2012 Volkswagen Beetle: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- Finally, a Use for Those Silly Door Straps
- Interior Video Tour
- The Dash Manned Up
- Interesting Looking GTI?
- Wolfsburg Panzer
- Separated in the Mesozoic Era
- I Like Driving It
- Hello, Back There
- Cultural History
- Still Fun Doing the Mundane
- Mood Light Options
- Kissing Bumpers
- You Write The Insult
- Making Retro Look Good
- Next Project Car?
- Pack It Up, Pack It In
- Emblem Love
- Great Steering Wheel
- No Need To Hide My Face
- Mental Note — Turn Off Headlamps Next Time
- More About The Headlights and Drained Battery
- Get The DSG?
- People Like The Way It Looks
- The Sunroof Screen
- I Like It, But It Doesn't Really Suit My Lifestyle
- Best MPG So Far
- Fender Flair
- A Most Manly Color
- Tween Dream
- Throw Me a Curve
- Cargo Area
- Conehead
- Tire Recall
- Door Bondage
- Manual Lights
- First Service
- Airspace
- My What a Big Fuel Gauge You Have
- What's Missing
- Odd Pedal Action
- Kumbaya!
- Poltergeist Protection?
- The Schmoo Collector
- I'm Just Not a Beetle Guy
- Redline-ish
- Aggressive Hill Hold
- Dash Art
- Seat Fabric
- Cruising With the Sharks
- "It's Ugly, but It Gets You There"
- Appeals to Everyone
- The Window is Fine
- Cousins Concourse
- Make Mine a Manual
- Automatic or Manual?
- The Sedan Version
- Flat Wheels
- iPod Location
- Aura Argument
- Thunk King
- White Lies in the Red Zone
- Fixing the Windows
- Knock Knock
- Windows are Fixed
- iPhone 5 and Android Users SOL?
- Drop-top Preview
- Track Tested
- Aural Fixation
- The Low Rumble
- Board Game
- Be a Sport
- Roadtrippin'
- Mystery Spot
- Will the Bike Fit?
- Road Trip to Santa Fe
- New Wheels
- Super Beetle Mania at SEMA
- The Road to New Mexico
- Never Enough Time on Road Trips
- Seat Comfort After 29 Hours
- Fuel Economy Report from the New Mexico Road Trip
- Instead of a Door Bin
- Driving Route 66
- Buttons
- Wheels. All Of Them
- Wheels, Part II
- Venting. Or Not
- New Recall
- 10,000 Miles
- Don't Ever Change
- Just One Question
- Eco-cool
- Get the Led Out
- Big Time Nostalgia
- Cargo Area Takes a Bogey
- Little Changes, Big Difference
- Harsh Opinions
- November Auto Sales
- Drive with Impunity
- Road Trip Wrap-Up
- CarGo
- Cool and Unnecessary
- Midrange Sauce
- Just Enough Room
- Central Coast Road Trip
- Useless Sunvisor
- Limited Rear Visibility
- Chipped Windshield
- And Room for Baby
- Frost Warning
- 10,000-Mile Service
- Not Girly Anymore
- The Best Bluetooth
- Fuel Economy Update for January
- Re-upping
- Loud Road Noise
- Stomp and Go
- Special Editions
- Slippery Sills
- Fun To Own
- Rear Seat Comfort
- Top Five Qualities
- Typically Costs More Than The Competition
- The Nostalgia Is Still There
- The Fender Edition
- High-Mounted Controls
- 15,000 Miles Cleared
- DSG Or Manual, Reconsidered
- Fuel Economy Update for February
- Voice Commands Only
- Two Kids in a Coupe
- I want TDI, not TSI
- A Perfect Fit
- Attention to Details
- Iconic
- 2.0 TSI Engine Makes Them Great
- Protecting the Trunk
- Fuel Economy Update for March
- Not Underpowered
- Down in Brown
- Split Shifts
- Cargo Capacity
- Tire Swap
- Love the LATCH Anchors
- Broken Fuel Cap Cable
- Fuel Economy Update for April
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
"It's not a girl's car" we keep telling ourselves as we venture out in our new long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. For 2012, the entire car has been redesigned and this new New Beetle drops the cute in favor of a more classic-looking design that's got some of us thinking Porsche 356 and not Barbie plaything. This new Beetle is longer, wider and more traditionally Beetle-y.
Three minutes into our first drive and we're stopped, first in line, at a four-way cross and all eyes are on our new 2012 Beetle Turbo. "It's not a girl's car. It's not a girl's car...." A young guy with beach-blonde hair, an RVCA shirt, board shorts and slip-on Vans slows to take a look. As he passes he mouths to a buddy, "That's cool. I want one." His buddy nods. He can't have this one, though; it's ours for the next 12 months and 20,000 miles.
What We Got
Volkswagen has two available options for the current Beetle. You can have either a 2.5-liter inline-5 or a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The I5 kicks out 170 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, while the turbo mill manages 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Guess which one we picked?
Opting for the 2.0 Turbo model bumps the price up to $24,165 for the six-speed manual or $24,495 for the six-speed automated-manual DSG unit. We picked the DSG since it's the volume seller on this car. Besides, we know how the six-speed manual feels in this powertrain; it's the same 2.0-liter as in the GTI. The turbo model gets you all of the features that come on the Beetle 2.5L (heated and height-adjustable seats, second glovebox, Bluetooth, iPod interface) and adds 18-inch wheels, foglights, a rear spoiler, sport seats with turbo-specific cloth and alloy pedals. Our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo also has the Sunroof and Sound package which adds — wait for it, this is shocking — a sunroof and a Fender Premium audio system with three months of Sirius Satellite Radio. This kicks the price up another $3,000.
We weren't done there, though. The Beetle Turbo comes with a no-cost sport suspension so we added that, too. There's also a first aid kit ($35) and a $235 floor mat kit. We also get a $150 credit for not having the performance gauges. And surprisingly, that's it. VW offers a Sunroof, Sound and Nav package, and we liked the system in our 2011 Jetta, but it wasn't necessary here. There aren't even any fun colors for the Beetle anymore. No bright blue, no yellow or orange, no green. There are only white, dark red, black, silver, gray and dark blue. Mature colors. Boy colors. Grown-up colors.
Including destination, our Deep Black 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo with Sunroof and Sound rang in at $28,385. Volkswagen provided the vehicle for the duration of this test.
Why We Got It
The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle got some new skin, sure, but what really sets this Beetle apart from the old one is what's underneath the handsome new exterior. This Beetle rides on the same platform as the current Golf GTI — an enthusiast favorite — and packs the same power, but in a 70-pound-lighter body with a wider track. It may still look like something that should be parked in front of a dollhouse, but the numbers say this car should deliver on the back roads in a way that makes us forget what anyone else thinks.
Over the next 12 months, we'll put 20,000 miles on our new Beetle where we'll no doubt see how the public reacts to this more masculine take on the Beetle, and how it works in the real world. Is it a more interesting GTI or is it still just a cute commuter begging for a flower vase?
Current Odometer: 537
Best Fuel Economy: 19.9
Worst Fuel Economy: 19.9
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 19.9 (One fill)
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
I use door pockets a lot. As I prefer to leave the console compartments and/or cupholders for road snacks (power bars, sliced apples), my key cards and the phone, the door pockets typically hold the wallet, the wet naps and the various papers and brochures that seem to come out of nowhere.
As you probably already know, instead of a traditional door pocket that you can just plop stuff into, the Beetle has what is essentially a shelf with a wide, elastic belt to hold stuff in. But the open space under the belt that means smaller items can just spill out. Up until recently, I thought this design looked cool but was about as usable as a screen door in a submarine.
But all is not lost, as this would-be pocket hides a well-designed bottle holder. It's angled slightly towards the front, which makes the bottle easy to grab. That previously annoying, seemingly repurposed jock strap thing does a great job holding the bottle snug. No rattling around and interrupting the sweet sounds of satellite radio.
There's lots of talk about the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle being all butched up with its sportier exterior. But the real indication that it's not meant to be a chick car anymore? No flower vase for your Gerbera daisy. Instead you get this built-in tray on the dash for storing your manly smartphone, Costanza wallet and other manly paraphernalia. In all honesty though, I'm really digging the dash layout of this Beetle compared to, say, the 2006 New Beetle we tested.
The new VW Beetle Turbo is based on the Golf platform, it shares the GTI's turbocharged engine and available DSG transmission. Logically, one could assume that the Beetle Turbo is essentially a GTI in a more interesting-looking package. That certainly sounds appealing to me.
However, that's just not reality.
Yes, the powertrain is the same and even though I'm not a fan of DSG (I'll stick with the manual thanks), the Beetle Turbo at least feels similar to the GTI in a straight line. Actually, according to our numbers, the Beetle might actually be a bit quicker.
But the steering is far more Jetta than GTI, with that numb spot on center that transitions into an elastic feel as you turn in. This significantly contributes to the Beetle feeling less sporting whether you're simply puttering along to work or actually trying to drive with some vigor. That eager nature of the GTI just isn't present with Der Beetle; that little shot of automotive caffeine that makes even the most mundane commute just a little exciting. Track numbers on a short-term Beetle showed a huge difference between the two cars as well.
So, the Beetle Turbo isn't a more interesting-looking GTI. It's just a quicker Beetle. Maybe that's OK, but I'm a little disappointed.
An amazing transformation of the Volkswagen Beetle. A stretched nose and a chopped turret-style top have made this into a big serious car instead of a small cheerful one.
With this car's glossy black paint, dark windows, zippy wheels and an interior overlaid with chrome accents and faux carbon-fiber trim, this is the most thoroughly stylized car in the Volkswagen portfolio, a kind of Wolfsburg panzer.
Assuming of course that a Beetle made into a panzer is what you want.
Yet, they have the same hips.
I'd always been reluctant to drive a VW Beetle, mostly because of its previous incarnation with bud vase. I had a neighbor who decorated her red one with black dots to make it look like a lady bug. Yes, really. Cringe.
But the new manned-up Beetle is fun. Guys dig it. I see them looking. And I've had a few ask me about it.
It has a spunky turbo engine, makes a pleasing sound, has a comfortable interior, solid steering and feels secure through turns. I like a car that can handle a curve. And it's in an accessible price range.
Have you driven the new 2012 Beetle?
I really have to reach far back to grab the driver's seat belt in the VW Beetle. It's way in the back. If my legs were longer and my seat back farther, yes it would be somewhat closer. But it would still be really far back there.
I mean I'm short, but I'm not Tyrion Lannister short.
I've been reading Paul Ingrassia's excellent "Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars," which includes a chapter on the Beetle, "from Hitler to the hippies," as the author puts it.
Everyone knows that the car was Adolf Hitler's pet project, meant to be affordable, practical transport for Germans, just as Henry Ford's Model T had been for Americans. What I didn't know (though I'm sure Beetles fans did), but learned from Ingrassia's book, is that the car's original name was "Kraft durch Freude Wagen," or "Strength Through Joy Car."
Or that first reference to the car's appearance surfaced in a New York Times article in 1938, describing Hitler's vision of "great sweeps of smooth motor highways with thousands and thousands of shiny little beetles purring along..."
I also didn't know that for years, German execs hated the nickname (the car was to be called the "Volkswagen Sedan") and refused to use it until the early 1970s.
In high school, I very badly wanted a Beetle to call my own. I had one surfer-girl friend who drove a bright yellow Beetle and another who had a baby blue Microbus. And one day, my dad announced. "I got you a Beetle." I was flabbergasted. Thrilled. Over the moon. I was expecting him to give me keys, but this is what he put in my hand instead.
That, for those who've never seen one, is a bottle of Avon men's cologne in a VW-shaped bottle. I was devastated. I cried. I pouted.
I got over it. My passion for the Beetle passed, and an evening spent in our new one didn't reignite it. The car looks good, but it sounds all wrong and the interior is way too Passatian. It's not a proper Beetle, IMHO.
But I do wonder — and ask you, the experts — what is today's equivalent of the Beetle in terms of design, desirability and cultural importance?
I didn't really get to do anything fun with our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle considering it was a long, glorious holiday weekend. No beachside cruising or mountain touring. But even then, for just driving through holiday traffic and running errands around town, I enjoyed my stint behind its wheel.
Lots of smooth power, zippy handling and it makes me smile whenever I walk up to it sitting there waiting for me. It's a great motivator for getting off the couch. "Sure, I'll go and grab you a sandwich, friendo." "You want to meet clear across the other side of town for brunch? OK!"
And since it was an especially hot one this weekend, I really appreciated how efficiently the climate controls cooled down the cabin. Sure, the sunroof has an interior sliding cover made out of mesh but even with sunlight shining through that didn't seem to heat up the cabin too much.
So far I like this car a lot.
Most people don't care about mood lighting in a car but I like it. It's silly, fun and I like having options. In our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, the mood lighting switch is located to the left of the steering wheel and it's paired with the dimmer so you can go as conservative or crazy as you want.
Now, if you have more moods than angry, sad and calm, you're out of luck as there are only three color options (red, blue, white) to match the door panels and door speakers to your mood (or outfit). And if you want no part of it, there's always the shut-off option.
Personally I like the red lighting the best.
Now, prepare to have your mind blown. Heh.
Sorry for the cameraphone pictures!
This is not what the owner of a new car wants to see: a scratched-up car parked a finger-width away from your (nearly) shiny bumper. OK, so I'm not really the owner of our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, and the offending vehicle isn't even touching our car, but still. This is why we can't have nice things in the city.
I do have to say, though, that I've found the Beetle's curvature does make it a bit of a challenge to parallel-park. From the driver seat it's difficult to tell where its bumper ends so I'm always compelled to get out of the car to check how far I am from the other car.
Maybe that was the above Impala's issue with our car as well. Of course, this probably wouldn't be a problem for an actual VW Beetle owner who would grow accustomed to its dimensions.
They're nearly kissing here! (BTW, the VW has since been washed.)
Our masochistic 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is literally begging for punishment, particularly the brakes.
"You call yourself a brake pedal? More like a dimmer switch."
"You'll never amount to anything. All you do is impede progress."
"Why can't you be more like the throttle?"
"Here, let me wipe my shoes on you."
"Get a job."
Any others? Let's here your best denigration. Put the Beetle's brake pedal in its place.
This is going to be so cathartic.
This weekend on my many travels around town, I encountered a Platinum Gray Metallic 2012 Volkswagen Beetle wearing Heritage wheels. (The configurator on VW.com unfortunately doesn't post the Heritage wheel as an option when building your Beetle.) I have to say that the retro wheels with updated Beetle looked really sharp! I may have even drooled a little.
For the 2012 Beetle, Volkswagen is offering the Heritage Wheel with a chrome center and ring as a dealer-sourced accessory. Yup, you can get these wheels as well as other accessories like vehicle and key fob skins, pedal caps, etc. at VW dealerships. And obviously instead of steel, the Heritage is made of alloy. Found more photos of the Heritage wheel here.
Anyway, I'm surprised I haven't seen more of this style of wheel around. Figured with the Beetle's long history there would be plenty of retro geeks wanting to fly their heritage freak flag, said affectionately.
