Volkswagen BEETLE CABRIOLET (2003 - TO DATE)
MODELS COVERED: (2dr Convertible, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8T, 2.
0 petrol 1.9 diesel))
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Its hard to believe but the Beetle Cabriolet has been a rather underplayed card in Volkswagens hand. The Beetle hatch was initially a must-have item but when the fickle hand of fashion moved on, it was left scratching about for sales. The
smart set moved onto Smarts, MINIs and 1 Series and when
Volkswagen launched the drop top version of the Beetle, sales were rather disappointing. This is a shame, as the Beetle probably suits a convertible body style even better than a tin top.
What it means for used car buyers is a number of affordably priced examples in the network that are well worth tracking down.
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Theres something ineffably appealing about an open topped Bug. Dewy eyed romanticists will hark back to Jerry Garcia, Mama Cass and the Summer of Love, recalling their psychedelic ragtop Beetles and all the good times they signified. The latest car isnt going to spark a return of tie-dye and sandals, but it will reintroduce a whole new generation of buyers to open top driving,
Volkswagen style. Ignore the fact that the Beetle is merely a 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 a fair return, we think youll agree, on a car this affordable. 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.
Prices for the 1.6-litre Beetle Cabriolet start at £13,000 with later 04 plated 1.4-litre cars starting at £13,500. Early 2.
0-litre cars can be found from £13,750 with the 1.9-litre TDI diesel now starting from £14,500 on an 04 plate. Insurance for all models is distinctly reasonable, starting at Group 9 and topping out at Group 11.
The Beetle mechanicals have been proven over the years in Golfs, Boras and Passats, so there are no great surprises here. One feature which bugs Beetle owners no end is the headlamp switch mounted between the drivers door and the steering wheel. Anyone with longer legs will soon smash this dial into the fascia with their knee, and it doesnt come back out easily. If possible, avoid the cream cloth trim, as jeans can easily leach their dye into the
seat material, making it look pretty secondhand in short order.
Finally, with automatic models check the automatic boxes. Many of the early cars feature a four-speed box which allows Drive to be selected and then lets the revs build for a second before lurching forward unceremoniously. Check that you can get along with this feature on your test drive. Also check that the car has a decent service history and is free from parking knocks and scrapes.
The hood mechanism is one of the more sturdy of its ilk, but its well worth checking it for rips and discolourations. Operate it fully a few times to ensure that it stows and raises properly.
(approx based on a 2003 2.0 manual) Despite its more individual appeal, parts prices for the Beetle are standard Volkswagen fare. A clutch assembly is around £170, while an exhaust system with new catalyst is just under £700, while front brake pads retail at just under £100. Rear pads are £27 a pair and a new radiator is £140.
A replacement headlamp unit sells for around £115, or you can buy just the lens section for about £40.
Theres a choice of five engines, the 75bhp 1.4-litre, 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.
Alternatively, you can opt for a proper Beetle thrum in the form of the 100bhp 1.9TDI PD diesel-engined car. 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 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 even a usefully sized boot.
The Beetle Cabriolet is the best convertible in its price bracket. Its well made, looks good and is even agreeably spacious. As long as youre not too hung up on being at the cutting edge of automotive fashion, you should be perfectly happy with one.
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