- Doors and Seats
3 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
2.0i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
85kW, 170Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 7.3L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 60000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
4/5 star (2001)
Beetle has a character of its own
For: Honest performance for an auto, good grip, powerful design and undeniable presence.
Against: Pricey, cramped and attracts unwanted attention.
How it rates: 4 stars (out of 5).
At the risk of delving into dark historical episodes, this is one of those road tests I never expected to write. VW Beetles should, after all, be about memories and not contemporary motoring.
Until the new Beetle arrived, this is a car which to me brings back images of rallying through the pine forests with a teenage mate, frantically trying to extinguish engine fires on the side of a freeway and, even earlier, visiting the old man in hospital after he and the family Bug came off second best when an oncoming ute strayed on to the wrong side of the road.
There are even non-motoring memories, such as visiting a house in the bush and later discovering it had largely been built using timber from the packing crates in which parts from (I think) Germany had been assembled into whole Beetles in this country.
So while the old Beetle and I may have come together on a number of occasions, what never happened was me sitting in the front right-hand seat and actually driving the thing. Here I am about to review the new Beetle, the automotive equivalent of tribute bands like Bjorn Again, without the experience of direct comparison with its predecessor.
Many would say thats not important for, after all, this new Beetle is here to encapsulate the nostalgia and not mere tangibles such as engine, suspension, gearbox and tyres of the old. Yet apart from the obvious exterior similarities there are other small clues lurking about the cabin: the strap-type handles on the B-pillar, the big round speedo in front of the driver, the color-capped door frames, although they seem to be made of plastic instead of metal.
This car is based on the VW Golf, right down to its front-drive platform and water-cooled four-cylinder engine that sits between the front wheels, or about where the old Beetle's boot used to be. This particular example also has an automatic gearbox with the same number of ratios as the old manual (four) and a funny plastic vase on the dashboard in which there is a plastic flower.
It also costs $39,190 (or $2200 less in five-speed manual form) which seems a lot compared with its predecessor, but about the same as a Toyota Celica, Mercedes-Benz A160 or bigger-engined versions of the Audi A3. Whether these are actually competitors to the Beetle or not depend on how seriously you take the Volkswagen: is it serious transport, or an escapee from some 20th century Jurassic Park?
Theres certainly not a lot of charm in its drivetrain. The 2.0-litre, SOHC engine produces just 85kW of power, and when combined with the automatic produces leisurely enough performance. It isnt the worst small engine and auto combination youll find, and indeed VWs slush box does an honest job of selecting the right ratio and holding it, even if down-changes can sometimes be harsh and jerky.
Funnily enough, theres a distinctive exhaust note which might not be as engaging as the dak-dak of a horizontally opposed four, but the steady drone is there as you get on (or less often) off the throttle.
The old pedals sprouting from the floor have gone, but the latest ones have their own character. The accelerator is off-set to the left (leaving the driver prodding the wheel arch for more go at times) and the brake pedal is spongy, even if the brakes themselves seem to work very well.
The driving position is bizarre. Not the seating itself, which seems to be textbook German hard in the cushion but surprisingly comfortable, but the fact that the Beetle shape has had to be grafted on to a more modern platform has led to some interior compromises.
The windscreen and A-pillars are well forward of the drivers seat, leading to strangely positioned rear view mirrors and a horizontal section of dashboard that reflects the sun on bright days. The steering wheel is a simple three-spoke affair: a little large in diameter given the basic instrumentation that needs to be seen through it, but like the rest of the interior it looks the part.
Getting back to the driving, apart from the lack of engine power its all good news. Even a Golf driver would be hard pressed to pick the similarities in suspension because the Beetle sits lower, has wider tyres and seems to be more stiffly set up. So it handles without much body roll, and certainly has more lateral grip than forward speed.
The ride quality is good and nothing more because it can be caught out by larger bumps even if it seems theres a very solid and well-built body to which the suspension components are attached that cuts out flex and rattles.
In short, it is quite a pleasant car to drive, but that pales behind the fun-park interior, and the kind of attention drawn by the look of the new Beetle. People stop and stare, ask questions (like, do you really still put your luggage under the bonnet?) or more usually point and laugh.
Its not a bad reaction, because only the most cold hearted could remain unamused by detailed attention lavished on the cabin: the bespoke stereo system with minimalist controls, alloy surrounding the gearshift lever, parcel shelf under the glovebox, completely unergonomic power window switches tacked on to the door trim and the like.
This is not the best family car, because that sloping rear section and rearward driving position has left precious little room for a small, upright back seat and a narrow boot sandwiched between the wide wheel arches. It is a useful two-seater at best, with enough luggage space for a couple and the slight practicality of a folding rear seat to extend the load area.
It is certainly no less useable than other coupes such as the Celica, but in almost every way much more fun as long as straight-line performance is off the agenda. Its a car that invokes sentimentality even if youve no Beetle past, although in this case its a select nostalgia centred on California in the 1960s, not World War II Germany where the Beetle originated.
I reckon one of the bravest garages around would contain two Beetles: one from the model year 2000 for its ability to start on cold mornings and not catch fire at other times; one from about 1966 for a complete sense of perspective.
All the details
Price: $36,990 (manual), $39,190 (auto)
Engine: 2.0-litre, SOHC, eight-valve four cylinder. 85kW at 5200rpm and 170Nm at 2400rpm.
Transmission: Five-speed manual or four-speed auto. Front wheel drive.
Steering: Rack and pinion, 3.0 turns lock-to-lock. Turning circle 10.9m.
Brakes: Ventilated discs front, discs rear. ABS standard.
Suspension: Front - Independent by MacPherson struts with stabiliser bar. Rear - Torsion-beam axle with coil springs and stabiliser bar.
Wheels/tyres: 6.5 x 16-inch steel wheels, tyres 205/55R16.
How big? Length 4081mm, width 1724mm, height 1498mm, wheelbase 2508mm.
How heavy? 1231kg.
How thirsty? 10.2 L/100km. Fuel tank 55 litres.
Rivals
Peugeot 206GTi, $31,400
Audi A3 1.6, $35,400
Mercedes-Benz A160 Classic, $37,900
BMW 316i, $39,250