2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo Test Drive

So my big question is this: what do we call it?  The original VW (in the '30's) was eventually called the Beetle.  The one that came out in 1998 based on the MkIV Golf was the New Beetle.  So wouldn't this be the New (New) Beetle?  And here you get to a simplified version of the problem VW faced with the really new Beetle: how do you update a car that's retro in the first place?

While Ford's answer with the Mustang is basically "new grille and tail lights," Volkswagen has reimagined the entire Beetle - so even though it's remarkably similar looking on the outside (you won't mistake it for anything else), it takes about 10 feet behind the wheel of a 2012 to tell how different the new one is.

The biggest thing that's changed between New Beetle and (New, New) Beetle is, at it's core, a shift in priority.  The old Beetle was designed to be a fashion accessory first and a car second.  There's still some fashion accessory to the Beetle now (after all, it's a Golf, it's more expensive than a Golf, and it's less useful than a Golf, so if you didn't care, you'd get a Golf), but it's actually got a lot of real car in it.  On the old Beetle (lord I'm confused), that big bubble of a roof made it look symmetrical from the side, but it wreaked havoc on interior usability.  If you're not familiar, the 1998 Beetle had a dashboard long enough to serve as an aircraft carrier, enough front head and legroom for Shaq, and enough rear head and leg room for...  amputees.  And the trunk was useless.

This new one?  Not so much.  They've stretched the wheelbase, flattened the roofline out, and shrunk the dashboard to reasonably levels.  Result?  Decent headroom up front (I'm 6'2" and had no issue in my sunroof-less test car), reasonable head room in the rear (I don't fit in the back of the previous Beetle; I have decent legroom 'behind myself' in the new one and am only a little short on headroom), and a pretty big trunk.  It looks about twice as deep as the old one:

There's actually useful space for stuff in the trunk without the seats folded down, which is a welcome change.  The big news though:  The interior has grown up a lot.  All the stuff that irritated me about the old Beetle is gone.  Stupid gauged pod off the steering column with a tiny tachometer inset on the speedometer?  Gone.  Bulged-out center section for no reason?  Gone.  Mile long dashboard?  Gone.  Cheap feeling materials, uncomfortable seats?  Gone.  Flower Vase?  Gone.

In place of all the tiny buttons crowded into one small spot and a nearly unreadable gauge cluster is simplicity, beautiful simplicity.  The body-colored swath in the middle is nice, although I wish my test car had the 3-gauge dash pod that showed up in most of the press photos.  It's not especially fancy in there, although higher trim levels gets more goodies - in dash navigation, available two-tone leather sport seats, auto climate control, steering hand controls, etc.  The Beetle does have little light rings around the speaker which you can change the colors of with a roller wheel - if that's your thing.  Hey, better than a flower vase.  There are also two glove boxes - the upper one (a "Beetle Box") opens upward out of the body-colored panel, and the normal one opens down.  Handy.  I would worry about the latch on the upper one breaking, though.

Chassis wise, the new Beetle has a larger footprint than the old one.  Wheelbase is 30mm longer, overall length is 186mm longer, width is up 83mm, and track width increases by 69mm and 50mm front and rear.  Overall height is lower by 13mm - which gives the Beetle a more muscular, solid stance.  A note on suspension:  All Beetles use a traditional MacPherson strut front suspension setup,  but only the Turbos get a fancy multi-link independent rear suspension, while 2.5L (base) and TDI diesel Beetles will use the updated Torsion-beam rear axle from the US-market MkVI Jetta.

Driving the 2012 is a pretty different experience from the previous Beetle in a lot of ways.  You sit lower down in the car, and while visibility isn't as good as the old model (the previous Beetle did a good impression of a fishbowl), it's still good - with the exception of the thick C-pillar.  Driving the old Beetle was always somewhat odd - the feeling of a high center of gravity and a narrow body was hard to get over.  The new one feels more like a TT than a Beetle, and if it's not quite up to the level of a GTI in responses, it's a lot closer.  This is a car you can actually have some fun driving.

