Volkswagen BEETLE CABRIOLET DARK FLINT SPECIAL EDITION
Still Endowed With Head Turning Capabilities, VWs Beetle Cabriolet Is Now Offered In Dark Flint Special Edition Guise. Andy Enright Checks Out The Value Proposition
Youll have to forgive me for missing Volkswagens Beetle Cabriolet Dark Flint special edition when I visited this years Geneva Motor Show. With an unprecedented array of new model launches, the unveiling of a limited-run drop-top Bug just didnt figure on my priority list. Back in the real world, however, the Dark Flint special edition is rolling out of dealerships while many of the designers of show cars are scratching their heads and wondering if their eye-catching wares will ever make production.
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Although I may have been guilty of getting a bit starry eyed when presented with the latest eye candy, the Beetle Cabriolet still has the ability to swivel heads. First unveiled at the 2003 Detroit Show, its a neat piece of design and the striking colour scheme of the Dark Flint model sets it off adroitly. With Dark Flint metallic paint and a deep red roof and trim, its certainly a lot different to the majority of red and silver Beetle cabriolets that ply our roads. With leather seats, gear knob, handbrake grip and door inserts, the Dark Flint offers a touch of luxury not normally seen at this price bracket.
With just 250 examples coming to the UK, the Beetle Cabriolet Dark Flint is bound to be a relatively rare sight on our roads, and although it may not have gull wing doors, six wheels or a cluster of scantily clad models lolling all over its bodywork, its still well worth checking out. The range opens at £18,000 for the 1.6-litre model and equipment such as air conditioning, parking sensors, a wind deflector, heated windscreen washer jets, front fog lights and heated front seats are all bundled into the package.
"The Dark Flint edition looks a good deal sassier than its price tag would suggest"
Ignore the fact that the Beetle is merely a MkIV Golf with a pretty set of clothes on. Bin the rose-tinted spectacles and youd have to accept that the original Beetle was crude, noisy and uncomfortable, with a choice of engines less sophisticated than youll find in many lawnmowers these days. The current Beetle Cabriolet borrows the heritage, the silhouette and the blue sky from the original but fuses it with the sort of fuel economy, safety and creature comforts that the modern buyer demands. Take the hood mechanism.
Raising or lowering the hood will only take 13 seconds thanks to a slick electrohydraulic system. All youll need to do is release a pair of latches on the windscreen header rail and press a button. The hood itself is a cloth-lined three-layer construction that does a surprisingly good job of cutting down on wind noise when in the upright position and includes a proper heated glass rear window. You do lose a little of the hard top cars geometric perfection with the hood in place, but drop it back and your Beetle Cabriolet will look a million dollars.
Although the hood doesnt disappear neatly into a cranny in the bodywork when in the down position, the overall effect isnt unpleasant, being vaguely reminiscent of the original. The Dark Flint model offers a choice of four engines, the 102bhp 1.6-litre, the peppier 2.0-litre 115bhp unit, the 150bhp 1.
8-litre Turbo or the 1.9TDI diesel. Theres also an option of a six-speed automatic gearbox with the 2.0-litre petrol engine.
None of the engines, bar perhaps the 1.8-Turbo, will fling you up the road with any great alacrity, but that would be missing the point of the car. The Beetle Cabriolet is built to cruise. Hammering one around with the foot to the floor seems slightly cruel, so we wont bother with the usual 0-60 data and so on.
Suffice to say, the 1.8 and 2.0-litre options are the better choices if you plan on overtaking, but the 1.6-litre car and the oil-burner have plenty enough to keep up in quick traffic.
Unlike many open-top conversions, this Beetle doesnt flex like a wobbleboard when the road is anything less than billiard table smooth. The MkIV 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. The Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet Dark Flint offers a new spin on a popular theme. With prices starting at bellow £18,005, heres a four seater convertible that offers sharp looks, excellent build quality and a touch of luxury.
There arent too many drop tops that can seat more than two for less than £20,005 that are worth bothering with. Heres one that is.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet Dark Flint Special Edition range
PRICE: from £18,000 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 8-15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 173-211g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] Max Speed 114mph / 0-60mph 11.7s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (combined) 32.1mpg
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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