The Volkswagen Beetle started out small, through the years it morphed into big and beautiful (if the glances and shout outs I got driving it are anything to go by). At first I thought it might be seen as something of an attention seeker, driving along in the bright Sandstorm yellow Beetle. But no, other drivers kindly let the Beetle out at junctions and passers by pleasantly commented on the colour and the car. While attending the Dublin Tech Summit, just outside the Convention Centre, three people walking by had to stop and ask about the car. When passing through Sandymount, hearing some sort of commotion outside the (very well insulated) cabin, I opened the window and looked to see two teenagers shouting at each other to “look at that Beetle!”.There’s a lot of Beetle love out there. There were also a number of other Beetle drivers parking next to me in seeming alliance.
Beetle love is an historic love, I know in my family it is as it was my father’s first car and a later incarnation was the car my mother would learn to drive in. My first memory in a car is my parents blue Beetle, with me taking my toys out of the back seat. And no I wasn’t throwing my rattles out of the pram having been told I wasn’t allowed to drive the car, just yet.
This brings us to modern day families who seek out MPV’s or SUV’s to do the job of functional ferrying to and from school/sport and recreation. I think they are overlooking the fun aspect of life and concentrating on the functional a bit too much. For anyone with children under the age of 12, this car can do everything you need and still be fun. I don’t think you could fit two adults in the back for anything but the shortest of trips but children easily slide in and all of their gear will fit in that 905 litre boot. There’s cubby’s everywhere and the bottle holder in the front doors consists of a strap which expands around any item to fit snugly.
You’ve got a full multimedia entertainment centre with App Connect as well as 12v charging and USB ports. CarPlay can be a little bit distracting in that when you turn it on, it doesn’t automatically start at the last place you left off. This means a bit of fiddling about which, as we’re all impatient and have somewhere important to be, means that we may be paying less attention to the road than we should be. Oh CD’s, how simple you were. Until you got played 500 times, got scratched and started skipping incessantly.
The design of the dash is a throwback to the original and is colour coded to the exterior paint choice. There’s a few ‘fun’ dials: oil, clock/stop-watch and pressure (not very necessary in a diesel) but fun all the same. You can find your way across the dash without looking and the auto DSG gearbox brings with it some flappy paddles if you want a bit of manual control. I used the paddles a couple of times but found it just as responsive sticking it in auto.
One thing I really liked about the diesel engine was it’s ability to coast a little when taking pressure off the accelerator. This brought to it a smoothness in driving, no jerky loss of power if you just want to slow down a little without braking. Then a lovely flow of power as traffic moves forward again and no one gets sick in the back. Winning.
Visibility through the windows is excellent, judging the corners of the car is a little tricky but the parking sensors do a fantastic job of guiding you into the tightest of spaces. The rear camera pops up on the infotainment screen and you’ve a good gauge just how many inches are left before you create new ‘design features’ in the bumper. It’s based on a Golf but it’s a lot bigger to drive around town, you’re very careful when passing through narrow streets with parked cars. I think the extended wheel arches give the impression of a wide car.
So I urge you to think a little differently when choosing your next car, the Beetle has family history, just because it’s changed over the years, doesn’t mean it’s forgotten its roots. But don’t discount it just because it doesn’t scream “I’m dead inside so I bought an MPV”.
Special mention : Panoramic sunroof, brightens up the cabin and creates a lovely outdoorsy feel.
Needs work : Due to its two door design, the doors are pretty heavy to open. Upper arm workouts a new daily excercise.
Specs:
| Max Power 150hp | Diesel / Auto |
| 0-100 kph in 8.6s | Road Tax €270.00 |
| Price (RRP) €34,575 | Claimed economy 58 mpg |