New Beetle reincarnation of unforgettable cheap 'cult car'

By Jeremy Sinek

YOU don't need to have a personal history with the original Beetle to be smitten with its modern reincarnation.

My motoring nostalgia was shaped by youthful misadventures in Minis and Bugeye Sprites, not VW Beetles, yet I'm already in love with the idea of the New Beetle.

It's just so darned cute.

Then again, I've always considered appealing styling to be a bonus, but never the sole reason to want or reject a car. I'd rather own an ugly car that's a ball to drive than a cute one that isn't.

For all the homage it pays to the original Beetle, the new one is a very different piece of work.

The original Beetle was a genuinely cheap econobox that became a cult car almost in spite of itself; the New Beetle is designed from the outset to be a cult car, and at a starting price of US$15,200 it costs almost twice what an American would pay for a truly entry-level econobox -- for the same money you can get a base-model Toyota Camry.

Based on the platform of the fourth-generation Golf, this is a modern front-wheel drive car stuffed full of technology and equipment.

Two four-cylinder power trains are offered initially in North America, a 2.0-liter gasoline and 1.9-liter turbo-diesel. A turbocharged 20-valve 1.8-liter gasoline engine will follow later this year.

The menu also includes 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmissions. And don't be surprised to see all-wheel drive and/or V5 or V6 engines further down the line.

Other mechanical ingredients include power-assisted rack and pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes, all-independent suspension, and low-profile 205/55R16 tires.

Climb aboard and you'll be struck first by the odd sensation of sitting way back, almost as if you're driving from the back seat. It's an illusion created by the forward-reaching arch of the A-pillars, which touch down almost over the front axle line.

You can't see the hood from the driver's seat and front three- quarter visibility is impeded by thick A-pillars and unusually high door mirrors (so positioned in order to disguise the externally mounted upper door hinges). Visibility aside, the New Beetle is easy to make yourself at home in.

The steering wheel adjusts both for height and reach. A clever pump-action handle provides a wide and seamless range of seat height adjustment. There is ample space for long legs and lofty craniums, though lumbar support may prove marginal for heavier torsos; the seat backs are very thin.

The narrow rear cabin means the New Beetle is classified as a four-seater, not a five-seater. Knee room in the back is fair but headroom marginal, even for those of average size.

The rear bench can be folded wagon-style to augment a trunk that looks smaller than its official 340-liter claimed capacity.

We can only salivate at the prospect of the forthcoming GTI version propelled by the A4/Passat 110kW 1.8-liter Turbo motor, but even the tamer engines make for a fun drive.

That said, I wasn't the only journalist who preferred the 1.9- liter 66kW TDI diesel engine to the 2.0-liter 85kW gasoline engine. And not only because the TDI's 5.0-liters/100km fuel economy potential appeals to my scrooge instincts.

In most driving situations, the diesel's awesome low-end torque (202Nm at only 1900rpm) is worth more than the gasoline's superior top-end power.

As well, the TDI's agreeable low-frequency grumble is easier on the ears than the boomy resonance that mars the gasoline engine when it's working hard.

While both engines can effortlessly push the Beetle along at 150km/h plus, the diesel's taller gearing permits much more relaxed cruising, 2700rpm at 120km/h in fifth, for example, versus 3700rpm in the gasoline car.

With either engine, the Beetle is notably easy to drive. Shifter, clutch and steering all require minimal effort from the driver, perhaps too little in the case of the steering, which is admirably accurate and responsive but short on road feel.

Aggressive cornering generates minimal understeer and little body lean, yet the ride, as far as one could tell on unfamiliar roads, is pliant and controlled.

The all-disc braking system delivers an unusually firm brake pedal feel.

A brief spin in a gasoline Beetle with automatic transmission revealed that the auto is well matched to the engine's torque characteristics and responds promptly to kick down. Upshifts, however, are rather abrupt even when accelerating sedately.

Sanitized it may be, but the Beetle experience is just as memorable in this new guise.