11 August 2011

The scoop
Ah, the VW Beetle!

For the third time, Volkswagen has brought back what is arguably the sweetest car ever. It won our hearts in the 1930s (yes we’re that old) and has only required 3 revamps (that’s less than your average Hollywood star) to retain our love.

With this reinvention, Volkswagen aims to capture not only the fashion-savvy driver but also the pragmatic one.

The latest update sees the Beetle mature into a more practical car – 4 adults can fit inside, the boot is bigger, the hatch is wider, and, according to Volkswagen, it has “excellent handling and performance characteristics”. To achieve this they had to tamper with and “modernise” the iconic design – it’s now longer, wider, lower and flatter.

The price is yet to be determined but expect it to be between $25,000 and $42,000, depending on the engine.

The drive
The 2012 Beetle won’t be available in Australia until 2012 but the car is said to share the same mechanical components as the Golf, which is known to be quite good to drive. The new Beetle’s car tracks and wheelbase are wider and that should make for a stable ride.

Despite trying to appeal to practical buyers, Volkswagen couldn’t help including a few cute touches like the artificially tuned exhaust made to sound like the old air-cooled engine, the optional transparent panoramic roof and round-shaped instruments. A flash based, touch-screen navigation system will appeal to both style-over-substance and substance-over-style drivers.

Safety
The 2012 Beetle’s yet to be crash-tested by ANCAP. Safety features include 6 airbags, ABS, Electronic Stability Control and Volkswagen’s Intelligent Crash Response System, which initiates automatic safety measures in some collisions – the electrical supply to the fuel pump is shut off, the doors unlock and the hazard lights switch on.

Green factor
To be determined.

Describe the car in 3 words
Sporty yet sophisticated.

Best thing about the car?
The new Beetle looks to the future but respects the past.

Downsides about the car
Potential plastic overload.

Soundtrack for this car
LCD Soundsystem.

Now if you enjoyed the Black Beetle advertisement (I did), watch the making of it.