Feature: The 4Car Top 10: £10,000 four-seat cabriolets

28 Aug 07

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet

Prices: From £8,000
Engines: 1.4 (73bhp; 1.6 (100bhp); 1.8T (150bhp); 2.0 (115bhp) and 1.9 TDI diesel (100bhp).
Watch out for: Ignition coil problems with 1.8T; electrical and electronic problems; damage to hood.
For: More Love Bug charm than the hatch; fun to own; solid and well-built; feels cosy.
Against: Novelty could wear off; not that fun to drive; shoddy interior trim; a bit cramped roof-up; Mini now much more fashionable.

IN THIS FEATURE

Introduction
1. BMW 3-Series (1993-2000)
2. Chrysler Sebring (1996-2006)
3. Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class (1998-2003)
4. Mini Convertible (2004-)
5. Peugeot 307 CC (2003-)
6. Renault Megane Coupe-Cabriolet (2003-)
7. Saab 9-3 (1998-2003)
8. Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet (1994-2001)
9. Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet (2003-)
10. Volvo C70 (1999-2005)

9. Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet (2003-)

Arguably the most credible New Beetle, this Golf Mk4-based cabriolet is ridiculously kitsch, but somehow more lovable than the New Beetle hatch. After all, if you're going to buy a compromised, impractical and expensive car solely for its retro looks, then you might as well go the whole hog and buy the convertible, which also seems to bear more spiritual relationship to its original equivalent than the hard-top. The Beetle Convertible was always about posing (preferably on a California beachfront), not utilitarian basic transport.

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Basic-spec 1.4s come with a manually-operated hood only and are very slow indeed; the 1.6 is not much quicker and the diesel is noisy, which makes the 1.8T and 2.0-litre the best bets. But the Beetle was never meant to be a sports car; just stick a flower in that dash-mounted vase and enjoy the sunshine...

Road Test: Volkswagen Beetle
Driven: Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet