Redesigning an Icon: The Volkswagen Beetle's New Chapter

Volkswagen has indeed had their work cut out for them with the latest version of one of the most iconic cars of all time, the Volkswagen Beetle. This time around, the beetle is less rounded and less cute, trying to be somewhat more macho to appeal to a wider range of buyers. While this change may not resonate with fans of the classic design, there are still some neat retro styling cues present, such as the classic hubcaps.

One practical advantage of the repackaged Beetle is its deep dashboard, which saves space and makes it easier for adults to fit in the backseat. However, comfort is not a primary focus here, as the rear seats may not be the most comfortable option. The interior of the car is brightened up by big panels of shiny body color plastic, adding a touch of sophistication to the design.

The controls in the Beetle are mostly simple and easy to use, with the basic radio mounted up high on the dashboard. This makes it one of the easiest radios to use in the business. The front seats are fairly flat and wide, providing a decent level of support for the driver. However, there are some common Volkswagen driving position quirks present here, such as the right leg often sitting against the big center dashboard stack and the clutch pedal having long travel.

This forces the driver to sit up close in order to fully floor it. Driver visibility is also impacted by the Beetle's styling, with thick roof pillars making it difficult to see traffic lights. The low windshield header adds to this issue, requiring the driver to peer up underneath to see what's ahead. The back view of the car is also blocked by large rear head restraints, which can limit visibility.

Under the hood, the Beetle has a base 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine that isn't the most refined but does have welcomed low torque output. The car comes standard with a 5-speed manual transmission, which is easy to shift and provides decent acceleration. However, fuel economy numbers are nothing special, and if you want more power, you can opt for a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Alternatively, the Beetle offers better fuel economy with a TDI diesel engine, similar to the redesigned Jetta.

Despite its best efforts, the Beetle doesn't quite live up to its multi-agency sporty reputation. The steering response is reasonable, but it's also somewhat slow and lacks feedback. This can make the car feel "soggy" to drive, although the ride is well-absorbed and compliant, especially for a small sporty coupe. Noise levels are generally tolerable, but there is quite a bit of wind noise that comes in, particularly over the roof.

As for styling statements, the Beetles are reasonably practical, with a package that prioritizes functionality over flashy design. If you're looking for something that's especially sporty to drive, you may need to look elsewhere, as the Beetle doesn't quite deliver on this front. However, it does offer particularly good fuel economy in its diesel variant, making it a more attractive option for environmentally conscious buyers.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enredesigning an icon is tough volkswagen really had their work cut out for them with the latest version of one of the most iconic cars of all time the Volkswagen Beetle this time around the beetle is less rounded less cute trying to be somewhat more macho to appeal to more buyers still there's some neat retro styling cues here like these classic hubcaps there are some practical advantages to this repackaged beetle God is the last Beatles deep dashboard that saves space adults can also fit in the backseat it's not all that comfortable but they do fit up front there are big panels of shiny body color plastic brightening up the interior of our red test car controls are mostly really simple the basic radio is mounted up high on the dashboard it's one of the easiest to use in the business the front seats are fairly flat and wide most found them to be pretty supportive but there are some common volkswagen driving position quirks here your right leg often sits right up against the big center dashboard stack and the clutch pedal has really long travel forcing you to sit up close in order to fully floor it driver visibility is impacted by the beetle styling most of the roof pillars are pretty thick in order to be able to see traffic lights you need to peer up underneath a low windshield header also the back view a lot of it is blocked by large rear head restraints our beetle has the base 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine this isn't the most refined engine but it does have welcomed low in torque our car also has the standard 5-speed manual transmission it's easy to shift acceleration and fuel economy numbers are decent but they're really nothing special if you want more power you can get a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder and if you want better fuel economy you'll be able to get a TDI diesel beetle like the redesigned Jetta the beetle doesn't exactly live up to the standards of multi-agency sporty reputation there's reasonable steering response here but it's also somewhat slow and a bit short on feedback all in all the car feels some kind of soggy to drive at least the beetle rides well especially for a small sporty coupe the ride is absorbent and compliant noise levels are generally tolerable but there's quite a bit of wind noise that comes in especially over the roof as far as styling statements go the beetles are reasonably practical package but if you're looking for something that's especially sporty to drive it gets particularly good fuel economy you'll have to look elsewhere youredesigning an icon is tough volkswagen really had their work cut out for them with the latest version of one of the most iconic cars of all time the Volkswagen Beetle this time around the beetle is less rounded less cute trying to be somewhat more macho to appeal to more buyers still there's some neat retro styling cues here like these classic hubcaps there are some practical advantages to this repackaged beetle God is the last Beatles deep dashboard that saves space adults can also fit in the backseat it's not all that comfortable but they do fit up front there are big panels of shiny body color plastic brightening up the interior of our red test car controls are mostly really simple the basic radio is mounted up high on the dashboard it's one of the easiest to use in the business the front seats are fairly flat and wide most found them to be pretty supportive but there are some common volkswagen driving position quirks here your right leg often sits right up against the big center dashboard stack and the clutch pedal has really long travel forcing you to sit up close in order to fully floor it driver visibility is impacted by the beetle styling most of the roof pillars are pretty thick in order to be able to see traffic lights you need to peer up underneath a low windshield header also the back view a lot of it is blocked by large rear head restraints our beetle has the base 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine this isn't the most refined engine but it does have welcomed low in torque our car also has the standard 5-speed manual transmission it's easy to shift acceleration and fuel economy numbers are decent but they're really nothing special if you want more power you can get a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder and if you want better fuel economy you'll be able to get a TDI diesel beetle like the redesigned Jetta the beetle doesn't exactly live up to the standards of multi-agency sporty reputation there's reasonable steering response here but it's also somewhat slow and a bit short on feedback all in all the car feels some kind of soggy to drive at least the beetle rides well especially for a small sporty coupe the ride is absorbent and compliant noise levels are generally tolerable but there's quite a bit of wind noise that comes in especially over the roof as far as styling statements go the beetles are reasonably practical package but if you're looking for something that's especially sporty to drive it gets particularly good fuel economy you'll have to look elsewhere you\n"