But then again, I haven't seen that many 2012 Beetles out and about yet.
Should we convert our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo to a 3-wheeler? Ever since I stumbled upon this guy in the Home Depot parking lot I've been searching for the 2012 conversion kit. Dan, are you ready for another DIY? I'll bring the sawzall.
I was signed out for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 this weekend, but come Friday an urgent message went out saying that the person driving the Beetle needed something with more than four seats. I happily volunteered to swap as I so rarely need more than two (three if Maggie goes on an adventure).
Per Murphy's Law, however, I was called upon to drive five people to dinner Saturday night. D'oh! Wife's Mazda 3 in from the bullpen I guess, but with three dudes on board (At 6-foot-3, I was shortest), it was just a wee bit tight. The old 2.3 wasn't exactly at its punchiest either. A 470-hp Jeep would've been useful.
Come Sunday we were bound for Target and Petco. I went with the Beetle this time, and as the above photo shows, the trunk required a good bit of Tetrising to make almost everything fit. A pair of pillows and two picture frames still needed to the ride the pine. A 5,000-pound Jeep would've been more useful, but not necessary. At the same time, the Beetle's far more useful than alternative/cute hatchbacks like the Mini and Fiat 500.
A layer of schmutz had collected on our Beetle's hatch-opener/emblem. So last night, inspired by Jay's paean to elbow grease and our freshened-up story on how to wash and wax your car, I pulled out a bottle of high-shine protectant for vinyl, rubber and plastic and tidied up the emblem.
I employed a cotton swab and a tiny little pointy thing (OK, a bamboo skewer) under a thin cloth to get into the corners.
Much better, don't you think?
Volkswagen Group knows how to make a steering wheel. The one in our Beetle is just another example of this knack. The wheel looks vaguely retro inspired, and its rather thin rim speaks to that. However, that rim is also sculpted so that when you turn it shuffle-style, it's contoured to fit your hand. The spokes at 3 and 9 are indented to fit the meaty base of your thumb. The flat-bottomed wheel, while a drawback to some, is a boon to those with long legs. You know, those like me.
So, kudos to the wheel. Pity about the steering it's connected to.
"It's not a girl's car. It's not a girl's car ..." Mike Magrath wrote in our long-term intro to describe his thoughts as he drove it for the first time. And based on commentary I've read, it seems this topic is on a lot of readers' minds. Given that VW made a point to man-up its new Beetle, it's a fair discussion point.
I've only been driving our Beetle for a couple days, but here's my two cents: So far I'm enjoying it. I don't feel like I'm driving a "girl's car." Rather, it just seems more like a Golf/Jetta/GTI with cooler styling. And I'm pretty happy with that.
Well, I managed to drain the Beetle's battery over the weekend. I went out to the VW on Sunday to run an errand only to find that it wouldn't start. The accessories worked, just not the engine starter. For a moment I thought something might be wrong (such as when the Jetta died on Mike for no apparent reason), but then I checked the headlamps switch, and sure enough I had left the lights on from driving the Beetle the night before. Oops.
The Beetle was on my driveway and I had access to another vehicle. I thought about jump-starting, but instead hooked up the Beetle's battery to my portable charger and let the battery charge back up for the afternoon. Two things came out of this:
1) A subsequent read of the owner's manual revealed that the battery "...should be charged by an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility because the factory-installed battery requires a charger with overload protection." Hmm. Well, the Beetle and battery seem fine after charging, but good to know I guess.
2) Also from the manual: the Beetle does have a battery rundown protection feature, but it doesn't apply to the parking lights (i.e., light switch on, vehicle parked/not running).
I saw some comments on yesterday's drained battery post where people were wondering about how exactly the Beetle's headlights/parking lights operation works and how I actually managed to drain the battery. Here are my responses in a separate post.
Allthingshonda was wondering about parking lights, since the headlight switch has just two positions: off and on. The parking lights activate if you turn the headlights on and then place the transmission in park and set the parking brake. Basically, you get the DRLs up front plus illuminated taillights and side running lights. That's what is pictured above, and what effectively drained the battery as the parking light mode is not automatically shut off according to the owner's manual.
Benhamean figured out the headlight/parking light situation, but wondered how I actually let it happen. Well, I tested it out today. If you have the headlight switch on with the car running, then turn off the ignition and open the driver door, you do get a warming chime. In theory, I should have noticed this and then turned off the lights.
But, there are two excuses here. One: From the driver perspective inside of the car, it does look like the car's headlights turn off when you shut off the ignition off. No more bright headlight illumination, just the parking lights. And that can go easily unnoticed since just about every car these days leaves the lights on for you after you exit the vehicle (especially in my situation, since we drive so many different cars, and I'm not super familiar with each car's peculiar operation).
Two: The chime isn't different than any other warning chime and repeats five times and then turns off. Like isend2c wrote, in modern cars you get chimes/beeps for everything these days. Sure, five times should be plenty, of course, but I suspect I was just distracted as I was returning home late with my wife the night before and was probably talking to her and not paying attention to a beeping chime, which is all too common.
Finally, hybris wrote that it's all blown out of proportion since it was indeed operator error. No question there. But I do think it has taken on a little more relevance here since the Beetle doesn't have automatic headlight operation nor a method to really prevent the battery from draining if the driver does indeed leave the light switch on.
For our departed VW Jetta TDI, I wrote that I'd pick the DSG transmission if I were buying that car. This ran counter to a lot of my coworkers, who found the DSG behavior to be annoying. The main issues were: 1) Sluggish throttle response in Drive from a stop; 2) The alternative, Sport mode, was arguably too sporty for normal use; 3) Engine braking during braking at low speeds (15 mph) that made it difficult to come to a stop smoothly. But for me, I didn't find those quirks to be all that bad, especially given the Jetta's commuter car/family car mission.
Yet I also know if I were to buy a GTI, I'd get the manual transmission. So where does that leave the Beetle Turbo?
Our Beetle Turbo lies somewhere in the middle of those two cars. Well, it's closer to the GTI given its engine and suspension tuning. But it's also not as sporty or as fun as the GTI, as James wrote. It's more of a style/image car than the GTI.
The DSG quirks are still present in our Beetle. I often find myself switching between Drive, Sport and manual mode simply because I can't find a mode that just works. It can be annoying. But DSG is still nice to have for congested traffic, and it does give you more control and quicker responses than a regular automatic. Hmm. Tough call, but I think I'd go with the manual transmission for a Beetle Turbo.
People Like The Way It Looks
I've been driving the Beetle for about a week now and so far everybody who has commented on it has had favorable things to say. My daughter's 24-year old babysitter said "It's cute! But not bubbly cute like the old one." A guy friend of mine said he thought it looked "sleeker and more classic." An older guy outside the gym I go to said he liked the wheels and black paint. My wife thinks it looks pretty cool, too.
So heritage-based styling that still looks fresh and unique. I think this demonstrates one of the new Beetle's most appealing aspects.
If you ordered your car with a sunroof, you probably like the idea of seeing the sun. And in that case, the Beetle's sunroof shade will appeal to you. Like some other long-term cars we've had over the years, it has a screen-style shades for the sunroof. Even when closed, you can still see that there's a big shining light up there.
Personally, I'm not fond of this style of shade. If I'm closing it, it's because I don't want to have the sun showing in the cabin — at all. I much prefer a solid shade. But as screen shades go, the Beetle's shade does a decent job of reducing light. We've certainly encountered worse.
I enjoy driving our long-term Beetle. Highlights for me include the heritage-based exterior styling, the quick acceleration from the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, the distinctive interior design and the expansive amount of customization available. It's a cheerful small car.
However, as I'm a parent with two young children, it probably won't come as a surprise to hear me say that our long-term Beetle doesn't really fit my lifestyle.
By this I mean on a theoretical daily use and practicality standpoint. Mostly, it comes down to the hassle of dealing with kid shuttling duty (lugging my one-year-old in and out of his rear-facing safety seat was particularly not fun) and the Beetle's petite luggage area.
For me, I'd end up getting a four-door GTI or a GLI if I were buying off a VW lot. I'd lose a lot of personality, but that's the trade-off. Still, I think it's cool VW decided to keep going with the (new) Beetle, as it puts most of the Golf and Jetta's appealing qualities into a much more stylish package for those who want it.
For a Beetle fill-up a couple days ago we registered 30.9 mpg, the Beetle's best fuel economy so far. I mention this mostly because a few people commented on the Beetle's lackluster listed average (21.2 mpg) in our most recent Big List of Fuel Economy for June. One 30 mpg tank (the EPA highway estimate is also 30 mpg) is not going to significantly raise that average, but it at least does show the car can is capable of meeting an EPA estimate.
This particular tank was indeed all highway driving. It's the same 230-mile route I've used to observe optimized fuel economy in two other VW products, our 2011 Jetta TDI (46.1 mpg) and 2010 GTI (33.5 mpg).
Unlike those trips, though, I didn't set out with a fuel economy goal for the Beetle. I pretty much just drove, which meant 70+ mph speeds and air conditioning on. Seeing it all now, I wish I had made the attempt for better economy. Well, maybe next time.
I was a little skeptical about Fender supplying (or at least lending their name) premium audio in Volkswagen vehicles. After all, they're not known for audiophile-grade components, they're known for kickass guitars and helping to push rock n' roll to new heights.
After a little listening session, though, I can say it's a pretty decent system.
It's not going to knock your socks off or really make anyone say, "wow, this sounds amazing," but it certainly won't cause much regret having it bundled with the sunroof and navigation package. It produces moderately clear highs and a decent punch down low. Really, the only detractor to the system doesn't have to do with the system at all. It's the amount of road noise that intrudes into the cabin.
But what I find really impressive is the special edition Fender Beetle that comes with the brown sunburst Stratocaster dash trim. That. Is. Awesome.
Of course, I had to take it further, so I but together my VW-VH special edition. That. Is. Awful.
Red. I'd never considered it a particularly soothing color choice as far as cabin illumination is concerned, but for some reason, within our Beetle's interior, it comes across as being very easy on the eyes when the sun goes down.
When combined with our car's all-black interior color scheme, the red illumination also makes the VW's cockpit feel very masculine. And I guess that's the point. The Beetle has long been popular with the ladies, but with this redesign, VW's aim was to get more guys behind the wheel.
The bold red lighting nicely supports the car's tougher, less cutesy sheet metal. It all comes together to give this Beetle an assertiveness that should work well to broaden its audience.
When she was seven-years-old, my daughter informed me that she'd be driving a green VW New Beetle when she turned 16. I didn't find her choice at seven to be all that surprising, but what is unusual is that despite the number of different cars I bring home and all that she's been exposed to, nearly five years later she still has her sights set on the VW. (Hope she's been saving her pennies).
Last week I learned that a friend bought his almost-16-year-old daughter a 1962 Beetle as her first car. She hasn't yet learned to master its manual tranny. Neither has his wife.
While I love classic cars, I would never put my new driver behind the wheel of anything less than the most modern vehicle with the largest arsenal of safety equipment.
Would you?
I like a car that feels confident going round a curve. For me the joy of driving comes in the twisties.
I'm very pleased when I drive our 2012 Beetle. It can really handle a bend in the road. Its low and wide stance keep it stable. Its Independent MacPherson struts and rear independent 4-link suspension help her stand up even in the tightest turns.
Combine that with a turbocharged 200-horsepower engine and 207 lb-ft of torque at only 1,700 rpm and you're laughing.
I know many people don't like the flat-bottom steering wheel but I think it adds to my enjoyment. And you can still get a Beetle with a manual transmission.
I bought a lamp this weekend that came in a bulky cube-shaped box. With the dramatic slope of the Beetle's back window, the box wouldn't fit into the 15.4 cubic feet of rear cargo area and still allow me to close the hatch. So I lowered the rear seats which brings the cargo volume up to 29.9 cu. ft.
As you can see in the photo, the seats do not fold anywhere near flat. Even so, I was able to push the box further into the cargo area and the privacy cover held the box in place.
Dan Edmunds, our director of vehicle testing, says the Volkswagen Beetle Turbo is the perfect thing for the test track. But maybe not for the reasons you might have guessed.
First of all, he likes the long doors with a low beltline, so he can park the Beetle near the slalom and skidpad areas at Auto Club Speedway and get a good view as he records the test times relayed to him over the two-way radios by our test drivers.
But most important, the Beetle is an excellent cone picker-upper.
When one of our careless, ham-fisted test drivers clumsily knocks aside a cone in the slalom while breathtakingly sideways in a Porsche 911 Turbo S, Edmunds can cruise the Beetle onto the track and set the misplaced cone in its spot without having to leave the driver seat.
The door opens nice and wide, and the seat height is close enough to the ground that it's easy to pick up the cone that has been knocked down. Plus you can creep the car forward with the door open to put the cone back into its proper spot without the safety electronics going into a tizzy and shifting the transmission into Park. The engagement of the dual-clutch automated transmission is very smooth as well, and this also makes cone chasing easier.
This is the kind of thing that makes a day at the track go quicker, especially when you have a group of cars as capable of blowing aside cones at top speed as the 2012 Porsche Boxster S, Porsche 911 Turbo S, and Porsche Panamera GTS.
And afterwards, it's easy to find a place to stack all the cones when it's time to clean up.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Edmunds.com @ 3,950 miles
There's a raft of important recalls in the news this week, including one for improper tires on the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.
Luckily, our Turbo was not included.
Our Beetle comes with a rather stern-looking strap that can be used to keep items securely placed in its shallow door bin. It's broad and black and clearly means business.
Each Edmunds long-term test car gets a logbook that allows us to record and monitor fuel economy, and the strap keeps the Beetle's logbook firmly in its place. The strap is also tight enough to keep wider items — like a water bottle — held in a close embrace.
Oh no, I had to turn the lights on and off in the 2012 VW Beetle by hand!
But seriously, our Beetle has this very simple dial that turns the lights on and off. And when you forget and try to exit the car with the lights still on, it plays a steady musical note, just like in cars from the 1990s. In this modern world of automatic lights, it is very easy to forget, so the chime is appreciated.
(Photo by David Landsness)
Yesterday we delivered our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to the dealer for service. Normally, VW picks up the tab every 10,000 miles with its Carefree Maintenance Program. We choose to give our cars the severe service treatment once before falling into the OEM recommended intervals. So we knew this one would come from our pocket.
These services aren't counted against the ownership tally for the car. But they do offer some peace of mind, which to us, is worth it. They also give us a bit of insight as to what we will be paying once our free maintenance expires.
Santa Monica Volkswagen had our car for about three hours. We weren't waiting, so it was not a big deal this time. The experience rated as average until we had to call our advisor to follow up. Then it lost a point. We can't hold it against this dealership exclusively, however. The unfortunate reality is that this extra step is required at more dealerships than I can count.
Oh, and the cost for the oil change and tire rotation...
Total Cost: $148.19
Total Days out of Service: None
I share Mr. Roman's viewpoint regarding our longterm 2012 Volkswagen Beetle's sunroof shade, and probably a more vociferous one regarding such sillyroofs in general.
But at least one of their downsides is a non-issue as installed in this Beetle.
