Overview
Before we tell you about the splendid New Beetle Convertible GLS, sometimes it's helpful to know not just about a car you might want to buy, but about how the company as a whole is performing.
So how exactly is
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HIGHS:
LOWS:
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For instance, Passat sales are down 18% so far in 2003; Jetta sales are down nearly 20%; even the Golf is off several percentage points. VW sales even trail the likes of
Simple: VW has old products.
As the Big Three know, if you don't have new cars debuting with absolute regularity, you either need to use incentives to sucker new buyers into showrooms or resign yourself to diminished sales.
Looking at the VW lineup, you can clearly see why sales have slumped. The current Golf won't be replaced in the U.S. until well into 2004, yet this car has been on the road in its present guise since 1997. The Passat, although the body has been massaged, has been out since 1998; the current Jetta--called the Bora in Europe--isn't as old but has a great deal of competition in the compact four-door market from, yep, newer products.
Another factor: VW fans are consistently frustrated by a product cycle that always debuts new models late to North America. For instance, the high-end Phaeton, set to launch in the States next year, will have been on the road in Europe for nearly 12 months by the time it arrives in the U.S. The new Golf is already being delivered to owners in Germany; Americans have to wait until next fall to get theirs.
And while the new Touareg is a darned impressive SUV, the market is furiously heading in the other direction, toward the likes of the
Finally, VW has scored poorly in quality rankings of late, and a nasty problem with faulty ignition coils forced VW/Audi into a springtime recall of 2001, 2002 and early-production 2003 Jettas, New Beetles, Golfs and Passats, as well as Audi A4s and TTs.
Want the good news now? The New Beetle is actually selling ahead of last year's pace, up by well over 10%, and it's all thanks to the terrific New Beetle we just drove. And that is, honestly, how we feel about this $21,850 four-seater.
The reason we like the Bug soft-top? Well, it's got very little trunk room; only little kids would be able to cope with the dinky backseats; its motor is adequate but hardly brimming with horsepower, and operating the roof takes some getting used to.... And yet, with all that said, this car draws more stares and grins--and that's from the driver of it, mind you! And, yes, spectators dig the look, too, but who cares about them? Unlike the New Beetle hardtop--which amused us but we felt it wasn't a car we'd want to own--the Beetle Convertible is the perfect fair-weather friend.
Its backseats are handy for corralling groceries; its windows effectively block wind noise so you can rock out to your favorite tunes; it corners nicely and feels much more solid than you'd ever expect. And unlike all the other four-seat, roughly $20,000 rivals in this segment--
What else do we dig (and dislike)? Read on.
From The Driver's Seat | Should You Buy This Car? | Specs
From The Driver's Seat
What sells VW and Audi cars is slickness. From the way chrome is applied to the exquisite materials used in cockpits, from the top of the lineup to the bottom, all VW and Audi cars just have the sweetest look and feel. It's not even necessarily design--which can border on overly cute or blatantly tricky--we're talking about here, but material use, application and the sensation derived from using the controls or just sitting in one of these cars.
Think of why
The New Beetle Convertible furthers the brand's clever use of materials, but it also makes the owner feel smart for buying the car. Why's that? Because the car is clever and yet also minimal in almost every aspect, so you don't need to get caught up in the little details of owning it--you just get to enjoy driving it.
Take the roof: Like the long-gone Super Beetle Cabriolet of the 1970s, this car's top folds and sits in a gathered hump on the back sill behind the rear passenger seat. Unlike that car, however, the top folds in a reverse Z so that it compresses more and allows much better aft vision. When the top is down, all you see in the rearview mirror is the car behind you. Also, the roof folds easily: Unlatch a meaty central handle just behind the rearview mirror and then push an electric button behind the e-brake handle; in about 13 seconds you're done. When you lower or raise the top, the windows automatically lower a few inches so as not to stress the seal between the roof and the glass, and there's a single window button to move all four up or down in one swift go.
Speaking of top-down driving, VW's done a killer job getting the cabin noise down. Actually, it seems that the curved windshield is the key: It cuts through the air so well that wind noise in the cabin is quite tolerable, even up to 85 mph. Also, we drove this car through a passing rain shower and the rain never touched us; it got pushed behind the car, into our wake.
And because this Beetle is so quiet at speed, you're going to want to drive it with the top tucked as often as you can. (This isn't the case with some convertibles, where you might be just as happy to keep the lid on and go.) In fact, because the Beetle Convertible GLS is fairly gutless (0 to 60 mph in 12.5 seconds), you really want the top down to make up for the lack of squirrels under the hood.
True, around town or cruising to the market this VeeDub is fleet enough, and it does pull down 24 miles per gallon in city driving, which is pretty good. And if you do want more muscle, spend $24,100 for the 1.8L GLS with its 150-hp motor. You still won't set any records, but if you're going to be commuting in this car on the freeway, you might well want more oomph.
As for handling, there's actually quite spirited grip from the 16-inch, 55-series tires. There's also excellent straight-line performance due to a reinforced chassis (often needed when the roof is cut off a car). Don't fear wobble or shimmy from the steering wheel or in the floor, it's not there even as you bounce over bridge junctions or through a field of potholes (hey, sadly, we tested our Convertible in and around metro NYC, not metro Fort Lauderdale).
Overview | Should You Buy This Car? | Specs
Should You Buy This Car?
There isn't much utility to the New Beetle Convertible. The backseat space isn't much better than that of a
But versus, say, a Mazda Miata, the only other fun car in this price category, the New Beetle is loads more pragmatic, since you could legitimately take another passenger and still go buy a potted palm tree at the garden center. Can't do that with a Miata--or with a Porsche 911.
Also smart: The roof has three layers, so it really insulates well against sound penetration and the loss of A/C cooling or, in winter, heat loss. It has a glass (not plastic) backlight as well, so you can actually see to back up.
One thing that isn't smart: The CD changer, should you spend the extra $350 for it, lives in the armrest compartment between the seats. This leaves only skinny on-door slots for maps and two cupholders (that aren't big enough for larger bottled drinks) in which to park belongings. Uh, Germany? We Americans like to carry lots of stuff, from eyeglass cases to pocket organizers, so next time give us somewhere to put it, OK?
On the subject of niggles, earlier we mentioned this car's anti-pigeonhole effect...and that wasn't quite accurate. Some men seem to think the Beetle Convertible a tad fey (women almost universally love the thing, by the way). We think that's odd, because the old Super Beetle Cabriolet and especially the Karmann Ghia did not suffer a macho backlash.
One final thought on the New Beetle Convertible: It's not going to salvage VW sales all by itself, especially because it's got company coming. About this time next year there'll be a
Overview | From The Driver's Seat | Specs
Specs
Manufacturer Contact: The Volkswagen Web site
MSRP: $21,850
Color Options: Black, Blue Lagoon Metallic, Campanella White, Cyber Green Metallic, Galactic Blue Pearl, Platinum Grey Metallic, Reflex Silver Metallic, Sundown Orange, Sunflower Yellow, Uni Red
Suspension Type: Front: Independent McPherson struts, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, 23-mm stabilizer bar; Rear: Independent torsion beam axle, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, 18-mm stabilizer bar
Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph in 12.5 seconds
Engine Type: Two-liter, four-cylinder
Horsepower: 115 @ 5,200 rpm
Torque: 122 foot-pounds @ 2,600 rpm
EPA Mileage: 24 city, 30 highway
Overview | From The Driver's Seat | Should You Buy This Car?