A lot of that fun comes from the powertrain.  VW's 2.0L direct-injected turbo engine is pretty familiar to drivers now, and even though most  competitors are making a lot more power out of similar sized engines, it's still a good motor.  While some European spec 2.0T's have been updated to include variable exhaust cam timing (which means an extra 10bhp and 41lb-ft of torque), the 2.0T still has no trouble getting the Beetle moving in a hurry.  With 200bhp and 207lb-ft, it has a good bit more power than the previous model.  2006+ Beetles only offered the 2.5L I5 (which is still the base engine) or a diesel.  And while earlier Beetles could be had with a 1.8L 20v Turbo, it was the low-output 150bhp version with a smaller turbo and restrictive intake manifold.  Except for the rare 180bhp, 6-speed Turbo S (and the even rarer VR6 Beetle RSi), the previous model didn't offer enough power to really be any fun.

A note on fuel economy: while the Turbo's 22/30 rating isn't exactly spectacular, it's still something of a selling point over the base engine, which only does 1mpg better on both EPA cycles.  I had a 2.5L powered VW (a few years ago), and while the sound is amusing for a while, the gravel-in-a-blender NVH levels, lack of power and disappointing fuel economy would make it worth saving up for the 2.0T - which is a much sweeter engine as well as being considerably faster.

So when you get on the gas in the Beetle Turbo and it responds with a bit of turbo lag, then a solid thwack of torque steer as it jets into traffic is pretty neat.  The 2.0T displays a little lag from a stop, but it's hardly noticeable once you're rolling and dip into the throttle.  It's not MazdaSpeed3 fast - VW quotes 0-60 in 6.8s for the DSG Beetle Turbo - but pretty similar to a Mini Cooper S.  Another surprise is how good the Beetle turbo sounds - the dual exhaust system gives it a bit of a growl, and extra resonance ducting off the intake manifold makes turbo spool more audible in the cabin.  It sounds kinda mean.  Credit must also be given to VW's 6-speed DSG automated-manual as well, somewhat begrudgingly.  I'm pretty firm on my preference for manual transmissions, but if I had, say - one leg - this is about the best two-pedal setup out there.  The last time I sampled a 6-speed wet clutch DSG, it was in a MkV Jetta TDI, and they've refined it's low-speed part throttle responses quite a bit since then, which was the gearbox's only real weak spot.  For now, the 2.0T is only available with the DSG, but a six speed manual will become an option (as well as a manual for the 2.5L, and the 2.0L TDI diesel) in the near future.

In creeping stop-and-go traffic, it acts just like a conventional torque-converter automatic transmission, even creeping forward when you release the brakes, and there's no longer the subtle but noticeable "thump" when the clutch engages any more.  It still seems odd how quickly the DSG can pop out two downshifts when you put your foot in the carpet (or bump it down with the shift lever) - but boy is it smooth.  The shift gate to the right of drive actually responds to your requests quickly (unlike most automatics with a shift function), and there's no interruption of power, or bump as the clutch engages.  It just simply engages the next gear as soon as it's out of the last one - very cool.  It also has a "Sport" mode below Drive which delays part-throttle upshifts longer, and generally holds a gear or two lower for better throttle response.  The steering wheel mounted paddle shifters in upper trim levels wouldn't go amiss, though.

I'm aware I always reference the aftermarket potential of a vehicle, and that might not be relevant to some people who don't want to fuss with things - but it's just my mindset.  Improvements can always be made.  And the Beetle Turbo with some aftermarket engine software (I prefer Unitronic for VW's turbo engines) would be ridiculous.  While the stock 200bhp is fun, a Stage 1 tune (for 91 octane) yields 245bhp and 280lb-ft of torque.  Go up to 1+ (93 octane) and it's 260 and 295.  Want to spend a little more?  Add an exhaust, downpipe, intake and intercooler for 280bhp and 325 lb-ft.  Imagine the fun!  Embarrassing Mustangs and WRX's in a Beetle!  (juvenile, but then again, why do they sell Smartuki kits?)