And that is there is just a ridiculous amount of headroom in this car. Even with the dumbroof taking up precious inches, I — a six-foot, one-inch guy that's all torso — have inches of empty space above (and perhaps in) my head. Vast headroom seems to be a VW thing, as I recall our GTI having a similarly tall-dude-friendly nature.
That's one less thing to gripe about with these unnecessary affectations. Now if they could just do something about the added mass at the worst possible location, the negligee-like sunray-blocking ability, the general uselessness, the way it degrades chassis stiffness...
Yes, that's the first thing that struck me when I got in our Beetle for the first time. No idea why really, it's just huge. Big as the tach in fact, not sure I've ever seen that before.
That oddity aside, I was reminded how awesome VW's 2.0-liter turbo engine is once again. We had essentially the same engine in our Audi A4 Avant awhile back and it was great in that car, too. Not much has changed. It's smooth, has plenty of power and doesn't sound half bad for a four-cylinder. The mileage figures haven't been great overall, but that should improve as the mileage piles up. Too bad the new Passat doesn't offer the same engine, that would be a nice combo.
Apparently our longterm 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is missing a few features. At least four, by my count of the blanking plates on its center console. These things drive some people crazy, but I don't really mind them.
What's your take on them — constant reminder of options gone un-ticked, laziness on behalf of the manufacturer, or don't care one way or the other?
It's odd, our longterm 2012 Volkswagen Beetle's brake pedal. Oh, its outright braking power is plenty fine, it's the way the pedal feels that's unusual. Here's my attempt at characterizing how the pedal feels in routine stopping exercises around town.
There's a very light effort at the top of the stroke where nothing happens. This, while not ideal, is an appropriate relationship — braking power should be commensurate with effort. No effort, no braking power. Makes sense.
Then, while you continue to press the pedal, effort still unchanged at minimal, you get a bunch of braking power all at once. It's practically a step change. Which, again, would be workable if the effort ramped up to match the response. In the Beetle's case, it doesn't, and its action makes smooth modulations more of a conscious exercise than it need be. It's too easy to over- (or under-) do it.
Furthermore, the brakes gain power at a fixed pedal position. I've noticed this in other VWs, too, like our Jetta TDI. You're scrubbing speed at the desired rate (pedal in one place) and gradually the brakes grow more and more effective, bootstrapping themselves, pushing you into the belts more and more. So to maintain your fixed-g braking, you actually have to back of the pedal somewhat.
Like I said, odd.
Spotted another Beetle... and it had a tail light out... Does that count as a Padiddle? Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Padiddle?
I'm experiencing an intermittent auto-up window pinch-protection malfunction. Occasionally, it believes there's something impeding the window and backs it off. The trouble with this is that after two tries, it then locks out auto-up/down and it will only motor the window either way with the partial pull/push on the button. Luckily, shutting the car off resets the system. I checked the window track for any crud, and there is none. Does anybody else have this problem?
There's a video after the jump if this doesn't make sense to you...
Besides being a very reflective badge on the front of the Beetle Turbo, it also has an uncanny ability to collect all manner of grime and debris: Bugs, what looks like paper towel bits, and wax/polish that hides in the nooks and crannies. I'm certain this has been a nagging problem since the people's car was introduced, so what's the solution?
The title says it all. Beetles of any vintage never did anything for me. Maybe they're too "cute" or quirky for my tastes. What I do like, however, are Karman Ghias. Perhaps this has to do with me being a Get Smart fan as a kid, but really, I've always been drawn to that particular design. So have you guessed where I'm headed with this? Click through to see.
I put this together in a bit of a rush, so it's not quite up to my standards. That said, I think it gets my point across. If I had a whole day to fiddle with this, I'm sure I'd be a lot happier (on a lot of levels).
Underneath that photoshoppery is an Audi TT. In my mind, however, I'd want this to be a mid-engined car. How hard could it be, right?
What do you think? Should VW revive the Karman Ghia?
Here is the tachometer in the 2012 VW Beetle. It features a fading redline. It's not very specific. So, what exactly is the redline in the Beetle?
The answer: 6,500
Artsy or Annoying?
It's rare when a car with an automatic transmission has an aggressive hill hold feature. I'm not complaining. I thinks it's a good idea in any car. I sure wish more cars had hill hold when I was learning to drive stick. Everything seems like a hill when you are a newbie.
What's interesting about the VW Beetle's hill hold is that it works forward and back. I've never noticed that in any other maker's cars. So, not only will it keep you from rolling backwards, it holds you tight when you are facing downhill as well.
I came back from the ATM to find my kid using the VW Beetle's passenger side dash as an easel of sorts for the waxy Wikki Stix she got from a restaurant.
Normally, I would've been ticked at her gumption, but something about the little display seemed almost appropriate in the Beetle.
Lucky for her, it cleaned up easily with this photo as the only remaining evidence.
Although I think it looks good, I'm not a big fan of our Beetle's seat fabric. It's wooly-scratchy, and everything sticks to it.
I'd prefer a smooth microfiber instead.
A VW Beetle, of sorts, recently guest starred on the Discovery channel's Shark Week. After fashioning a skeletal Beetle, the lads took it underwater and played chicken with the sharks. Not recommended. The amphibious bug might look like a diving cage, but the large roof and windshield openings look big enough for "Jaws" and his mates to grab a quick snack if the mood strikes.
Still, this is an impressive feat of engineering, and some of the details (such as having headlights/taillights and the "floating" VW emblems) are clever too. Of course, I'd still rather have Bond's submersible Lotus Esprit — it looks cooler, packs missiles and wouldn't require a dive suit...
Back in 1969, Volkswagen ran a print ad with the tag line, "It's Ugly, but It Gets You There." However, instead of displaying an image of its Volkswagen Beetle it featured the U.S. Lunar Module, the first of many lunar excursion modules to land on the Moon. Clever considering the ad used one of the greatest feats in human history and one of the most watched events — Astronaut Neil Armstrong walking on the moon!! — to catch consumers' eyes but also came across as so honest as at that time Volkswagens were considered eyesores.
But looking at our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle AND the Mars Rover Curiosity, that tag line wouldn't work as well today. Talk about gorgeous machines. We've certainly come a lonnng way.
Here's to risk takers and adventurers constantly taking us outside our comfort zone. RIP Neil Armstrong.
I enjoy driving our VW Beetle Turbo very much. I like its size, the way it handles, its peppy engine, the new look, the price.
The other day, I was talking to one of my neighbors about it. He is thinking of downsizing from his SUV into the new Beetle. He called it the Bug.
The Beetle/Bug has been around for a long time appealing to many generations. What other car has a road trip game about it? Punch Buggy black!
As previously noted, the driver's window in our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle was acting up. This was the first I heard of it. So I grabbed the key, went downstairs and reset it.
Climb in. Start the car. Hold the switch to roll the window all of the way up and continue to hold up for about 10 seconds after it's closed (I heard 10 secs, but 3-5 sometimes works). Roll the window back down, again holding the switch for 10 seconds after the window is fully open. Roll it back up and it is reset. The window is fine now.
In my experience, this miscommunication between window and switch often follows the car sitting, turned off, with the window partially open. It happens to sunroofs too. Why exactly does it happen? I can't tell you. But 90-percent of the time, this is how you fix it.
There's a 2009 Porsche 911 in our house, but with divergent work schedules, it hadn't met its Volkswagen Beetle cousin. We got them together for a tete a tete yesterday. See any family resemblance?
After a long weekend of driving our Beetle around town and on the freeway, it's clear that there a lot of things to like about it. It feels solid, capable and practical without losing its sense of fun. It handles well, and the turbo gives it a nice pop. It cools off nicely on hot days. Its hatch is big enough for everyday hauling. It makes the boys look twice, which is a nice perk.
What I miss is a manual transmission. I know that we've got the DSG automated manual transmission and those tinier-than-a-bee's-wing paddle shifters. But in my mind, it's not a proper Beetle without a real manual transmission and a clutch pedal.
If I were buying this car, I'd go for the 2.0T Turbo model with the six-speed manual transmission. The sunroof/sound package is nice — I'd keep that. I'd give serious consideration to the Plantinum Gray Metal color you see above. But honestly, the black lends the Beetle even more machismo to the redesign. "It's a Stink Bug," a friend said this weekend. She's right, and so black remains my first choice.
Personally I can't quite figure it out.
The specifications sheet says the VW Beetle Turbo's DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox) is a high-tech, dual-clutch automated manual transmission.
But I can't figure out whether it's an automatic transmission or a kind of fast-acting manual with an automatic clutch.
Developed by BorgWarner and licensed to the Volkswagen Group, the DSG was the first dual-clutch transmission in a series production car when it was introduced in 2003. As I understand it, the BorgWarner engineer who led the project moved to Ricardo, where he developed the fast-acting dual-clutch transmission for the Bugatti Veyron (not an easy task for such a powerful application).
This makes the DSG sound like it's a performance-oriented transmission, doesn't it? And that makes you think of a manual transmission, doesn't it? That's certainly what I thought of automated manual transmissions when fast-acting single-cutch designs were introduced for Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
BMW has always portrayed the automated manual transmission as a manual-style performance device, first with the single-clutch design for the previous M3 and now with the dual-clutch design for the current M3 and new M6. Same with the Mitsubishi Evo, for which its Getrag-developed dual-clutch transmission was subsequently developed for BMW, Ferrari and now others.
But then you consider Porsche, which adapted its ZF-built dual-clutch automated manual to push-button control for the Type 997 version of the Porsche 911 because it considered the design to be an automatic transmission, a convenience alternative to the six-speed manual transmission. Of course, 911 enthusiasts immediately complained (much to Porsche's consternation) and the company was forced to develop an optional, high-performance shift paddle design for operating the PDK. The same arrangement continues for the Type 991 version of the 911.
So, is the VW's transmission an automatic or a manual? The DSG is meant to shift very smoothly, so the shift action is a little slow to keep things unobtrusive. I think of it as an automatic as a result. Ford has had to tinker with its own dual-clutch transmission for the Fiesta and Focus to counter complaints of rough shifting, so the design seems to be thought of as an automatic for these cars as well.
There's no pattern emerging here, is there? I like automated manual transmissions because of the quickness of the shift action, and I'm really not fussy about whether it's a single- or dual-clutch design, just as the difference between an Audi R8 and Ferrari California isn't really important. Without automated manual transmissions, exotic cars would be undrivable garage queens, just like they were for decades before the Ferrari 360 Modena and Lamborghini Gallardo.
It really seems like the whole issue has to do with our prejudices about the vehicles in which the transmission is installed. A dual-clutch automated manual in a Volkswagen is an automatic, but a dual-clutch automated manual in a Ferrari is a fast-acting manual. You think?
I was driving the 2012 VW GLI this weekend and although it was previously just the sedan version of the GTI, that isn't the case any longer. Just as the Jetta moved away from the Golf, so too the GLI. The dash may be padded, but the rest of the interior has the Jetta's cheaper, harder plastics (especially on the doors) along with missing extras like the adjustable front armrest and rear air vents.
So what does this have to do with der Beetle besides the common badge? Well, I thought the GLI felt more like our Beetle Turbo to drive than the GTI. This is especially true of the steering, as both have a big old numb spot on center and an equally Novocaine-tastic turn-in response. In my recollection, the GTI just feels sharper. The infuriating throttle response when DSG is in Drive is the same too, along with the odd off-throttle slowing and hyper downshifts in Sport. Using the paddles is a must. (To be fair, I haven't sampled the GTI with DSG so I can only imagine that aspect is the same).
When I checked our testing numbers of the three cars, guess what? Equipped with the same tires, the GTI circled the skidpad with more grip (.90 vs .84) and went through the slalom 1 mph quicker. Our Beetle Turbo (with different tires) had the same skidpad number and was 2 mph slower. Acceleration is essentially the same across the board even with the GTI in question featuring the manual.
Flat-bottomed steering wheels are like profanity to me. Used in the right setting, it's poignantly perfect. In the wrong setting, well, it's just plain stupid.
Volkswagen and Audi seem to be the worst offenders when it comes to flat-bottomed wheels. At least for me, the whole purpose of flattening the wheel is to permit enough room for a racer's thighs. Did you catch that? A racer. As in, a racer in a race car.
Most race cars have quick steering ratios that never require a racer to turn the wheel much past 90 degrees in either direction. Go past that point, as you regularly do in a road car, and that flat bottom interrupts the normal flow of rotation.
On the bright side, I am quite a fan of the function and feel of Audi/VW wheels. But let's leave the flatness to race cars, mmkay? Plus, in keeping with the retro styling of the Beetle, a round wheel seems more appropriate, wouldn't you agree?
Do you listen to your iPod in the car? Where do you prefer the connection be located?
Our VW Beetle has the connector in the glove box. Some cars put it behind the shifter and some in the center console.
I prefer the center console so I don't have to reach over to the passenger side if I want to make a change.
Which location do you prefer?
The flight from San Francisco was supposed to land at 8:30 last night. Then it was 9:20, 9:30 and finally, 9:55. I had timed my arrival at LAX for my passenger pick-up as closely as I could to match the delays, but I still had to do the ritual once-around. Traffic teemed, made that much worse by a terminal construction project.
The Beetle is a maneuverable little critter, which helps in situations like this. But I also think that people cut it slack that they don't extend to other marques. The car radiates humility and kindness, and while the parting of traffic waters fell short of biblical proportions, I got more breaks than I would have had in a BMW (for example). Either that, or those turn-signal thingies really do work.
Do you accord certain brands more courtesy than others? And is it the car — or the driver?
If you were shopping for a car in the old days — when you just walked onto the car lot without a plan, drawn by a glimpse of the latest shiny vehicular object — a sales guy would at some point open the door of the car that had ensorcelled you and then slam it shut. The sound was meant to tell you that this was a solid, well-made vehicle that you should buy forthwith.
Our Beetle has those very doors. They close with a thunk, not a plink. And you (OK, I) have to use a little muscle to push them open. They're a manifestation of the Beetle's transformation from girly car to manmobile.
Do you test the sound of the metal when you're car shopping? Or is that as old-fashioned as tire-kicking?
It's no secret that Scott Oldham likes a walk on the wild side (our new Buick Regal Grand National being Exhibit One). So it didn't bother him to drive down our long-term Lexus GS 350 to zero range.
The Lachnit household, on the other hand, is decidedly mild side. When the Beetle flashed its yellow "reserve fuel" light yesterday and said we had about five miles of range left, we exited the freeway and filled up. The car has a tank of "about" 14.5 gallons, according to the owner's manual, including two gallons of reserve. We pumped 13.35 gallons. We've been averaging 21 mpg in the Beetle. At its worst, we got 16.3 mpg, so we actually had somewhere between 18.7 and 27.6 miles of range left, not five.
It's a nanny gauge, for sure. But I don't mind it when it comes to fuel, where consumption varies and the consequences of running out are no fun.
We hoped to finally settle our on-again, off-again struggle with the windows of our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. So we left it with Volkswagen Santa Monica. We'll let you know how it turns out.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad we didn't put eyelashes on our Beetle.
