Review: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo
12-07-11, 08:59 PM
#1
Review: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo
2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo
"Learning To Love The Bug"
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-...photo-4662212/
Volkswagen began building buzz for the 2012 Beetle long before we caught a glimpse of the first spy shots. The company's executives were throwing phrases like "fun to drive," "masculine" and "Porsche-derived styling" toward the would-be Beetle successor as far back as the 2010 Paris Motor Show. In this business, you either learn to read through hyperbole or choke to death on it, so it goes without saying that our hackles were quivering with skepticism at the time. Volkswagen could hardly blame us.
We had been living with the Type 1C New Beetle for nearly 13 years at that point, and the vehicle had grown into a caricature of itself. Back in 1997, the plucky bubble design was fresh and innovative, but as other automakers began to cash in on the retro design movement, the half-circle Beetle grew very tired very quickly. As a driver, it was merely adequate when it first bowed, and time hadn't been particularly kind to the chassis. Volkswagen wasn't just asking us to stretch our imaginations to cope with the notion of a sporty-looking, engaging Beetle. They wanted us to snap them in two.
Then the 2012 Beetle debuted, and sure enough, the two-door rolled onto the scene with a more vertical windshield and a longer nose. Those two attributes alone are enough to put it more in line with original Beetle design, and, as a result, give the 2012 Beetle a portly Porsche 911 appearance. Car gods help us, we like it, but what about that whole "fun-to-drive" thing?
To be fair, there's much more to the 2012 Beetle than a revised nose. The vehicle is significantly longer and wider than its predecessor while riding closer to the ground as well. That's thanks in part to the fact that the hatch now makes use of the same platform as its Golf and Jetta stable mates. All told, the Beetle is six inches longer and 3.3-inches wider than the 2010 model, and those dimensions do much to give the still-retroish hatch a more planted appearance. That doesn't mean that the designers at Volkswagen have excised the pluck from the three-door, though.
From the front, the Beetle still greets onlookers with a wide-eyed grin thanks to large, round headlights and a smiling grille set low in the front fascia. The Beetle also wears a plunging, hooked hood that harkens to both the previous generation and the original Beetle we all know and love. Move to the vehicle's side, and it's easier to spot the 2012 model's new profile. Our Turbo tester came wearing an attractive rear spoiler that lent the vehicle a fair helping of athleticism, as did the Bug's 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels. A set of red painted calipers also peeked through the spokes to add a bit of racy color down low.
Volkswagen has integrated an interesting piece of three-dimensional trim along the bottom of both doors that adds depth and detail to an otherwise unbroken slab of sheet metal. The trim matches the depth of the vehicle's rocker panels and trails into the rear fenders nicely. And speaking of fenders, the 2012 Beetle wears sheetmetal that's as expressive as ever, though the new design backs away from the semi-circles of models past. In the front, the fenders elongate into the front fascia for a more mature look, and the rears work in attractive tail lamps. The result is a vehicle that looks like it should be on the road, not in a toddler's play pen.
Out back, the 2012 Beetle has backed away from soap-bar aesthetics in favor of a set of easily-identifiable hips and dual exhaust outlets. To say the look is an improvement is a sure-fire way to garner yourself a nomination in the Understatement of the Year Awards. The design draws gaping stares from just about all walks of life, and we found ourselves having lengthy parking-lot discussions with everyone from housewives to construction workers about the Beetle's finer points of design. This isn't a hatch that breeds anonymity.
Slip indoors and the 2012 Beetle still offers a surprising amount of headroom. The optional sunroof, with its ridiculously large opening, only reinforces the notion that a juvenile giraffe could comfortably take to the wheel, and the extra inches in wheelbase means that life-size adults can step into the rear seat without any accordion antics. There's simply a massive amount of space in this thing, though Mini Cooper buyers will enjoy substantially more front leg room. The hardtop bests the 31.4-inches available in the Volkswagen by a hefty 10.3 inches. That giraffe better have short legs.
From behind the wheel, it's clear that the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo desperately wants to seem sporty. Tricks like a flat-bottomed steering wheel, high-bolstered seats and a massive, easy-to-read speedometer are all quick to whisper apex temptations in your ear. But this is still an adorable commuter first and foremost, and real performance enthusiasts will itch for the execution in the Jetta GLI or Golf GTI. While those seats boast high bolsters, the foam is situated more for big-boned American book club members than your average autocrosser, and that big speedometer leaves the more important tachometer buried in the corner of the instrument cluster. Our DSG-equipped tester packed clicky-buttons on the back of the steering wheel, presumably for hot-shoe gear changes. Edge is clearly not a part of the Beetle Turbo recipe.