When you're not blasting through gears in the DSG and making that turbo work for it's money, the Beetle is remarkably civilized - with one caveat.  The bigger footprint means the new one is much more relaxed and stable on the highway, although the heavy 19" wheels with short sidewalls take a noticeable toll on ride quality.  Highway expansion joints send a thump through the chassis and make a bit more noise than you'd expect - and no doubt have a negative impact on chassis responses, because unsprung mass is still a bad thing.  However, at a 70mph cruise the Beetle feels much more locked in than the previous model due to these changes.

Things not to like?  Well, it's entirely a matter of personal opinion, but the squared-off GLI looking bumper on the rounded front end is a bit odd to me.  If I were spec'ing one out, I would most certainly skip the "Turbo" decals, and probably go for the 18" wheels and a 1.5" drop with some Bilsteins for the money you'd save over getting the 19's.  If the main reason you got the last Beetle was the bud vase, you'll be disappointed - and probably not just because of the lack of a bud vase, because the new one actually takes itself seriously as a car.  And if you're looking for more Oomph in your Beetle, I'm betting VW will eventually put the Beetle R concept into production - with the 261bhp Golf R drivetrain, brakes and wheels - somewhere above 30k.

The Beetle still isn't a car that will appeal to everyone, just like the old one.  It's not really meant to in the first place.  But it will certainly appeal to more people, and for more reasons.  Men who previously shied away from the New Beetle because of it's painfully feminine, function over-form appearance will find it a lot more agreeable.  People who bought one because it was cute will probably still think it is.  People who didn't buy one because it was somewhat useless as passenger and cargo transportation will be pleasantly surprised.  And people like me who just simply hated driving the old Beetles (because they were bad to drive, had no power, etc) will be shocked.  Would I take one over a current Golf GTI?  Eh, probably not.  Would I consider it?  Certainly.  That's a big step up.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo Launch Edition

Base price: $24,950Price as tested: $25,720Options: none (destination charge: $770)

Body: 3-door unit construction hatchbackDrivetrain: Transverse front-engine, front wheel drive.  6-speed twin clutch automated manual transmission (DSG)Accomodations: 4 passengers

Engine: Inline-4, iron block, aluminum cylinder head Displacement: 1984cc (2.0L)Aspiration: Turbocharged, intercooledFuel delivery: high-pressure direct fuel injectionValvetrain: Dual overhead cams, belt driven, 4v/cylinderCompression ratio: 9.6:1Horsepower: 200bhp@5,100rpmTorque: 207lb-ft@1,700-5,000rpmRev limit: 6,750rpm

Suspension (F): MacPherson Strut, Coil Spring, Anti-roll bar Suspension (R): Multi-link independent, coil springs, anti-roll barSteering: Hydraulic power assist Wheels/Tires: 19" alloy, 235/40/19 Continental ContiProContact Brakes (F/R): Vented Disc/ Solid Disc/ ABS

0-60mph: 7.5sTop speed: 139mph1/4 Mile@ET: 14.9s (estimate)EPA fuel mileage estimate: 22 city/ 30 highway/ 25 combinedRecommended fuel: 91 octane (premium)Fuel Tank Capacity: 14.5 gallonsTheoretical Range: 435 miles

Wheelbase: 99.9"Length: 168.4"Track (F/R): 62.1"/60.8"Width: 71.2"Height: 58.5"Cargo Capacity: 15.4ft³Curb weight: 3172lbs

Main Competitors: Fiat 500, Mini Cooper, Honda Civic Si, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volvo C30, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Forte Koup, Scion tCPros: GTI-level performance, increased practicality and masculinity, better quality materials, not embarassing any moreCons: More expensive and less practical than a Golf, harsh ride with 19" wheelsConclusion: So much improved over it's predecessor it beggars belief.  Honestly worth a look if you want a real car with some charm, it's now a sleeker GTI instead of a stupider Golf.