We delivered our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to Volkswagen Santa Monica to address its failed auto-window operation. Two days later the car was back in our hands and, we hope, the problem fixed. Here is what happened:
First, VW inspected the seals to confirm they were not deformed. Those checked out fine. Then, we're guessing to cover all bases, the window motors and regulators were replaced on both the driver and passenger sides. The windows now operate as intended.
Yesterday I got my Samsung Galaxy SIII down to gasp! 4 percent. I was hoping our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle offered a way to charge it up. But turns out the glovebox only had an adapter for iPhones. Bah.
Apparently those who need a different sort of adapter can get them from the VW dealer. But then I read that there actually isn't one for Android users. There seem to be contradicting reports. Can anyone confirm? Not that it matters, since this isn't my car. At least those who possess the new iPhone 5 can buy the $29 adapter/$39 cable to hook up their new gadget which comes with a smaller dock connector, compared to the previous 30-pin one. Android users can still connect for sure via Bluetooth.
As we've reported, Volkswagen will be formally unveiling the 2013 Beetle convertible at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show. But if you can't wait until then, Vee Dub has released official photos of the new Beetle drop top. Unlike with previous versions, the new convertible will be available with any of the coupe's engines, including the 200-horsepower turbo gas, the 41 highway mpg turbodiesel (TDI) and the base inline five.
So my favorite thing about our Beetle has got to be that purring, baritone engine note. It's the kind of sound effect that makes you want to keep laying into the throttle.
My second-favorite thing would be the way it hugs corners, tight as a tourniquet, and low to the ground. All in all, this is a car that, for me, is very enjoyable to drive.
In the six months we've had the Beetle Turbo in our lot, we haven't gotten around to its ride quality and quietness. Engineers call this NVH, for noise, vibration and harshness. So how is the Beetle on the road?
Our Beetle Turbo has the optional sport-tuned suspension, but the ride quality doesn't really suffer as a result. You can still feel every bump and rut in the road, but there's no annoying harshness. At least to me, there's just enough initial compliance to cancel out the initial jolt from a pothole.
In terms of road noise, you can definitely hear the tires rolling on pavement. It's muffled to a low rumbling on most surfaces and gives the cabin a sort of hollow sound. The good news is, the road noise never gets to the point where I'd call it intrusive. Wind noise, on the other hand, was never really detectable.
What I really like, however, is the growl that comes from the engine. The turbo lag at the bottom of the revs, I can do without. But all things considered, I wouldn't have any problem logging some serious miles in the Beetle on a road trip.
The Volkswagen Beetle's seats seemed just fine to me until I spent a few days in our 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited. The BRZ's sports seats are firm and extremely comfortable, with excellent lumbar support and some serious bolsters.
By contrast, the Beetle's seats now feel flat and as hard as a board. As you can see, there's a curve in the lumbar vicinity, but it's so slight that it might as well not be there.
I know the BRZ's seats are designed to support spirited driving, but I wouldn't mind having a little more of that feeling the more mild-mannered Beetle.
For around-town driving and until you get up to cruising speed on the freeway, Sport mode is really the only way to fly in the Beetle. I know chronic use of Sport affects fuel economy, but without it, the car is considerably less fun to drive.
After looking at the most recent Big List of Fuel Economy, I suspect I'm not the only driver who's shifting into Sport. We're getting 21.3 mpg in the car. The EPA's combined figure is 25 mpg. Keep in mind that the Beetle takes 91 octane, so our Sport habit is costing us extra.
Maybe a compromise is in order: Sedate use of Drive during the week, party with Sport on the weekend. If this was your car, would that work for you?
Last night I wasn't looking forward to the drive to Lancaster, California, after just getting off a flight from Portland. But it was either spend the night up there or wake up at the ass-crack of dawn to get up to The Streets of Willow from L.A. in time for our annual driving school's 7am call time. So I have to say that I was more than a little relieved that Mike Schmidt, keeper of the keys, left the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle for me. A fun, no-brainer car with power, it's just what I needed to stay awake for the late-night 70-mile run.
The automatic with paddle shifters made the bits of traffic on the Hollywood freeway leaving town bearable. I just sat back and enjoyed the journey. Only minor issues are the fact that this car doesn't have satellite or navigation. Yeah, I'm totally spoiled, but when you're driving out in the middle of the desert, these things are just nice to have. I made do with the Scan feature of the FM radio and it was fine.
Noticed this mysterious worn spot on our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle's passenger side door handle. An odd place for it considering it's not an area that naturally falls under one's hand when opening the door. I have to go out of my way to put my thumb there when grabbing the handle. The paint is worn down and it doesn't look like a scuff mark. Any theories as to what could have caused this? Editors with sandpaper thumbs?
I received a secret mission from Oldham while I was up at Willow Springs raceway attending Danny McKeever's Fast Lane driving school. But in order to carry it out I needed to trade my now-dusty 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport for the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo that Caroline had driven up.
"Fine, no problem," I said. And then I remembered something that had the potential to throw a wrench in the works: I'd brought my mountain bike with me in the back of the Impeza. I would need to fit it into the Beetle in order to drive it home and carry out Scott's master plan.
There was serious reason for doubt. The hatch area is narrow on account of the Beetle styling and ours has the Fender audio system that makes it narrower still. And the rear seats don't have much legroom, which is another way of saying the front seatbacks are kind of close to the back of the car.
As you can see I got it in there, but only after removing the front wheel. The passenger seat needed to be pushed forward a couple inches with the seatback leaned forward, too, so this only works with one person aboard.
Thing is, my bike is far from current. It's a 19-inch hardtail Rockhopper with 26-inch wheels and short-travel Judy forks. I'm not convinced a road bike or a modern full suspension mountain bike with the 21-inch frame I should be riding would fit.
Josh? Mike? Bueller?
Tomorrow our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo and I will set out for Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's a work-related adventure, so I'll leave in the wee hours of the morning with the goal of making a meeting scheduled for dinnertime. That's 860 miles, give or take, plus a switch to Mountain Time.
The drive back to Southern California will be slightly more relaxed, so I'm taking suggestions for cool roads or restaurants to try along the route. Or, more to the point of this entry, if you have specific questions about what it's like to road-trip a Beetle, post those here and I'll try to field them all.
Scott wasn't a big fan of the so-called "Twister" 18-inch wheels that came on our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. A few others in the office have been luke warm on them, too.
They're supposed to resemble the Porsche 914 5-lug wheel conversion that was popular back in the day on early Beetles, but with their extra long spokes and flat profile you have to squint real hard to see them that way.
So we asked VW if we could try out a set of the 18-inch "Disc" wheels shown above, which have a more obvious — by still stylized — vintage look. That old-school chrome disc is in reality an oversized plastic center cap that snaps onto 8-spoke alloy wheels. The wheels come on the Beetle 2.5SL, but only when you get the loaded version with the "Sunroof, Sound and Navigation" package.
We didn't want to go all the way to the more accurate vintage look of the "Heritage" wheels, though, because our plan was to swap the Turbo's P235/45R18 tires straight across onto the new wheels, and the Heritage wheels measure just 17-inches in diameter.
When the wheels arrived, however, we discovered they came with new TPMS sensors and tires already mounted and balanced. This is going to be a very simple swap indeed.
The new rubber is the same size (P235/45R18), has the same load & speed rating (94H) and is still rated for all-season duty. But these wheels came with Continental ContiProContact all-season tires instead of the Hankook Optimo H426 tires we had before. Apparently this is a second OE fitment in the same size, a common practice employed by carmakers to guard against natural disasters or strikes at tire supplier plants.
The Twister/Hankook combination weighs 52.0 pounds...
...and the Disc/Continental pairing weighs 50.2 pounds, almost 2 pounds less per assembly.
It goes without saying that we'll be retesting this combination at the track in the coming weeks to see if there's much difference. But the result is secondary because this was never about performance. It was about cosmetics, a desire to change up the look of our Beetle Turbo with other OE parts.
So, as my optometrist is fond of asking, do you prefer this...
...or this?
Either way, the latter is what Erin is rolling on during her trip to New Mexico. You don't have to make up your mind just yet because we'll be seeing more photos of these wheels on the open road in the coming days.
There's a 500-horsepower 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo on the floor at the 2012 SEMA Show. I'm guessing it would beat the pants off of our car.
Formally named the VWvortex Super Beetle Project, the one-off show car honors the approaching 75th anniversary of the Beetle.
Read more about the Super Beetle, and all of our SEMA show coverage, here.
Well, I surprised myself and made it from Los Angeles to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in time for my 6 p.m. (Mountain Time) dinner meeting. I left the house just before 5 a.m. under a lovely full moon (sigh, yes, the same full moon that contributed to the horrific storm surge back East... if you're dealing with that right now, you have my sympathy), and a couple hours into the trip, it was still visible and the sun still wasn't up. Can you tell I'm not usually an early riser? Heh.
It took me 12 hours and 20 minutes to reach my hotel in Santa Fe (of course, that's actual driving time and doesn't include my fuel stops in Kingman and Gallup, my Del Taco stop in Flagstaff, my fruitless search for a Starbucks in Gallup or this photo stop). I know this because the time counter in the Beetle's trip computer is linked to the "Route" feature... resetting one resets the other, plus the average speed, I believe. The Route feature counts your miles and basically functions as your Trip B in a car that doesn't have the American-style A/B setup. Very useful on a trip like this.
So far, I'm liking the Beetle's ride quality with the new Continental tires. It's just a smidge more compliant than the GTI, and has been great on Interstate 40 through Arizona and New Mexico. There's a lot of repaving going on right now, so surface conditions have varied a lot, and the Beetle hits that road-trip sweet spot between control and comfort.
Thanks for all the suggestions on places to eat and possible routes. Regrettably, I won't be able to fit in everything, but I will be hitting a couple of them before I get home.
My one frustration with long road trips is that I never have enough time to go everywhere I want. I left Santa Fe around 2 on Tuesday afternoon, and after stopping for tamales in Albuquerque, and then, ice to keep the tamales fresh all the way back to California, I didn't make it to Petrified Forest National Park before nightfall. Darn. When will I get to come back here and see this natural wonder... next year, five years from now?
But I had to press on, as my plan was to stay overnight in Flagstaff. And thank you, deagle13 for suggesting Black Bart's. I would never have noticed this restaurant, because it's in an RV park as you say, but the food is good and the casual dinner theater vibe, complete with a pianist and a wait staff singing Broadway tunes, is just cool. Some of the waiters must be music majors, as they sound like they could belt out an opera.
And the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo is better than I expected. Not that I thought it would be not good for road trip, but I'd gotten into the habit of seeing it as a stylized, less practical version of the GTI in my personal driveway. But there's more to this package to that, and if I didn't need the GTI's rear legroom, I could see myself wanting a Beetle for general commuting and road-tripping.
First some context, the first "New" Beetle came out when I was in college, and at the time, I was in the target demographic: 20 years old and not male. I was smitten for a month or two. I never bought one, but I did drive one of our ancient, ancient long-term cars — a 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle TDI with the five-speed manual gearbox.
Now the Beetle is new again, and I feel too old and mature to want one, but good grief, this is a much better car. Nicer materials. Better build quality. The frameless windows seal properly, and while they let in a little more wind noise than framed windows would, the cabin was pretty serene on my road trip.
Also, strangely, I prefer the Beetle's cockpit and driving position to the GTI. It's not the visibility I like, as placing the nose and tail isn't easy (you just have to remember the car is little more than 168 inches long which = short). But the upright windshield angle is neat — reminds me of being in a Mini or our '85 911. And since the Bug is a little wider than a GTI, it feels like there's more shoulder room and I liked the added spaciousness during my 13-hour day in the car. Also, the weekend before my trip, I had two adults besides myself in the car. Legroom was tight, but I never worried about elbowing my father-in-law.
I like the engine note, too. Yes, it's simulated but it's done well. Lay into the throttle to merge or pass and you get boxer-like engine noises. It's a like a Subaru to the modern ear, but there's also a resemblance to the '73 Super Beetle I drove briefly in college. It's a nice detail, I think — certainly better than a bud vase.
Driving the Beetle at night was pleasant. The gauges — white lettering on black background — are easy to read. Of course, I wish our car had the available bi-xenon headlights, because the standard halogens don't reach that far or seem that bright. But the reality is that I encountered relatively few situations where I was reaching for the brights. The standard headlights were just fine on I-40 through eastern Arizona.
Although I was bummed to miss the petrified forest, the next morning I pointed the Beetle north on U.S. 89 to check out Sunset Crater National Monument. It's a cool looking mountain with a big crater, and everything here formed during an eruption in 1064. And because it's in the desert, it's still only sparsely dotted with vegetation nearly 1,000 years later. It's not quite as dramatic as the Craters of the Moon monument in Idaho but worth checking out if you're in the area and into volcanoes.
More from the road later, including the mpg report plus stories from Route 66.
P.S. The pork tamales from El Modelo in Albuquerque survived the trip and rank among the tastiest tamales I've ever eaten. The Sportage pulled up while I was taking the photo, and the driver told me the Beetle looked cool.
Full disclosure: I've almost gotten to the point of disqualifying myself from evaluating seat comfort. Advancing age and dwindling time in the weightroom have left my glutes incapable of withstanding far too many average-quality driver seats — without complaint, that is — on typical 3-to-4-hour drives.
But I've decided to discuss our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo's driver seat here, because I found the comfort level above average on my recent 1,800-mile road trip to Santa Fe and back.
Over a period of 62 hours, I logged nearly 30 hours in the Beetle's driver seat (plus another 4 hours in the car I drove while in Santa Fe). Aside from the fairly generous bolsters on the seat-back cushion, the base cloth seat doesn't look particularly special. But the seat-bottom cushion is long enough to provide good thigh support, and the cushioning is firm enough that I could go 6-8 hours before I'd get all whiny. And even then, since I was alone in the car, nobody had to listen to me.
Based on this experience, I give the Beetle's driver seat a passing mark. If you're shopping for a small car, and seat comfort is a priority for you, and you're too late to get a Volvo C30, the new-new Beetle is worth considering.
Before my trip to New Mexico, bankerdanny commented, "Use premium." At the time, I was puzzled... I know our Beetle takes 91 octane; there's a label right there on the fuel door and it had never occurred to me to put in lower octane fuel. But Danny's words turned out to be prophetic.
See, on the drive home, I should have fueled up our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo in Seligman, Arizona. There was a Chevron right there when I exited Interstate 40 for my Route 66 detour to Kingman. The car's gauge was showing 1/8 of a tank at that point, and I don't know why I didn't stop. I remember thinking there would be plenty of places to stop on old U.S. 66. Man, was I naive.
The low fuel light had already been on for a bit when I pulled into this station. It looked promising: Open 24 hours, decal on the pumps for 91 octane, credit card reader on pump. When I looked more closely, there was a piece of paper taped to the pump mentioning a broken credit card reader and "we only have 87." Instead of hoofing it inside and settling for regular, I pulled back out onto the road and continued on to the next town, which was about 10 or 15 miles down the road. I'll be able to buy premium there, I told myself.