And the drivetrain bears that out. The base 2012 Beetle is saddled with the same loathsome 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine found elsewhere in the brand. We have to imagine the 170-horsepower engine has more than a little trouble hustling the 3,042-pound hatch with anything approaching a quickness. Our tester bore the slightly more lively turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine with 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 207 pound-feet of torque from just 1,700 rpm. The powerplant can be mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed DSG. In the U.S., the dual-clutch has been specifically programmed to maximize fuel economy, which translates into plenty of short-shifts in daily driving.
The result is a Bug that feels considerably slower than it should, especially given that the same drivetrain has been painting smiles on our faces in various Volkswagen models for years. Kick the shifter over into the optional sport mode, however, and the story changes. The shift logic keeps the engine happily within its powerband, delivering snappier throttle response and significantly less hesitation. Unfortunately, sport mode's tendency to hold gears well into the rev range means that it isn't fit for daily driving duty, leaving buyers with an all or nothing proposition.
Likewise, the Beetle's suspension tuning has been penned for comfort, yielding plenty of body roll under a hard shuffling. And despite offering disc brakes on all four corners, the 2012 Beetle doesn't offer a performance braking experience. While fade is kept to a minimum during short hard-driving stints, the pedal is simply too soft with too much travel to inspire any confidence.
So, it's clear the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo isn't a fit competitor for the Mini Cooper S. But that doesn't mean the German automaker will have any trouble finding buyers for its newest retro hatch. While it may not be the kind of machine we'd feel comfortable taking to a track day right out of the box, this Beetle is a vast improvement over the outgoing generation in every way. The drive is more comfortable and stable thanks to the longer wheel base and additional width, and the rear passengers can sit comfortably without introducing their skulls to the headliner. In the end, the Beetle Turbo is a stylish way to get around town that's still as playful as the Type 1C.
There are other drawbacks, however. Our tester, which was slightly different than the car we wound up photographing, came packing the excellent Fender sound system, and the aforementioned DSG six-speed and a massive sunroof, which bumped the final price tag to $27,495 plus a $770 destination fee. That's knocking on the big $30k for a vehicle that feels very much like a compact in terms of usable space and interior refinement. Then there's the fuel economy issue. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that buyers should see 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway out of the Beetle, and we were met with around 23 mpg combined during our time with the vehicle. Given that the Beetle isn't overly quick or powerful, that figure is embarrassing for a hatch this size, especially given that Volkswagen recommends premium fuel for the most performance possible.
The 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is certainly a step in the right direction, but the MSRP, low power figures and lackluster fuel economy might have us sniffing elsewhere if we were in the market for an adorable retro hatchback. Volkswagen has already teased us with the Beetle R concept, which may hint to the fact that a quicker version of the Bug will show up in the near future. Until then, we'll leave this one to nostalgic baby boomers.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/07/2...-turbo-review/
12-08-11, 01:15 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
Very limited appeal. Still very much like the last model and still a "cute car," which keeps it feminine. Except to some high school, college students, and elderly (non-turbo), I don't think they'll sell many of these over the years.
It's interesting to note how times and society was hungrier for spunky retro cars back in 1998, when the first model debuted and the car sold out. Then again, there was no Kia or decent Hyundai back then trying to capture the same customer.
It's interesting to note how times and society was hungrier for spunky retro cars back in 1998, when the first model debuted and the car sold out. Then again, there was no Kia or decent Hyundai back then trying to capture the same customer.
12-08-11, 08:44 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
It's interesting to note how times and society was hungrier for spunky retro cars back in 1998, when the first model debuted and the car sold out. Then again, there was no Kia or decent Hyundai back then trying to capture the same customer.
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-08-11 at 08:51 PM.
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12-08-11, 11:14 PM
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Clarkson is 100% right...
http://www.topgear.com/uk/jeremy-cla...mpaign=twitter
http://www.topgear.com/uk/jeremy-cla...mpaign=twitter
Clarkson on the Volkswagen Beetle
As I'm sure you know by now, there are very few things on which all the TopGear presenters agree. James and I, for instance, like Sandwich Spread very much, but Hammond doesn't, because he dislikes food "with bits in".
Then you have the Fiat 500. Hammond and I think this is a terrific car, with lots of character and a genuine lust for life. May, meanwhile, thinks it is too backward-looking. Strange for a man who sees everything in black and white and was born aged 53.
Motorbikes? May and Hammond love them to bits and spend about six hours a day saying letters and numbers to one another. "ZZR?" "No, CBR." "The 600?" "I prefer the 750.""GT?" "No, TT." So far as I'm concerned, it's all gibberish. All bikes are exactly the same.
