nod to the thin-rimmed wheels of yore, it also has the welcome consequence of allowing you to grasp the wheel with a lighter than usual touch, thereby encouraging a more subtle and precise steering style.
Incredible Fender rock ‘n’ roll stereo is a $4k option all-in.
But good car though it is, there is frankly little reason objectively to choose the Beetle over the equivalent Golf on which it is based – its mainstream stablemate is cheaper, faster, more frugal and more spacious than the Bug.
So the Beetle exists primarily as a style statement. But if so, why the seeming embarrassment over the car’s gender? If it’s meant to be a vehicle for the ladies (and metrosexual men), so what? No one has ever complained about, say, a Nissan GT-R being too masculine.
Whatever the case, though, the new Beetle’s styling is still unmistakeable, and contrived or not, it has loads of retro charm. We had our fair share of rubbernecking pedestrians pointing and smiling at the car during our time with it. That, more than anything, is probably the clearest sign that the newest Bug has hit the spot.
This story was first published in the September 2012 issue of Torque.
Volkswagen Beetle 1.2 (A)
ENGINE 1197cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbocharged
MAX POWER 105hp at 5000rpm
MAX TORQUE 175Nm 1550-4100rpm
GEARBOX 7-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100KM/H 10.9 seconds
TOP SPEED 180km/h
CONSUMPTION 16.9km/L (combined)
Group Test: New Volkwagen Beetle Cabriolet 1.2 vs Old Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet 2.0