I pulled into town and came upon a school, houses, various municipal services, but no gas station. Now I was starting to worry. My portable Garmin Nuvi nav system indicated that the nearest gas station was over 40 miles away in Kingman.
Fortunately, I also came upon some get out the vote organizers in the town. "I'm already registered and I promise to vote in my town on Election Day," I told them. They laughed. "Would you be able to direct me to the nearest gas station?"
"Yeah, go to the lodge seven miles down the road."
Major relief. I didn't know what she meant by the "the lodge," but Truxton Station is what I found.
It was a gas station of the old school. Full service. Two men came out, one to pump my gas, the other to wash the windshield with care. "No chance you have 91, right?" I asked. They laughed. Nope, 87 only, and the asking price was about a dollar above the typical asking price for a gallon of 91 in Arizona. You can see how much I paid for 14.1 gallons. The Beetle's tank is listed at 14.5 gallons, and this is definitely the most fuel we've ever put in the car during a fill-up. Also the longest tank at 423.5 miles
About 5 miles down the road, I saw a big Union 76 sphere looming over a hillside. Darn, I could've had premium... and then I saw the weed-infested station, obviously closed down for at least 10 years. I didn't see another viable gas station for 30 miles.
By now, the Beetle has evacuated most of the inferior 87 octane fuel, but these are my numbers for the trip. I can't easily explain why my first tank returned such low mpg, but I suspect a short fill on the fuel-up immediately preceding it.
| Odometer |
Trip |
Gallons |
MPG |
| 7240 |
337.8 |
13.61 |
24.8 |
| 7566 |
325.7 |
11.076 |
29.4 |
| 7956 |
390.4 |
13.077 |
29.9 |
| 8380 |
423.5 |
14.1 |
30.0 |
| 8784 |
404.3 |
13.88 |
29.1 |
Total trip mileage was 1,881.7 miles, and the Beetle averaged 28.6 mpg against an EPA rating of 22 city/30 highway/25 combined. My average mpg wasn't stellar, but bear in mind that the speed limit is 75 mph on I-40 and I-25 through most of Arizona and New Mexico, and that undoubtedly increased consumption slightly.
Before the U.S. 66 gas station adventure, I stopped for pie at the Pine Country Restaurant in Williams, Arizona. Thanks to bkarlan for the suggestion.
And not far from Seligman, I came upon the Romney Motel. There was no sign of the candidate or his press corps.
I was skeptical about the real-world utility of the "door bins" in our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo before my New Mexico road trip.
They're not bins at all, but relatively shallow and narrow trays with a wide elastic/spandexy strap to hold stuff in. During 1,800+ miles, I only found a couple uses for them: (1) They're good for holding folded pieces of paper — maps, printed trip itineraries, stuff like that. (2) They're good for holding my pump-style bottle of hand sanitizer*, which I can then dispense into my hand without removing it from the "bin."
*Am I a germ freak? Absolutely. And on a long road trip, this stuff is a sanity saver when you're repeatedly pumping gas and visiting rest stops that don't provide soap.
After I refueled our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo in a very remote part of Arizona, I was free to enjoy the rest of U.S. 66 en route to Kingman. What a neat road this is... it's a shame it was mostly euthanized by the Interstate system. I've only encountered pieces of it in the past (the Ted Drewe's on Chippewa St. in St. Louis, for example), but Seligman to Kingman, AZ, is an uninterrupted 80-mile stretch.
There's a lot of desert scenery, but it drives like the major highway it once was, and never gets particularly twisty. And based on an earlier I took in a turbo Beetle on a much more technical road, this didn't come as a disappointment. At least with these tires (and the Hankook set we used to have) and this suspension calibration, the U.S. Beetle Turbo is a more relaxed version of the GTI. It's fun at a moderately brisk clip, but if you start leaning on it hard, it's less enjoyable... it's not big on changing direction, the steering is not overly talkative.
Oddly, though, it has a firmer brake pedal feel than the GTI in my driveway. And, as I mentioned, the ride quality is really good — better I feel than our long-term GTI which had a different tire package: P235/45R18 Contis on the Beetle vs. 225/40R18 Dunlops on the GTI.
The engine in this car is great, too. Oh, I know, VW uses the 2.0 TSI in everything, but it's totally justified because it's one of the best four-cylinders out there. But after 1,800+ miles, there's no way I'd ever get it with this six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual gearbox.
This has to be the most relaxed state of tune for the six-speed DSG possible, save for the fuel-scrimping programming in our 2011 Jetta TDI. The Beetle feels lethargic leaving the line, and putting it in Sport mode doesn't seem to quicken it up much — it just makes it more abrupt when the torque finally comes together.
Of course, I should I have taken advantage of the turbo Bug's steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters and shifted it manually. But I'm lazy and it didn't even occur to me. Once I see the DSG shifter, I make the mental switch: "Oh, this car is an automatic (even though, no, it's not a true automatic), so I shouldn't have to make any effort to shift gears." Sadly, people like me are probably part of the problem... we expect the DSG to feel like an automatic, then we complain if it delivers firm, positive shifts, and so VW then retunes so it feels smoother and slower like a real automatic. Sorry.
Anyway, this DSG no longer feels anything like the awesomely quick version I experienced in the 2008 R32. So were I to buy a turbocharged Beetle, it would be the conventional six-speed manual version.
After 1,881 miles, I feel qualified to reflect on the usability of the steering wheel buttons in our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. In general, I like having the volume adjustment on the left-hand side of the steering wheel and I used it 95 percent of the time (versus the main volume knob on the head unit).
In general, it was easy to adjust the volume without looking down at the buttons, but it's a little crowded there on the left-hand steering wheel spoke, and twice during my trip when trying to lower the volume, I hit the voice control button below it instead. Both times, I got all befuddled and couldn't immediately figure out how to cancel voice control... saying "cancel" doesn't do it; you've got to hit the button again. But two times over that many miles isn't bad, so this is a pretty good design.
You'll notice the cruise control stalk behind the spoke also looks a little crowded, especially since it's a combo stalk that also controls the turn signals. But, it, too, was straightforward to use. I didn't find the toggle button on the end of the stalk that helpful for fine-tuning the set speed, though, so I'd usually end up cancelling cruise and resetting the speed with my right foot.
I imagine Volkswagen is trying to be a bit retro with the Beetle's thin-rim steering wheel.
It's got to be the thinnest of any steering wheel I've used in recent memory. Which is odd at a time when most wheels seem to be getting nicer. And by nicer, I mean thicker and with better quality materials.
I'm not saying the Beetle's wheel should be as thick as a BMW M wheel (which are always awesome), but retro or not, it would be nice to have a little something more to hold onto than this. Especially since this is the Turbo model.
As for the Beetle's other wheels
My personal opinion is that these new disc wheels we recently put on the car are pretty hideous. Your opinions may differ. And that's okay.
So the other day I might have mentioned that I wasn't a big fan of our swap to the disc wheels on our long-term Beetle Turbo. I might have even called them hideous, but I can't recall.
Yesterday we took the Beetle back to the track to re-test it with its new wheels and Continental ContiProContact tires (numbers coming soon).
While checking to make sure all the lug nuts were tight, we had to take off those disc hubcaps.
Here's what we found:
Hello, there's your good-looking wheels, hoss!
Can't tell you how close we were to NOT putting those things back on.
The other day I couldn't figure out why the Beetle's air conditioning seemed so underpowered. I mean, I'm turning it up to 3 and yet I was still hardly getting any cool air on my face.
Could the system really be that weak?
Nope. It just took me awhile to realize that the vent was scrolling back skyward after I'd position it directly at me. So it was blowing the air over my head.
It's annoying, but not the end of the world because there's another vent on the left side of the dash. We should get it looked at next time the car goes in for service.
I guess I notice the lack of air more than others on staff because I like it nice and cool inside.
Maybe I should be living somewhere like Alaska and not California...
A new recall was announced today for the 2012-'13 VW Beetle.
Seems some cars might not be able to recognize if a child safety seat is installed in the front passenger seat, and therefore won't disable the airbag, leaving the child at risk of an airbag impact.
As the early report says cars with leather seats are especially susceptible to the issue, it's unlikely our Turbo is included.
So I'm headed to Northern California and it's clear that 10,000 miles is going to come up on the odometer pretty soon. As a matter of fact, I'm on Interstate 405 in the middle of the San Fernando Valley when it's apparent that the magic number is about to appear.
So I'm thinking about where to pose the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo — someplace that would be interesting. But of course I'm in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, so there is a desperate shortage of interesting places.
But it comes to me that I'm surprisingly close to Ed Pink Racing Engines in glorious Panorama City. And sure enough, I pull off the freeway and onto Sepulveda Boulevard (the longest street in L.A., which runs from one side of the county to the other), and sure enough enough the odometer turned over practically at the front door.
This was the center of the drag racing universe in the 1960s when Ed Pink tuned the Mopar engines for Don Prudhomme and Shirley Muldowney. The big GM plant that built Camaros was about three miles away, while nearby Galpin Ford sold Mustangs to everyone who didn't work for GM.
Ed Pink even has a link to Porsche, as Jim Busby — a former dragracer turned Porsche 935 driver — turned to Pink to build his Porsche engines. Later the shop built engines for Porsche 962s as well.
So there's a little something going on with the idea of posing the Beetle Turbo next to this engine shop next to the railroad tracks in an obscure part of Los Angeles. the picture isn't so great, but at least you can't see the strip club that's on the other side of the property.
This is something that I hope VW keeps doing: The seatback adjuster knob. Meaning, not a lever. Those two levers you're looking at, by the way, are for lumbar and seat height.
But the beauty of a round knob, such as this, is that it's infinitely adjustable, whereas levers usually have set points that they adjust to. And quite often, none of those points are exactly where you want the seatback to be.
So VW, please don't take away the knob, okay?
Where's the damn ESC-off button?
On the VW Beetle, even this Turbo model, it's nowhere to be found. In fact, you can't even turn off the traction control. Of course this bothers me, especially for testing purposes when we're running numbers.
But with most VWs we've tested recently, even if they have a "stability control-off" button, the system still isn't fully defeatable anyway.
So does it really matter?
Utilizing a response that I usually can't stand: Yes and no.
Yes it's a problem when you exit turns aggressively, because as soon as the front tires spin up at all, the traction control system starts cutting power. This is where a traction control-off button would come in handy.
No, it's not that big of a deal because a) it's a Beetle, it's not like we're talking about a performance machine here, and b) the stability control system has pretty high limits, especially with the new Continental ContiProContact tires we have on it now. You have to be seriously charging hard to get the system to freak out on corner entry.
So while I'm always a little miffed when the stability system can't be defeated...in this case, honestly, not that big of a deal.
So we're leaving this fancy place in Yountville that is the Disneyland Hotel of the Napa wine country, the happiest place on earth for people that like hanging around wineries.
And the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo is looking like it belongs here, especially with its newly installed retro-style wheels.
As it turns out, the Beetle expresses all the reasons that people come to the Bardessono. It has the sound, restrained values for which plenty of people are looking, yet it's done with the style and personality that you'd find in Porsche, not a transportation pod.
It's easy look a bit sideways at a hotel like this, which grows its own vegetables, gives you carbon-fiber bicycles to ride, and cleans and recycles its water, but these are all really good things. And it makes sense to build a car for the slice of the automotive market that might like transportation with the same kind of personality.
I sometimes get the feeling that there are people who would really like to make the Beetle a kind of hot hatch. But that's the mission statement of the GTI and the Golf R, and the Beetle doesn't really measure up, even with a turbocharged engine.
Instead maybe we should think of the Beetle as a carbon-fiber bicycle. It can be trick and it can go fast, but it should always remember that it's a bicycle at heart.
Maybe only nerd-level classic rock lovers (card-carrying member, I am) will appreciate the irony of jamming some Zeppelin over a Fender-branded audio system. Zep guitarist Jimmy Page became synonymous with Gibson Les Paul guitars once the band became a household name, and Gibson was Fender's primary rival among rock guitar gods.
But in the group's earliest days, Page actually forged Zeppelin's heavy blues template on a Fender Telecaster.
The Tele was, and still is, a versatile axe. But its pickup design ultimately couldn't deliver the heft that Page later found in a Les Paul fed through the amplifiers of the day.
The Beetle's Fender system — which is really a Panasonic-designed and supplied system — is surprisingly good. Crisp, clear highs, slightly biased bass and midrange. Nothing too audiophile about it, just clear with good volume. Then again this is only a cursory impression, 40-year-old bootlegs being only so useful in judging sound quality.
Anyway, the Zep/Fender/Beetle connection has a nice symmetry to it. I'm guessing the Beetle in all its incarnations has hosted more hazy Zeppelin listening parties than any other car in history.
I've owned two bugs and a bus so I'm a sucker for the way VW keeps harking back to earlier decades. I liked those decades. And I liked those cars too, maybe because I could work on them with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers.
All this nostalgia is hitting me because I saw this 2013 Beetle Convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show. And now I'm lucky enough to be driving our 2012 long termer for a road trip for the next few days.
This isn't big news but the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle isn't a good golf car. It's like VW didn't even try. The clubs can't be fit in sideways or even diagonally, the way they go into a lot of cars. Instead, you have to flip down the seats and put them in the long way, which is a hassle.
Obviously, they made the Beetle for a target audience and that audience didn't include golfers. But now that they masculinized the design, you think they would have made it more golf clubs friendly.
The looks of the earlier Beetle left me cold. Now, I love the way the 2012 Beetle looks – and I can't say exactly why. I'm amazed at how the effect is so different by redrawing a few lines.
I thought that taking this picture would help me understand what the designers did that changed it so much. But at least in this picture, the differences don't seem dramatic.
So I took a second picture from the front and the differences are more apparent.
The elongated hood and the lowered roofline are pretty clear in this picture.
Las Vegas. VW Beetle. Las Vegas. VW Beetle.
Somehow these words just don't go together. And the car and this city don't go together either. Yet I am in Las Vegas driving our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.
It was a great cruiser for the 280 mile-trip, despite rain through the Cajon Pass west of Los Angeles at 3,770 feet. Then, with a nasty crosswind coming into Las Vegas, it was rock solid.
I wish I could say it was a head turner in Las Vegas. But I would be lying. The valets seem curious but basically embarrassed to pull it around. The only good response I had was when I was coming back to the car after a pit spot on the drive here.<
I was taking pictures of the Beetle when I turned around and saw two young guys in hoodies smoking cigarettes. One of them said, "That's bad, man." I nodded my thanks and drove away, watching in my rear view mirror as they ogled the car.
In previous posts I described the Beetle as a bad golf car. For this I was reviled as a bad person (for golfing) and a whiner for pointing this out. Golf and cars solicit harsh opinions. For the record, I don't like the image of a golfer, but I like the game. And also for the record, if you are a golfer, having a trunk that fits clubs crossways, without flipping down the seats, actually is a big deal.
The cars have been counted, and November sales at Volkswagen rose 29 percent.
"Significantly, the brand is now more than 100,000 units ahead of where we were this time last year," said Jonathan Browning, Volkswagen Group of America CEO, in a statement.
Click here to see how other automakers fared last month.
