Looks are deceiving for Volkswagen New Beetle
By Tom Incantalupo
Newsday
Associated Press
The cute-as-a-button Volkswagen New Beetle becomes almost unbearably adorable when its hard top is swapped for a soft one. But driving this new convertible, especially with its standard engine, is less fun than looking at it.
Volkswagen's New Beetle convertible starts at $21,025, which is below many competitors. But you get what you pay for.
And VW could have done a better job of reinforcing the body to compensate for the loss of a steel roof; the tester's body and top shuddered annoyingly over bumps.
On the plus side, the three-layer, cloth-lined top was sealed well, so there were no wind or water leaks. The rear window is glass, not plastic, and it has a defroster. And this newest New Beetle rides comfortably and has an interior that's as attractive as it is functional.
On sale since December, the New Beetle convertible resembles the original Beetle ragtop in the way its folded top rests on the rear fenders — looking like the folded top of a baby carriage. The new version's top is almost fully automatic, though; the driver has only to manually unlock the latch that attaches the leading edge of the top to the windshield header.
The New Beetle convertible is very affordable by today's standards: Prices start at $21,025 with freight. That's below competitors such as the Ford Mustang, Toyota Camry Solara, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Chrysler Sebring convertibles — although, as we'll see in a moment, you get what you pay for. Hardtop New Beetles begin at about $16,000.
The VW comes in three equipment levels — GL, GLS and GLX and with a five-speed stick or six-speed automatic transmission — the latter with "Tiptronic," shift-it-yourself capability. Automatic tranny adds $1,175 to the price.
Engine: 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, 115 horsepower Transmission: Six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive Safety: Dual front and side-impact air bags; four-wheel disc brakes with antilock; fog lamps, daytime running lamps, automatic rollover supports. Place of Assembly: Puebla, Mexico Weight: 3,159 pounds Trunk: 5 cubic feet EPA Mileage Rating: 22 mpg city, 29 highway Price as Driven: $24,605, including destination charge.
Two four-cylinder engines are offered — the tester's 115 horsepower, 2.0-liter and a 1.8-liter turbocharged motor that delivers 150 horsepower. The latter is the more desirable option but, even at that, its output is 30 horsepower less than it delivers when installed in the mechanically similar Jetta and the Turbo S version of the hardtop Beetle.
Basics on New Beetle GLS convertible
By comparison, the most basic Mustang convertible comes with a 193-horsepower V-6. The Eclipse and Sebring come with 2.4-liter fours, developing 147 horsepower and 150 horsepower, respectively. The Solara comes with a 157-horsepower four-cylinder engine. And all four cars are available with much more power.
The New Beetle's 2.0-liter will get you there but it has to work hard, especially in a convertible version, with its almost 300 pounds of extra weight. VW says zero to 60 mph takes 11.4 seconds with stick shift and 11.8 with automatic. Even the 1.8's times are nothing to write home about: 9.1 seconds with stick and 9.6 seconds with automatic transmission.
The six-speed automatic, unique to the convertible Beetle, helps keep those times from being worse. The hardtop gets a five-speed automatic.
Models with the 1.8-liter engine come with traction control and stability control.
Four-wheel disc brakes with antilock are standard equipment in the New Beetle convertible as are seat-mounted side-impact air bags and extra turn-signal lamps in the outside rearview mirrors.
The New Beetle is the first VW convertible to have pop-up rollover supports; if a sensor detects an impending rollover, the rear seat head restraints pop up 10.4 inches to help protect the vehicle's occupants from being crushed.
That's good, but the convertible top also has a couple of blind spots that could hide a truck — over the driver's left and right shoulders.
While there are no quality rankings yet for the New Beetle convertible, the hardtop hasn't done well in Consumer Reports' surveys of its owner/readers (nor have the mechanically related Golf and Jetta). And VW scored well below average in the latest J.D. Power and Associates surveys covering quality and customer satisfaction in the first three months and first five years of ownership. That's not encouraging.
Amenities such as air conditioning and power windows, mirrors and locks are standard, as are cruise control and a steering wheel that tilts and telescopes.
A final gripe, which applies to the hardtop New Beetle as well: the body's shape forces a dashboard deep enough to remind one of the late, unlamented, "Dustbuster" General Motors minivans and gives the driver the sensation of driving from the back seat.