There are, however, one or two things on which we do all agree. The Subaru Legacy Outback, for example. We all like that a lot. And the Volkswagen Beetle, which we all detest on a cellular level.
When I was a child, my mother had one. Actually, to be fair, over the years, she had five. Followed by a Volkswagen Variant, which, so far as I could tell, was the stupidest car ever made. It was a shooting brake, but since it was rear-engined, all of the space where you would normally put things in an estate, was full of engine. So really it was a cramped four-seater with a very long parcel shelf.
Still, it wasn't as terrible as all the Beetles that preceded it. Of course, I didn't know then about the woeful handling or the involvement of Hitler in the original design. I just thought it smelt funny. It doesn't matter if someone with a penchant for garlic, flatulence and large cigars has owned a Beetle for 50 years, it will still smell of Beetle. Hard to put my finger on what that smell is exactly. It's a sickly odour that pools at the back of your throat, causing you to gag and spasm. I've checked on the internet, and I think it may be vinyl chloride, coming from the seats. It's highly toxic and carcinogenic.
“There has never been a sporty Beetle. Not even Herbie. He wasn't sporty. He was just speeded up”
Of course, fans of the Bug will explain that there is no such thing as ‘a Beetle' and point out that over the years, 78,000 separate changes were made to the original design. I would counter by suggesting that this means there were 78,000 things wrong with the original design. And that's incredible. There aren't even 78,000 things wrong with Richard Hammond.
So why, you may be wondering, did so many millions of people flock to buy a car that would give them cancer and which had 78,000 things wrong with it? Simple. It worked.
The soundtrack of my youth is the wheezing starter motor of my Dad's Ford churning pointlessly in the damp, cold mornings we used to get back then. Followed by several bits of swearing as he attached a tow rope to the back of my Mum's fully functioning Beetle.
Now, of course, we all like reliability in a car. We all want the damn thing to start in the morning. But not if it would kill you in the first bend it encountered, or give you liver cancer.
The second-generation Beetle was built in Mexico. So obviously, it was exquisite in every way. Except that it was basically a Golf with a big pricetag and a vase. The vase was supposed to put us in mind of the Summerof Love, when various Beetle-driving hippies met up on the corner of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco and sang songs about putting flowers in each other's hair. To forget perhaps that they'd turned up in a car that was the brainchild of perhaps the most evil man who ever lived.
But the Joni Mitchell thing didn't really work, because mostly the modern Beetle was not driven by ex-hippies. It was driven by plump girls who had the time to pluck a flower for the vase every day. Because they didn't have a love life.
I was very happy when the second-generation Beetle went away, because I felt that the world could now move on from its obsession with the carcinogenic Hitlermobile. And buy something else instead.
But no. It seems that the damn thing's coming back again. Only this time, we're told, it will be ‘sporty'.
I'm sorry. Sporty? Where's that come from? The new Fiat 500 can be sporty because the last one was fun and lively and Italian. The new Mini can be sporty because it harks back to the days of the Coopers and the Monte Carlo rally. But there has never been a sporty Beetle. Not even Herbie. He wasn't sporty. He was just speeded up.
Launching a modern-day incarnation that has sporty credentials is like launching a modern-day incarnation of the Mona Lisa who's crapping herself laughing. It's not a modern-day incarnation at all. It's something that's completely different. It's a new car. But of course, when you look at it, it's not a new car at all, because it's been willfully designed to look like the car that took me to school every day. Because my Dad's Cortina wouldn't start again.
Like the last Beetle, this one will also be built in Mexico - my God, but they're an industrious lot - alongside the Jetta, with which it shares a platform.
Ah, so it won't be sporty. A Jetta is as sporty as an aqualung. It is motoring's answer to the Hush Puppy and the big, sensible pair of pants. If it were a man, it would have a hat. I do not understand why anyone in history has ever looked at a VW Golf and said, "Yes. But do you have a version that's a bit worse in every way?" Because that's what the Jetta is: a ****** Golf.
And now, you have the opportunity to say "Yes. I was interested in having a ****** Golf, but can it be even s*****r?"
"Well, sir, how about this steaming pile of horse manure? It is available early next year with exactly the same engines you get in a Jetta, but at the back there is a spoiler which rises up at a given speed for no obvious reason at all. Plus, and here's the clincher, sir, there's no vase."
There is also no point. And I suspect m'learned colleagues will agree on that as well.
As I'm sure you know by now, there are very few things on which all the TopGear presenters agree. James and I, for instance, like Sandwich Spread very much, but Hammond doesn't, because he dislikes food "with bits in".
Then you have the Fiat 500. Hammond and I think this is a terrific car, with lots of character and a genuine lust for life. May, meanwhile, thinks it is too backward-looking. Strange for a man who sees everything in black and white and was born aged 53.
