VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE 1.6 range
Budget Buyers Had To Ignore Volkswagens Latest Beetle Until The Introduction Of This 1.6-litre Version. Jonathan Crouch Checks It Out
It must come as something of a culture shock to
Volkswagen dealers to find that theyre actually having to actively sell the new Beetle. The first cars to hit these shores were, after all, snapped up almost before they had rolled off the boat from Mexico. And this despite the fact that they came with steering wheels on the wrong side.
The introduction of right hand drive models early in 2000 led to another rush of customers, sending UK sales soaring to nearly 5,000 units. Only now is the novelty wearing off: hence the availability of the model featured here the entry-level Beetle 1.6, available as either the familiar hard top or as a pretty Cabriolet. Latterly this model was superceded as the entry level car by the 1.4-litre Beetle saloon but it still accounts for a good share of Beetle sales.
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Early Beetles had all featured the 2.0-litre eight-valve 115bhp petrol engine already used in Golf, Bora and Passat models, capable of surprisingly good performance. Speed however, tends not to be an important consideration for potential Beetle buyers, many of whom were being put off by the lofty asking price. Hence the probable attraction of the Beetle 1.
6. When introduced in this variant, this 102bhp petrol unit was new not only to this car but to the entire
Volkswagen line-up. Its decently fast (rest to sixty in 11.6s on the way to 111mph) and significantly more frugal than its larger-engined stablemate with a combined consumption figure of 36.
7mpg. You dont get quite as much equipment of course, but the standard tally should still satisfy most. Expect to find electric front windows, powered heated and adjustable mirrors, remote central locking, an alarm and 16" 8-spoke alloy wheels. Air conditioning costs extra. You can get all these things in a Golf of course or indeed in any other sensible family hatchback. But then, you dont buy a Beetle to be sensible.
Should headroom prove inadequate, £16,010 will be enough to afford the 1.6-litre version of the Beetle Cabriolet.
"Park it and everyone stares. Drive it and everyone drools"
On paper, at least, the latest incarnation has little in common with Hitlers original air-cooled peoples car, being a Golf in everything but name and shape. Not that this matters, of course. Volkswagens crude, noisy and comfortless rear engined, air-cooled original is the last thing that modern buyers would want. For them, the new Beetle must be anything but the basic, functional transport envisioned by the originals creator, Dr Ferdinand
Porsche, back in 1945.
If anything, the Beetle interior is even more of a shock than the outside; full marks to the design team for doing the job properly, rather than filling it with Golf and Polo dials from the Volkswagen parts bin. Of course, there are plenty of tell-tale Volkswagen signs; the switches, the firm seats, the positive gearbox but you dont really notice them. What you do notice are all the natty stylish touches. The big central circular instrument cluster with its huge numbers and cute little built-in rev counter.
Plus, of course, the vase (yes, you read that right), ready for you to fill with flower power. More macho buyers can pretend its a pen holder or something. As youd expect from the bubble-like shape, theres enough room inside to wear a top hat should the mood take you. More practically, that high roofline does make travelling in the rear reasonably palatable though legroom is at a bit of a premium.
Unlike many open-top conversions, the Beetle Cabriolet doesnt flex like a wobbleboard when the road is anything less than billiard table smooth. The Golf-based chassis is renowned as one of the stiffest around and the decapitation process has retained much of that torsional rigidity. The rear view mirror doesnt get an attack of the DTs when you pass over an expansion joint nor are there the sort of creaks associated with the final moments of a Bond villains lair when you negotiate a speed hump. Thanks to that huge windscreen, front
seat occupants are well protected from wind buffeting, but anybody in the rear seat will get more of a leathering at speed.
Rear seat accommodation for two isnt too bad unless the front passengers have extremely long legs. Headroom is an issue at the back with the hood up, but then it is in a hard top Beetle in the first instance. Theres a usefully sized boot, but if youre big on practicality, Volkswagen can offer you an alternative. Its called a Passat Estate.
Like all modern Volkswagens, the Beetle feels like its hewn from stone, with the kind of build quality youd expect from something twice as expensive. The little touches help too; the lovely blue instrument lighting which illuminates only the figures on the speedometer; the beautifully designed unique-fit stereo. Equipment levels, as weve seen, include most things on the average wish list and include ESP, the Electronic Stability Programme normally reserved for performance models. This senses when youve entered a corner too fast and automatically reduces the power whilst selectively applying individual brakes so that the car can be kept under control.
On the passive safety front, theres twin side and front airbags built around a platform thats still one of the safest things this side of £30,000. Nice touches include folding rear seat that increases boot space, the height adjustable seats and the three 12V power sockets installed around the car. On the road, the ride is Germanically firm and the handling competent but generally uninspiring. In summary, the new Beetle is, even in its most basic form, an unashamed indulgence, both on the part of its makers and those who will buy it.
The arrival of this car, in either hardtop or cabriolet form, will make your street a prettier place.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Volkswagen Beetle 1.6 range
PRICE: £12,510 - £16,010 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-11
CO2 EMISSIONS: 185g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 111mph / 0-60mph 11.6s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 36.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4081/1836/1498
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