I have a friend who says you can "drive with impunity" as long as you don't exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph. It's all about even numbers and benchmarks. So if the limit is 70 I'll do 77 mph but never 80 or above. On my way back from Las Vegas I selected the digital speedometer in the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle so I could dial the speed in accurately. Then I set the cruise control.
No speeding tickets.
But while I'm on the subject, I don't like the cruise controls for the VW. On the next page is a picture of what I mean.
Most cars have levers that you nudge up or down to adjust your speed. The Beetle has this silly little switch at the end of the stalk. Also, the on/off switch is finicky and hard to select when you're keeping your eyes on the road.
After five days in the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle I've gotten to know it pretty well. Basically, I love the way it drives.
Here are a few specific pets and pet peeves to share.
Here's what I like:
- The looks, at least in black.
- The throaty baritone exhaust note.
- The look of the interior, except that the shiny black surfaces are dust magnets.
- The handling, though the suspension might be too firm for some.
- The fuel efficiency. I got about 33 mpg on the open road.
- Voice recognition dialing.
Here's what I don't like:
- The price: $28,265 is too much for this car. Maybe a four door GTI instead.
- Having to fill up with 91 octane.
- Poor rear visibility.
- Limited cargo space.
In the trunk of our VW Beetle, the fabric has a label that reads "Volkswagen CarGo Protection System." So, I lifted this "system" to see what was underneath.
Under the fabric is another piece of fabric without a label. This one was attached to a hard cover. When I lifted that, I found the spare tire.
OK. It's basically a piece of carpet protecting a piece of carpet.
So, I looked it up on VW's website and discovered it is an accessory that includes a heavy-duty trunk liner with cargo organizer blocks. But I don't see any organizer blocks in our trunk. Perhaps someone removed them? Without the blocks, it's really just a giant floor mat for the trunk.
This is really an oversized fuel gauge. You'd have to be a champion dimwit to miss this thing descending toward empty. It's needlessly big, it consumes otherwise useful space in the gauge cluster, it's analog, and personally, I think it's cool as ice. It's a small detail very much in line with some historical notion of Beetle-ness.
That's a convoluted way of saying that the Beetle, for whatever its merits and deficiencies as an automobile, has never lacked style. Some of this style was readily apparent when Beetles came off the line, and some of it we're only now appreciating in retrospect.
"You're driving that piece of crap tonight?" asked one of my colleagues.
It wasn't a totally fair assessment, but that's how it goes round here. Through collective experience, we eventually reduce each car in the fleet to snap judgments. It's a sort of Darwinian method of ranking the garage. But, as I told my colleague, I like the Beetle. I don't think it's a piece of crap. Maybe when you throw it hard into corners, rampage on the throttle and try to get it to change directions like an Elise it comes up crappy, but I'm not driving it that hard on my cross-county commutes.
And in theory, our Turbo shouldn't handle as crappily as, say, the base model. Ours has a thicker front sway bar and a multilink rear suspension (base and TDI models get torsion beam rear). But that's not the point of the Beetle anyway. It's simply just a comfortable and stylish set of wheels. Nice interior, nice controls layout. Cool thin-diameter steering wheel. Easy touchscreen media interface. More than that, the turbo 2.0-liter starts unloading its 207 lb-ft of torque from 1,700 rpm.
It's got sauce, plenty in fact for highway overtaking and breaking out from the pack. That part never gets old. And even though it's got shift paddles on the wheel, I find it more fun to push and pull the shifter from the DSG's manual gate.
There's just enough room in the backseat. And even then, only for short folk. I volunteered to do some Christmas Day shuttling up to a family gathering. Three adults and the Kid in a booster seat in the rear seat. We all fit, but only because none of us are taller than 5'9". Any taller in the backseat and you might be pushing it. The Beetle is definitely no Golf behind the front seats.
A couple of days before, I drove a buddy to the airport. He's six foot, and with his passenger seat slid back to a comfortable position, only the thinnest legs could have tolerated much distance back there.
"I thought you said they redesigned this with dudes in mind," he said. Good point. VW certainly wanted more masculine appeal on the outside. But inside, you're still looking at a car suited more for a quartet of smaller ladies out on the road and up to no good.
I've been meaning to drive our long-term Volkswagen Beetle Turbo on a road trip for quite a while. Though I'm not particularly a fan of it around town due to the steering, stiff-legged ride and delayed powertrain responses, I also know that Volkswagens usually come into their own on longer journeys.
With such a longer journey on the docket for the New Years long weekend, I finally got my chance. Very much mimicking our trip in the Mustang last year, Senora Riswick and I would take the 101 up the coast to Atascadero and Paso Robles for a little scenery, a little food and some post-drive wine tasting. Unlike last year, though, we would be detouring over to the Pacific Coast Highway for a visit to Hearst Castle.
Frankly, my assumption about the Beetle was absolutely correct. It didn't take long for me to appreciate the steering at higher speeds and note that the ride was perfectly pleasant on the 101, which for much of the Central Coast is the rare well-paved highway in California. The laggardly throttle response also wasn't of concern when driving at a constant speed, usually on cruise control. A need to pass or merge back onto the 101 post pit stop usually necessitating a drop down into Sport mode, but that's why it's there, right?
Plus, I managed 29.6 mpg for the trip (EPA says 30), which I say is pretty damn good. Just as I discovered on my Buick Verano drive to the Redwoods, a turbocharged four-cylinder's mix of power and fuel economy is brilliant on a road trip with both mountains and straights.
What about everything else? Well, the seats are supportive, comfortable and adjust enough to make this 6-foot-3 chap quite happy — even with its manual adjustment. I absolutely love the steering wheel (on the Top 10 Steering Wheel List, I'm pretty sure it's the Toyabaru twins followed immediately by nine VW and Audi products). I'm a big fan of the cabin design, with its large, easily reachable touchscreen and simple climate controls. Now, the materials are a bit cheap for a Volkswagen (especially compared to the similarly priced GTI), but the visual is better. Finally, the Fender audio system did a commendable job with the range of music shuffling through my iPhone.
The Beetle didn't beat out the Verano for its California road tripping abilities, but there's no denying that it's better suited to the wide-open road than the clogged-closed city.
What's that you say? The sun is beating down on the side of your face in the Volkswagen Beetle? Ah, well, do you drive with your chest imbedded in the steering wheel? No, well, the sunvisors aren't going to be much help I'm afraid. May I suggest one of those thingies horses wear to prevent them from getting spooked?
It is not easy backing out of a parking spot in the new Volkswagen Beetle. Not only is the C pillar very thick, but the rear head rest is enormous. The latter might be nice for your rare passenger, but not so good when trying to avoid backing into something or someone. A different design would be wise. Also not helping is our Beetle's lack of a rear-view camera. For $28,000 it should have one.
Our VW Beetle's windshield fell victim to a small rock off the back tire of a jacked up Chevy Silverado just south of Hearst Castle on Pacific Coast Highway. It was partly cloudy and about 50 degrees. Cows were nearby.
The new Beetle's more upright windshield probably wasn't helpful in deflecting the force of that little rock. Hopefully we can repair the small chip and centimeter crack instead of a full replacement.
On Saturday I took a visiting friend and her unbelievably cute bebe out for an excursion in our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. I was a little concerned that the baby's seat wouldn't fit in the backseat, especially with the buckets but my friend assured me it would be fine.
And wouldn't you know it, not only did the seat fit but she even had enough room to stand in the backseat footwell while buckling in her tyke. She didn't have much room for her legs in the front passenger seat, though, as her knees ended up grazing the glovebox. But everyone seemed comfortable.
If you don't live in Southern California but have friends who do, you no doubt have had your Facebook newsfeed bombarded by status updates complaining about how collllld it is here lately. East Coasters may make fun of us for not being able to handle anything below 70 degrees but here's photographic proof that it is unusually chilly here.
Driving home in our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle last night, I heard a gentle warning chime. Immediately I looked at the dash for any warning lights. The temperature gauge was flashing and the "39F" had a little snowflake next to it. Don't know if Hollywood was in any danger of frost but it was good to know that even the Beetle thought it was too cold out.
When the odometer turned 10,000 miles we knew it was time to get our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to the dealer for routine maintenance. The Beetle requests routine service at 10,000-mile intervals. And thanks to Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance, it doesn't cost a thing.
We were late on this one. But because of our preemptive, and out-of-pocket, oil change at 3,000 miles, the dealer counted this as our 10k and no monetary penalty was applied.
Since we arrived late in the day without an appointment, we weren't surprised when the dealer asked to keep our car overnight. Our phone rang first thing the next morning to inform us the car was ready. This visit was simple and straightforward, how we like it.
In the 1960s and '70s people who drove VW Beetles were generally too stoned to care that they were driving one of the very worst cars on the planet. Yes, they were durable and cheap to fix. And a good Bug beat walking. But that's about the nicest thing I can say about the original Beetle. Although building a Baja Bug and doing the 1000 old school is appealing.
Then we got the New Beetle back in the '90s and VW created the ultimate girlymobile. Driving one wasn't an unpleasant experience, but it was the automotive equivalent of a mani pedi.
And now we have the new New Beetle, which is a different animal all together. Not only is it a great drive, it no longer comes standard with an honorary membership to a sorority of your choice. VW has manned it up. Not a ton, but just enough.
Our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is a butch as they come with its black paint and turbo engine, and I like driving it. But more importantly I don't emerge from the car with an unexplainable desire to watch the Lifetime channel and follow Ryan Seacrest on Twitter.
The VW Beetle isn't girly anymore. Mostly.
Over the years I've paired my iPhone to the Bluetooth of hundreds of cars, from entry level models to exotics that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Last night, however, was my first time Bluetoothing in our long-term 2012 VW Beetle Turbo. It could not have been easier.
In fact, it may have been the best Bluetooth experience of my life. While most cars have you changing screens and digging into menus, the Beetle found my phone before I had even asked it too. I put in the four digit code and the phone and car were paired within a couple of seconds. It was so quick and effortless I thought I had forgotten to do something. I hadn't.
In the past, phone pairing in Volkswagens was like the U.S. Senate, completely frustrating and rarely successful. But no longer. Telematics are only going to get more important as we move down the road, and now VW leads the way.
We drove our VW Beetle Turbo just 617 miles this month. That's off-pace for us, but this is also coming after a three-month spell during which we covered some ground. From October to December, we racked up 6,300 miles. So the Beetle earned a bit of a rest this month.
Our best MPG this month was 30.7, which is just shy of our best overall MPG in our time with the car (30.9). Over the course of 617 miles this month, including a road trip up the central California coast, driving around with a bambino in the backseat, and a 10,000-mile oil change and service, we averaged 23.2 miles per gallon of 91 octane, pretty close to the Beetle's 25 mpg combined EPA rating.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.8
Best Fill MPG: 30.9
Average Lifetime MPG: 23.8
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway/Combined): 22 city/30 highway/25 combined
Best Range: 423.5
Current Odometer: 14,148
Among the modern new car features that I can't live without, satellite radio ranks high on the list. I love all kinds of music and hate commercials and yammering, self-absorbed DJs, so satellite radio is up there with heated seats and Bluetooth in my book. Such is my disdain for standard radio that when I drive my personal car ('98 Mustang Cobra) the stock system is usually rocking a CD (remember those?)
So when our Beetle's Sirius subscription recently expired, I sent a reminder to keeper of the keys Mike Schmidt to re-up. He did in short order and once again the Beetle is bouncing to E Street, Classic Rewind, 1st Wave and Soul Town. The enjoyment sat radio adds to the daily grind and occasional road trip more than justifies its cost, which on a weekly basis is about equal to a fancy coffee shop beverage.
There's quite a bit of road noise that makes its way into our Beetle's cabin. It's a low boomy rumble. Normally, road noise doesn't bother me, but this was so intrusive I had to turn up the volume on the stereo to try to drown it out. And even that didn't do the job to my satisfaction.
Tires obviously have a lot to do with road noise, as does the surface they're rolling on. In testing the Beetle registered 67.7 db at 70 mph. Our Focus ST by comparison turned in 64.7 db. That 3-db difference doesn't seem like that much until you look at something like an Audi A8L that was crypt-quiet at 61.8 db.
In any case, I'm a bit disappointed. The Beetle would certainly not be my first choice for a long road trip.
I really love the get up and go of our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. I know I'm not being environmentally sensitive when I say this, but one of my favorite things to do is stomp on the accelerator as soon as the light turns green at a stoplight and I'm at the line. It's got turbo, it's got torque. Wheeeee!
Is the regular Volkswagen Beetle too boring? Well, VW's has a couple of special editions that will likely catch your eye. Already out is the 2013 Fender Edition. Now VW has announced it will also offer a special Beetle GSR for 2014.
The Fender builds on the theme presented by the car's optional Fender-branded sound system. Here you get a specially colored dash panel that's been inspired by the look of Fender's iconic guitars and, yes, some special Fender badges. Hey, Jimi Hendrix used one, right?
Next up is the new GSR, which debuted recently at the Chicago Auto Show. The GSR pays tribute to the special GSR edition of the classic Beetle of the 1970s. Like the original, the new one has a special yellow-and-black paint and interior trim scheme. You also get special 19-inch wheels and 10 more horsepower, for a total of 210. Only 3,500 GSRs will be built, and about half will be sold in the United States.
Granted, we're largely looking at cosmetic changes here. But I like that's VW is offering different versions of the Beetle as it helps keep the car fresh and competitive against two other highly customizable coupes, the Fiat 500 and the Mini Cooper.
Unlike those of the New Beetle (capital N), the door sills in the new Beetle (lowercase n) are not painted the exterior color. I think this is disappointing from a design stand point, but the gloss black sills that seem to be in every Beetle are still a nice bit of flair.
Now, on longer drives, I often like placing my elbow up on a car's door sill. If it's flat, that's perfect, and Volkswagen is one of the better carmakers at providing this. The Beetle is no different, but that gloss black makes it slippery and therefore hard to keep my elbow up there.
I know, first world problems.
You hear a lot about cars that are "fun to drive." I'd say our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle partially qualifies for that statement, largely because of its turbocharged engine. But unquestionable in my mind is this: it'd be fun to own.
The Beetle provides a sense of flair that you just don't get with many cars these days. Of course, there's the iconic styling that's obviously Beetle but nicely modernized for today's world. But there are little touches, too, including the thin-rimmed steering wheel, the upright windscreen, the double glove boxes and the ability to customize through different wheels and graphics. Drive it and you know you're not in a car that's only about getting from point A to point B.
Sure, the Beetle's not for everybody. But if you're looking for an affordable small car that will make you smile every time you see it in your garage or take it out for a night on the town, the Beetle would be a great choice.
If you're buying a small coupe such as the Volkswagen Beetle, chances are you're not overly concerned about rear seat space. But having sat in the back of our 2012 long-term Beetle, I can say it's actually a decent place to be.
A severe lack of rear headroom was a major fault of the old "New Beetle." But here with the new generation car you have a much more usable amount of headroom for adults. I'm 5-foot 10-inches tall and my head is still about 1 inch below the Beetle's headliner when I'm sitting in back. There's also enough room for my legs and feet if the driver seat is positioned for me. The rear seat also has decent contouring to it, furthering comfort.