Motorbikes? May and Hammond love them to bits and spend about six hours a day saying letters and numbers to one another. "ZZR?" "No, CBR." "The 600?" "I prefer the 750.""GT?" "No, TT." So far as I'm concerned, it's all gibberish. All bikes are exactly the same.
There are, however, one or two things on which we do all agree. The Subaru Legacy Outback, for example. We all like that a lot. And the Volkswagen Beetle, which we all detest on a cellular level.
When I was a child, my mother had one. Actually, to be fair, over the years, she had five. Followed by a Volkswagen Variant, which, so far as I could tell, was the stupidest car ever made. It was a shooting brake, but since it was rear-engined, all of the space where you would normally put things in an estate, was full of engine. So really it was a cramped four-seater with a very long parcel shelf.
Still, it wasn't as terrible as all the Beetles that preceded it. Of course, I didn't know then about the woeful handling or the involvement of Hitler in the original design. I just thought it smelt funny. It doesn't matter if someone with a penchant for garlic, flatulence and large cigars has owned a Beetle for 50 years, it will still smell of Beetle. Hard to put my finger on what that smell is exactly. It's a sickly odour that pools at the back of your throat, causing you to gag and spasm. I've checked on the internet, and I think it may be vinyl chloride, coming from the seats. It's highly toxic and carcinogenic.
“There has never been a sporty Beetle. Not even Herbie. He wasn't sporty. He was just speeded up”
Of course, fans of the Bug will explain that there is no such thing as ‘a Beetle' and point out that over the years, 78,000 separate changes were made to the original design. I would counter by suggesting that this means there were 78,000 things wrong with the original design. And that's incredible. There aren't even 78,000 things wrong with Richard Hammond.
So why, you may be wondering, did so many millions of people flock to buy a car that would give them cancer and which had 78,000 things wrong with it? Simple. It worked.
The soundtrack of my youth is the wheezing starter motor of my Dad's Ford churning pointlessly in the damp, cold mornings we used to get back then. Followed by several bits of swearing as he attached a tow rope to the back of my Mum's fully functioning Beetle.
Now, of course, we all like reliability in a car. We all want the damn thing to start in the morning. But not if it would kill you in the first bend it encountered, or give you liver cancer.
The second-generation Beetle was built in Mexico. So obviously, it was exquisite in every way. Except that it was basically a Golf with a big pricetag and a vase. The vase was supposed to put us in mind of the Summerof Love, when various Beetle-driving hippies met up on the corner of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco and sang songs about putting flowers in each other's hair. To forget perhaps that they'd turned up in a car that was the brainchild of perhaps the most evil man who ever lived.
But the Joni Mitchell thing didn't really work, because mostly the modern Beetle was not driven by ex-hippies. It was driven by plump girls who had the time to pluck a flower for the vase every day. Because they didn't have a love life.
I was very happy when the second-generation Beetle went away, because I felt that the world could now move on from its obsession with the carcinogenic Hitlermobile. And buy something else instead.
But no. It seems that the damn thing's coming back again. Only this time, we're told, it will be ‘sporty'.
I'm sorry. Sporty? Where's that come from? The new Fiat 500 can be sporty because the last one was fun and lively and Italian. The new Mini can be sporty because it harks back to the days of the Coopers and the Monte Carlo rally. But there has never been a sporty Beetle. Not even Herbie. He wasn't sporty. He was just speeded up.
Launching a modern-day incarnation that has sporty credentials is like launching a modern-day incarnation of the Mona Lisa who's crapping herself laughing. It's not a modern-day incarnation at all. It's something that's completely different. It's a new car. But of course, when you look at it, it's not a new car at all, because it's been willfully designed to look like the car that took me to school every day. Because my Dad's Cortina wouldn't start again.
Like the last Beetle, this one will also be built in Mexico - my God, but they're an industrious lot - alongside the Jetta, with which it shares a platform.
Ah, so it won't be sporty. A Jetta is as sporty as an aqualung. It is motoring's answer to the Hush Puppy and the big, sensible pair of pants. If it were a man, it would have a hat. I do not understand why anyone in history has ever looked at a VW Golf and said, "Yes. But do you have a version that's a bit worse in every way?" Because that's what the Jetta is: a ****** Golf.
And now, you have the opportunity to say "Yes. I was interested in having a ****** Golf, but can it be even s*****r?"
"Well, sir, how about this steaming pile of horse manure? It is available early next year with exactly the same engines you get in a Jetta, but at the back there is a spoiler which rises up at a given speed for no obvious reason at all. Plus, and here's the clincher, sir, there's no vase."
There is also no point. And I suspect m'learned colleagues will agree on that as well.
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