Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £12,395 to £21,050
Characterful looks, reasonably practical, some appealing design details.
Characterless drive, cramped in the back, subject to the fickle finger of fashion, patchy interior quality.
Not as much fun to drive as its looks suggest, but perfectly practical if space isn't a priority. If it's a novelty car you want, the Mini is a better buy.
This reborn Beetle was the first of a batch of cute retro cars since followed by the PT Cruiser and the Mini. Unlike the original 'people's car', the new Beetle has its engine under the bonnet rather than hanging out the back and, whichever engine you choose, they're all water- rather than air-cooled and they drive the front wheels rather than the rear. In fact, underneath that familiar but still attention-grabbing shape, the Beetle's much the same as a Golf - albeit the last-generation Mk4 model.
However, the Beetle is not as well finished inside as the Golf and suffers the odd rattle and squeak. The earliest 1999 cars were all left-hand drive, as Volkswagen UK tried to meet customer demand (and fend off imports), but all are now RHD. The (relatively) practical Cabriolet joined the range in spring 2003.
For 2006, Volkswagen freshened up the Beetle's interior and slimmed down the range. With the advent of the Eos coupe-cabriolet, a drop-top based on the latest Golf/Jetta Mk5 underpinnings, complete with a state-of-the-art metal folding roof, the Beetle will continue as a lower-cost fun soft-top while the Eos is offered as a higher-powered, more upmarket and grown-up option. In the UK, the V5 engine is no longer available and the line-up currently consists of 1.4 (75bhp), 1.6 (100bhp) and 1.8T (150bhp) petrol models, plus the 1.9 TDI diesel (100bhp).
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Beetle
wrote on 16 09 2007
wrote on 13 09 2007