For this class of car, I'd say the Beetle's respectably spacious rear seat is an advantage, especially when compared to other small, style-oriented coupes such as the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper.
I've spent a fair amount of time with our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. I drove it for about two weeks in June of last year and then another extended duration this month. This seat time has allowed me to come up with what I think are our car's top five qualities.
Premium interior design. The Beetle's interior is a cut above what you'll find in most other small cars. But I also like that the controls (the audio and climate, in particular) are all easy to use and logically arranged. This is especially true in comparison to the interior designs of the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper.
Distinctive styling. The level of excitement (and interest) from other motorists about our Beetle is fairly low in my opinion. Still, people aren't going to confuse it for anything else on the road.
Useful backseat and trunk. Even though it's a small coupe, the Beetle is still pretty practical. I can fit my kids in the back seat without much trouble, and with the kids seated, the trunk is still roomy enough for holding a fair amount of stuff.
Good highway cruiser. Not that long ago we wrote that our Beetle is fairly noisy on the highway. And we've also noted that its ride quality can be a bit stiff. Yet we've also taken our Beetle on a few road trips (California's central coast and New Mexico), and the drivers seemed pretty pleased with it. It feels solid going down the highway, there are enough interior storage cubbies for your stuff, and the optional Fender sound system is quite good.
Turbocharged power. Compared to the Cooper S and 500 Abarth, the Beetle Turbo's acceleration times are merely average, and fuel economy is worse. Still, the strong low-end torque delivery and a throaty engine note go a long way towards making the Beetle enjoyable to drive.
As you can see from the photo, our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo had an MSRP (before destination and a couple option adjustments) of $27,495. I don't think that's an unreasonable price given what you get from the car. But I will say for price-sensitive shoppers, it could be an issue.
Notably, the main two-door competitors I think of for our car are all less expensive. In that group I'd put the Mini Cooper S, the Fiat 500 Abarth, the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ and the Honda Civic Si. While it obviously depends on how you equip them, in general these models are, on average, a few thousand dollars cheaper.
I like our Beetle Turbo. But I like those cars, too. If I were shopping for a sport-oriented coupe, I'd have to admit that the Beetle's price would be strike against it.
A few days ago my mother-in-law came to visit. I had to run some errands, so I took her along in Edmunds' long-term Volkswagen Beetle. She was pretty excited about it and even made a joke about whether we'd have enough room under the "hood" for the stuff we were picking up. Apparently, she and my father-in-law owned an original Beetle back in the early 1970s. Of our car, she said it's still cute and that it certainly rides a lot better than she remembered her old Bug.
The heritage aspect is one of the things I truly like about our car. It greatly eases people into opening up and talking about Beetles and stories in their past, as my mother-in-law showed.
I am not a fan of wood trim. Actually, I'm not a fan of wood trim in cars not hailing from Great Britain. That being said, there's something about the Beetle Turbo Fender Edition I spotted at the Chicago Auto Show that is very cool.
Yes, it's a wood trim, but its guitar finish is so convincing that I think it most definitely works with the Beetle's vibe. A big chunk of plastic wood would've looked terrible, but I think this works because of the black portion that provides a transition between the coldness of the surrounding black plastic and the warmth of the wood. The fact that it's unique adds a certain cool factor as well.
I sort of wish our Beetle Turbo was a Fender Edition, though I think I could probably live without those extra gauges added to the 2013 Beetle Turbo.
High-mounted controls were a Volkswagen staple for a very long time. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Golf and Jetta cousins in particular placed the primary audio and HVAC controls within easy reach high up on the dash.
The Mark IV Golf/Jetta changed all this, putting everything down low. This obviously pulled your eyes away from the road, but it reduced the dash's visual mass and created a more expansive view out front. It's a view I enjoyed for seven years in a Jetta VR6.
Now, VW has raised those controls a little since those early 2000s days, but the new Beetle (lowercase new) brings the brand back to its high-mounted control days. Well, at least the stereo, since the HVAC controls reside a little lower. So although this Beetle's cabin pays some homage to the original Beetle with things like the second glovebox, it really more closely resembles later Volkswagens.
While motoring along California's I-5 and up and over the Tejon Pass (near Frazier Park) our Beetle hit 15,000 miles. That puts us three-quarters of the way toward our typical goal of 20,000 miles.
Other than doing routine maintenance, we've only had one issue with the car so far: the failed auto-window operation, which was fixed under warranty.
Back in June of last year I wrote a post about whether I'd pick the six-speed manual transmission or six-speed automated manual (VW's "DSG") if I were buying a Beetle. In the end, I concluded I'd get the manual.
Having spent more time with our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo recently, I can tell you that the DSG's quirks (laggardly responses from a stop and uneven engine braking when slowing) are still there and are still annoying. Actually, they get on my nerves the more I drive. So, still thumbs up for the manual, right?
Well, sort of.
I'd personally still get the manual. But for someone buying a Beetle, I'd be OK with him or her getting the DSG. There's a catch, though. The workaround solution, I've discovered, is using the manual gear-selecting paddle shifters. All the time.
Using the manual shifters eliminates the sluggish throttle response and awkward engine braking. And in a way, using the paddle shifters is the perfect match for the semi-sportiness of the car. It gives you more control (there are still great rev-matched downshifts here), and it's sportier and more fun using the shifters. And unlike a regular manual, you don't have to worry about a clutch pedal or actually knowing how to drive stick.
Now, it's a fair argument to say that you shouldn't have to implement a "workaround" just so you can drive your car without being annoyed. But utilizing the shifters all the time, it's kind of a best-of-both-worlds approach.
We spun our feisty Beetle Turbo's odometer nearly 1,200 additional miles during February, a month which also saw a couple of milestones. One was expected, as we hit the 15,000-mile mark. The other was a pleasant surprise.
A new record for best fuel economy, 32.6 miles per gallon, was established. The latter handily beats the EPA highway estimate of 30 mpg. Meanwhile, at 23.9 mpg, our lifetime average is only about a single mile per gallon off the EPA combined estimate. Overall, this is pretty impressive considering the Beetle's constant battle with L.A.'s notorious traffic and our staff's occasionally leaden feet.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.8
Best Fill MPG: 32.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 23.9
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway/Combined): 22 city/30 highway/25 combined
Best Range: 423.5
Current Odometer: 15,178
As Scott said recently, Bluetooth pairing is a piece of cake in our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle.
One thing Scott didn't mention, though, is that in our version of the car (which has the RCD 510, Premium 8 radio, without navigation), you have to handle all phone call operations via voice commands. That's assuming you're not looking down at your smartphone, which you shouldn't do if you're driving. The voice-command control shown in the picture above is on the left side of the multi-function steering wheel.
I found the system to be less than intuitive to use, and a lot less user-friendly than being able to see and select contacts displayed on Volkswagen's very nice touchscreen.
Was there really no way to display any information from my phone?
The Beetle's manuals were not particularly helpful on answering this question. They are catch-all books for multiple configurations, and you have to figure out which scenario applies to your car. VW's online assistance wasn't much better. Most of the information was based on the assumption that the car was equipped with the RNS-315 radio/nav system.
On the other hand, a big shout out to Jovan at Volkswagen customer service. He listened to my questions and went off to research the issue, just to make sure I wasn't missing some magical submenu. He called me back to report that with this radio option, voice commands are indeed the only thing you get to drive your phone from the car.
If I were buying a Beetle, I'd spring for the nav system, which gets you the hard phone-button setup shown here. The screen will display phonebook entries and other useful stuff. For me, touch is way easier than voice commands for calling.
Some DIY-oriented buyers of the 2012 Turbo Beetle apparently have retrofitted their cars with the system.
Even though our time with the VW Beetle's is nearing its end, I hadn't driven it yet. I wanted to live with it for a couple of days to see how it compares to my daily driver, a 10-year-old Civic coupe. I like the looks of the Beetle and have wondered if it belonged on my consideration list for our next family car. Yeah, I said "family car."
While we have a more kid-friendly compact crossover for the majority of our child-ferrying needs, I have to drop off or pick up both of my kids (a lightweight 7-year-old and a middleweight 2-year-old) at their respective schools in the coupe on occasion.
Since the 2-year-old has been forward-facing and able to at least climb into his convertible seat on his own for a bit now, the back-breaking in the Civic has been kept to a minimum. And thanks to my boyish frame and the Civic's flat floor in the rear footwell, I can half-crouch between the two seats and cinch him into his seat pretty easily. The 7-year-old can mostly buckle her own seatbelt in her booster now, too.
Caroline already showed us how the Beetle does with a rear-facing infant seat installed using the seatbelt (without the base). Sounded like getting the baby in isn't too hard, as long as you don't have another kid in a car seat taking up the other outboard rear seat, but front passenger legroom was an issue. Not a shock. Living full time with a rear-facing kid and another kid in a forward-facing car seat in any compact coupe is a (relative) nightmare. But how is the VW with two forward-facing munchkins?
Verdict: Not bad, actually. I wasn't surprised that the Beetle bested my old Civic in the interior height category. The VW felt much airier when I was scrunching myself back there to strap our little guy in and the numbers back my feelings up; the Beetle has almost 2 inches more headroom than my beloved beater. But 1.5 inches less legroom in the VW made it even easier for the boy to enjoy his favorite drive-time activity: kicking the back of the passenger seat. Eh. You win some, you lose some. For the way I'd be using this car (occasional shuttling to school with no front passenger, and the blind hope that someday he'll stop kicking the back of the seat), it'd be just fine.
Variety is one of the better aspects of the current generation Volkswagen Beetle. You can order it as a coupe or convertible. Next you have the choice of three engines: a 2.5-liter five-cylinder, a 2.0-liter Turbo like our long-term car, and a 2.0-liter Turbo Diesel. If it were my money, I'd choose the Beetle TDI. Here's why.
The 2.0 liter TSI engine in our long-term Beetle is a great engine, but it feels out of character in this car. If I wanted that engine, I'd buy a GTI. As a hypothetical Beetle owner, I'd be more concerned with buying a stylish coupe that gets good fuel economy. And the TDI is about 28-percent more fuel-efficient than the other engines (32 combined mpg vs. 25 mpg). I like the wheels better on the TDI too. The Turbo's rear wing and 18-inch wheels are a bit too much for my tastes.
That's just my opinion, but let me make a more objective case for the TDI. I can buy a Beetle TDI with sunroof, sound, and navigation for $200 less than our Beetle Turbo without nav. My monthly fuel costs would be $50 less than the Turbo, according to the Edmunds comparison tool.
What about the higher cost of diesel? Here in California, the average price of a gallon of diesel ($4.37) is less than the average price of the premium gas ($4.40) that's recommended for the Turbo, according to the latest AAA Fuel Gauge report.
There's one option I'd want, but which cannot be had on a Beetle TDI: the Fender Edition package. I love the wood trim on this version, and it is the only way to get bi-xenon lights on a Beetle.
Which Beetle would you pick?
I've never trusted those shallow dashboard storage bins. Even despite the tacky rubber liners, I feel I'll wind up wearing whatever I put in there. But Apple fans will be pleased to know that the new iPad Mini fits in there snugly. How appropriate that the famously elegant Apple is on the same wavelength as the newly redesigned Beetle.
Car salesmen say, "The feel of the wheel will seal the deal" meaning that the test-drive will sell the car. With this 2012 Volkswagen Beetle it is the feel of the wheel, and many other little details, that convinces you it is a cut above the competition.
When you get in and out of a lot of different cars, you develop a sense of which ones were cheaped out and which ones were designed with a sense of fun and imagination. To prove my point, I'm going to mention two details that are representative of the level of care found throughout the cabin.
It's hard to see, but there are very comfortable thumb notches in the steering wheel. And that's not all. As your thumbs rest securely in the notches, your fingers are touching the paddle shifters. And they aren't just any paddle shifters either. They are, for some reason, slightly ribbed. This provides a nice tactile sensation as you bump it down into a lower gear or come out of a curve and reach for a higher gear.
Now, here's my point. Some designer, somewhere thought of adding those ribs, then had to justify the extra expense to his cost-cutting colleagues. Here's a message to that designer, and designers everywhere: We noticed. We like it. Sometimes, it's the little touches that set cars apart. As they say, "God is in the details."
Maybe the typeface would've been too small, or maybe VW designers decided icons were a better call for functions like load, eject and equalizer. It's kinda cool that the stereo's tone controls are indicated by eighth notes, even if it's not obvious at first. I read something about how music producer Daniel Lanois often draws icons on the mixing console to represent the instruments he's recording, instead of simply writing "guitar 1", "guitar 2," etc.
He believes the pictograms jog creative thinking and ideas, and even make the individual track into a sort of color, as opposed to a group of letters. All very new-agey yes, but the guy has made some devastating albums with Peter Gabriel, U2, Willie Nelson, and on his own. There's something to it.
Modern cars synthesize both ideas, the visual and the written (and now with growing ubiquity of voice command, the verbal). I'm curious about the criteria, though. Which functions deserve letters and which icons? This, according to in-house man of all things under the metal and behind the dash, Dan Edmunds, is fairly arbitrary.
Home market preferences tend to decide whether a button says "Cruise" or has the near-universal little gauge-with-an-arrow icon. Profitable export markets obviously demand consideration. Or sometimes someone high enough on the engineering team read a psychology study that said pictures are better than words, or four buttons were better than two.
I'll keep this in mind next time I'm wishing CUE to the soft-heap with Netscape Navigator and CRT monitors.
Earlier this week, my spouse and I drove different cars to the same destination resulting in the scene above. The GTI is his, while I had our long-term 2012 Volkswagen Beetle for the night. The lighting was poor obviously, but when the cars are side by side like this, the Beetle's extra width is striking. It's 1.2 inches wider overall with a 1.4-inch wider rear track, and it looks it.
I enjoyed what our modern Bug had to offer when I drove it to Albuquerque and back last year, but forced to choose, I'd end up with the GTI. Its bigger backseat and plaid upholstery tip the scales in its favor.
Yet, the thing that I enjoy most about both cars, and the one thing that makes them really great for me, is the 2.0 TSI engine they share.
This 2.0-liter four-cylinder is the oldest turbocharged and direct-injected engine in the sport compact class, and it's still the best. It doesn't matter that the gray GTI has the conventional six-speed manual and the black Beetle has the six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual gearbox (with a less aggressive shift program than I'd like). They both feel quick when you step out to pass in freeway traffic. There's a lot of mid-range torque with this engine, and it always takes me by surprise when I haven't driven the cars in a while. The Beetle's version of the 2.0-liter turbo makes subtly different sounds in these situations. Chris Walton called it once: It's like an old air-cooled VW.
The ratings on this engine (200 horsepower, 207 pound-feet of torque) are no longer that impressive alongside the competition in this class, at least not on paper. But as VW guys know, those numbers have always been on the low side. If you recall, we dyno-tested our old long-term 2010 GTI and it came up with 203 hp at 5,740 rpm and 214 lb-ft of torque at 2,960 rpm at the front wheels.
In addition to all that satisfying torque, you can still lay down respectable mpg on road trips if you're so motivated. This combination of performance and efficiency remains one of the very best in this price range. That's why it pains me that you can no longer get this engine in the Passat.
I wanted to replace the winter wreath on my front door with a new bright spring one. It's artificial so it has a fighting chance.
But as usual when I go to Armstrong, I get captivated by all the pretty flowers. I ended up coming home with a hanging basket and three pots of spectacular blooms.
Now, if you're a long-time reader of our long-term updates, you know that I don't have any luck with green things and probably shouldn't be anywhere near them. But it's been three days so far and I'm happy to report all the pretty flowers are still alive.
Armstrong gave me a sheet of plastic to protect the Beetle's trunk from soil and water. It fit perfectly for what I needed. The pots were in a box but the hanging basket leaked all over the plastic. Nothing ended up soiling the trunk.
I couldn't resist bringing home this chubby bunny either.
Another month and another fuel economy update for our boosted 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. The month of March saw us wind nearly 1,000 miles onto the odometer as well as up the lifetime average from 23.9 to 24.2 miles per gallon.
Of note, the last three tanks have all been burned on long distance highway trips and have all returned numbers just shy of the car's EPA rating of 30 mpg.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.8
Best Fill MPG: 32.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 24.2
EPA MPG Rating (city/highway/combined): 22/30/25
Current Odometer: 17,201 miles
Back in the day, I owned three V-dubs: '65 and '70 bugs and a '68 microbus. I liked them all except for one thing. With an air-cooled, 50-horsepower engine in my '65 bug, it was the ultimate "couldn't get out of its own way" car. I had to drive it with my foot on the floor. And even that wasn't enough. To make matters worse, I lived in Denver at the time where the thin air robbed the engine of oxygen.
But our 2012 Volkswagen Turbo Beetle makes 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. It responds to throttle inputs with a chuckle that one editor referred to as a "throaty baritone." This is my chance to rewrite history, to get the styling of the VW of old, without that painfully slow engine. After owning three vintage VWs driving this new one feels like a rocket.
Unlike matte black, brown is a color that any car can pull off. (By the way, a murdered-out Prius is a sure sign the trend has jumped the shark so give it up, people.)
Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so since there actually is a Brown Car Appreciation Society on Facebook. But this didn't really hit home 'til I came across a Toffee Brown Metallic 2013 Volkswagen Beetle in my neighborhood. I mean, just look how beautiful the Beetle looks, like a gigantic chocolate truffle. This scrumptious color (mmm, toffee) is only available on 2.5L and TDI as well as the 1970s edition convertible.
I used to think that fun-looking cars like the Beetle and Mini Cooper should stay away from earth tones and primary colors and, rather, exploit their unusual looks with fun hues but this brown Bug has made me see the light. Now I'm thinking a brown Prius would look pretty smart.
I'm conflicted about driving cars in Sport mode for two reasons. First, holding the shift to a higher RPM and downshifting sooner isn't great for fuel economy. And with premium gas as the fuel of choice in this Beetle, it gets pricey.
The other strike against Sport mode is that it puts me in a different state of mind. With an overeager transmission I feel compelled to thread my way through traffic. And on Los Angeles freeways, that's a lot of work for very little gain. When I'm out in the country on winding roads, I'll just use the paddle shifters.
So, I drive with the shifter in the normal mode which with this six-speed automated-manual DSG unit, is a bit sluggish. I feel the engine bogging down a little just before it reaches for a lower gear. I'd prefer a seamless shift. But then again, with 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, there is always power to work with.
Ideally, I'd like to split the shifts somewhere between sport and normal. Admittedly, it's a small gripe against an otherwise enjoyable powertrain.
Magrath was in the process of figuring out the logistics of getting the original tires put back on our long-term Porsche 911. It was a little more complicated than usual since the wheels and tires wouldn't fit in the car. In a flash of brilliance, we decided to swap the tires ourselves in our shop and take care of the Beetle's tires at the same time. Its time with us is drawing near and we needed to return it in original spec.
I wasn't all that confident the Porsche's tires would fit in the Beetle. At first, I tried rolling them all in there vertically, but the rearmost tires wouldn't allow the hatch to close. Instead, we settled on the configuration shown above. It worked just fine, though that center tire would roll forward under braking and give my shoulder a shove.
In the end, I was a bit surprised they all fit as easily as they did. Hooray for hatchbacks!
As the long-term clock on our VW Beetle winds down, we need to mount the original tires and wheels back on the car. Rather than wait for the car at Stoke's, our local tire shop, Magrath and I decided to do it ourselves at our own shop.
Had I known we were doing this, I probably would have chosen something other than a dress shirt with French cuffs in the morning. But what the heck, I'm up for a challenge.
Swapping wheels when you have a two-post Rotary lift is certainly easier than floor jacks. It only took us a few minutes per corner. I did fail, however, at keeping the shirt spotless. You can see a small smudge on the cuff in the picture above. But hey, that's all there was. My jeans, by comparison, were a mess.
This is the way to do lower LATCH anchors for installing a baby seat or child's car seat.
They're not buried deep between the seat cushion and seat back, not hidden behind an annoying plastic door. They are out there in plain sight, ready for me to hook my kid's car seats to them with ease.
No guessing, no poking, no prodding necessary. My knuckles are scrapeless. My fingernails are unbroken. Thanks, Volkswagen Beetle.
Yesterday I tried to fuel our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo and noticed that the cable attaching the fuel cap to the door was broken. It is a minor issue. Still it is something we'll have looked at next time the VW goes to the dealer.
We drove the VW Beetle over 1,200 miles in the month of April. A large portion of the miles fell during a short vacation to the San Francisco Bay area. As luck would have it, this was probably the last long trip we'll take in the Beetle before it's year with us concludes.
The lifetime average fuel economy settled at 24.3 mpg. This was a tad below its EPA estimated 25 mpg, combined. Still, with a proven range of over 400 miles per tank, the Volkswagen still shows it is a capable highway companion.
Worst Fill MPG: 15.8
Best Fill MPG: 32.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 24.2
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway/Combined): 22/30/25
Best Range: 423.5 miles
Current Odometer: 18,450
Wrap-Up
What We Got
Before ordering our completely redesigned 2012 Volkswagen Beetle we had one important choice to make. Would it be a base model Beetle with the 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-5? Or should we upgrade to the 2.0-liter, turbocharged version with 200 hp? Since the Beetle is a car that screams "fun," the turbo seemed like the obvious choice.
The starting price for our Turbo Beetle with the optional six-speed automated manual was $24,495. We passed on the less popular six-speed manual since it's a rarely ordered option in the U.S. Standard equipment on our Turbo Beetle included heated seats, Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, 18-inch wheels, a rear spoiler and seat fabric unique to this trim level. We added the Sunroof & Sound package ($3,000), sport suspension (no cost), floor mat kit ($235) and first-aid kit ($35). Add back a credit of $150 for the base gauge cluster and we arrived at its $28,385 MSRP.
Volkswagen provided us with a loan for a year so there was no negotiating to be done. Here's what we found after a year behind the wheel.
Our Impressions
"Our Beetle Turbo has the optional sport-tuned suspension, but the ride quality doesn't really suffer as a result. You can still feel every bump and rut in the road, but there's no annoying harshness. At least to me, there's just enough initial compliance to cancel out the initial jolt from a pothole. In terms of road noise, you can definitely hear the tires rolling on pavement. It's muffled to a low rumbling on most surfaces and gives the cabin a sort of hollow sound. The good news is, the road noise never gets to the point where I'd call it intrusive. Wind noise, on the other hand, was never really detectable." — Mark Takahashi
"It didn't take long for me to appreciate the steering at higher speeds and note that the ride was perfectly pleasant on the 101, which for much of the Central Coast is the rare well-paved highway in California. The laggardly throttle response also wasn't of concern when driving at a constant speed, usually on cruise control. A need to pass or merge back onto the 101 post pit stop usually necessitates a drop down into Sport mode, but that's why it's there, right?" — James Riswick
"Full disclosure: I've almost gotten to the point of disqualifying myself from evaluating seat comfort. Advancing age and dwindling time in the weight room have left my glutes incapable of withstanding far too many average-quality driver seats (without complaint, that is) on typical 3-to-4-hour drives. But I've decided to discuss our Beetle's driver seat here because I found the comfort level above average on my recent 1,800-mile road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and back.... Aside from the fairly generous bolsters on the seatback cushion, the base cloth seat doesn't look particularly special. But the seat-bottom cushion is long enough to provide good thigh support, and the cushioning is firm enough that I could go 6-8 hours before I'd get all whiny. And even then, since I was alone in the car, nobody had to listen to me." — Erin Riches
"Pretty lazy off the line as the automated-manual transmission slips the clutch, but then the traction control light comes on in the middle of 1st gear to quell wheelspin. Dramatic difference when I overlapped pedals as well as using S transmission mode where it chirps the 1-2 shift. Upshifts are dramatically quicker in S mode." — Chris Walton
"Having spent more time with our Beetle Turbo recently, I can tell you that the DSG's quirks (laggardly responses from a stop and uneven engine braking when slowing) are still there and are still annoying. Actually, they get on my nerves the more I drive. So, still thumbs up for the manual, right? I'd personally still get the manual. But for someone buying a Beetle, I'd be OK with him or her getting the DSG. There's a catch, though. The workaround solution, I've discovered, is using the manual gear-selecting paddle shifters. All of the time. Using the manual shifters eliminates the sluggish throttle response and awkward engine braking. And in a way, using the paddle shifters is the perfect match for the semi-sportiness of the car." — Brent Romans
"This has to be the most relaxed state of tune for the six-speed DSG possible, save for the fuel-scrimping programming in our 2011 Jetta TDI. The Beetle feels lethargic leaving the line, and putting it in Sport mode doesn't seem to quicken it up much. It just makes it more abrupt when the torque finally comes together. Of course, I should I have taken advantage of the wheel-mounted paddle shifters and shifted it manually. But I'm lazy and it didn't even occur to me.... Sadly, people like me are probably part of the problem. We expect the DSG to feel like an automatic, then we complain if it delivers firm, positive shifts, and so VW then retunes so it feels smoother and slower like a real automatic." — Erin Riches
"I'm a big fan of the cabin design, with its large, easily reachable touchscreen and simple climate controls. Now the materials are a bit cheap for a Volkswagen, especially compared to the similarly priced GTI, but the visual is better. Finally, the Fender audio system did a commendable job with the range of music shuffling through my iPhone." — James Riswick
"A severe lack of rear headroom was a major fault of the old 'New Beetle.' But here with the new-generation car you have a much more usable amount of headroom for adults. I'm 5 feet 10 inches tall and my head is still about 1 inch below the Beetle's headliner when I'm sitting in back. There's also enough room for my legs and feet if the driver seat is positioned for me. The rear seat also has decent contouring to it, furthering comfort." — Brent Romans
"This is something that I hope VW keeps doing: the seatback adjuster knob. Meaning, it's not a lever. Those two levers you're looking at, by the way, are for lumbar and seat height. But the beauty of a round knob, such as this, is that it's infinitely adjustable, whereas levers usually have set points that they adjust to. And quite often, none of those points are exactly where you want the seatback to be. So VW, please don't take away the knob, OK?" — Mike Monticello
"As Scott said recently, Bluetooth pairing is a piece of cake in our long-term Beetle. One thing Scott didn't mention, though, is that in our version of the car (which has the RCD 510, Premium 8 radio without navigation), you have to handle all phone call operations via voice commands. That's assuming you're not looking down at your smartphone, which you shouldn't do if you're driving." — Carroll Lachnit
"It is not easy backing out of a parking spot in the new Volkswagen Beetle. Not only is the C-pillar very thick, but the rear headrest is enormous. The latter might be nice for your rare rear passenger, but not so good when trying to avoid backing into something or someone.... Also not helping is our Beetle's lack of a rearview camera. For $28,000 it should have one." — James Riswick
"This isn't big news but the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle isn't a good golf car. It's as if VW didn't even try. The clubs can't be fit in sideways or even diagonally, the way they go into a lot of cars. Instead, you have to flip down the seats and put them in the long way, which is a hassle." — Philip Reed
Maintenance & Repairs
Regular Maintenance:
Routine service on the Beetle Turbo is scheduled at 10,000-mile intervals. Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance pays for the first three of these visits. Since we accumulated just 18,000 miles during our test, we only utilized the free 10,000-mile service.
We brought the Beetle in for one off-schedule oil change and tire rotation to gauge the cost once its complimentary program expires. Volkswagen Santa Monica charged $148 for this basic service. Good to know. For accounting purposes we included this fee as an additional maintenance cost, though it should not be counted against the overall cost to maintain our Beetle for a year, which was nothing.
Service Campaigns:
Our only problem with the Beetle in the past year was a failure of the pinch protection mechanism in the front windows. Reprogramming the switches was only a temporary fix. The permanent solution was replacement of both front window motors under warranty.
During our test two recall campaigns were issued, though neither affected our Beetle directly. One was for an airbag fault, and the other for a tire problem from the factory.
Fuel Economy and Resale Value
Observed Fuel Economy:
The EPA estimated fuel economy for the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo at 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway, an average of 25 mpg combined. Edmunds' observed fuel economy was 24 mpg on the average. We recorded a best single-tank range of 423 miles, which easily qualified the Beetle as a member of the "Good for a Road Trip" Club.
Resale and Depreciation:
One year ago our 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo arrived with an MSRP of $28,385. After one year and 18,450 miles, Edmunds' TMV® Calculator valued the VW at $21,521 based on a private-party sale. This reflected 24 percent depreciation, which rates about average among past long-term cars.
Summing Up
Pros: Power from the 2.0-liter turbo is adequate for most situations, though passing will require a downshift. Single-tank fuel range is more than 400 miles and front seats are comfortable enough for the ride. Easy-to-use and reliable Bluetooth phone connection. Reasonable rear-seat room for a two-door. Free scheduled maintenance is great.
Cons: The DSG is awkward in normal driving conditions unless manual shifting is practiced. The VW's retro design still limits visibility. Cargo space is merely adequate unless you fold the seats down. Interior plastics quality is hit-and-miss.
Bottom Line: Our 2012 VW Beetle Turbo proved dependable, affordable to maintain and comfortable on long trips. Other than its lazy transmission, we found little to complain about over 12 months of driving.
| Total Body Repair Costs: | None |
| Total Routine Maintenance Costs: | None (over 12 months) |
| Additional Maintenance Costs: | $148.19 |
| Warranty Repairs: | Replace both window motors |
| Non-Warranty Repairs: | None |
| Scheduled Dealer Visits: | 2 |
| Unscheduled Dealer Visits: | 1 to replace window motors |
| Days Out of Service: | None |
| Breakdowns Stranding Driver: | None |
| Best Fuel Economy: | 32.6 mpg |
| Worst Fuel Economy: | 15.8 mpg |
| Average Fuel Economy: | 24.3 mpg |
| True Market Value at service end: | $21,521 (private-party sale) |
| Depreciation: | $6,864 (24% of original MSRP) |
| Final Odometer Reading: | 18,450 miles |
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.