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| Only minor updates since its inception means VW's New Beetle isn't looking so new anymore. (Photo: VW) |
It actually pains me each year when it comes time to test drive the New Beetle. The Beetle has seemed to fallen by the way of an aged athlete who keeps getting dragged out of retirement to limp along the field among much younger players who are much more deserving to be in the spotlight. This is sad to say, as there have been few vehicles in history that have captured the retro-beauty of its classic successor, as this one.
Perhaps it is because Volkswagen feels entitled to drag out the same model year after year with minimal changes. It has certainly earned its keep, considering it has fundamentally remained the same vehicle for more than a decade. The overall shape may have been around for more decades than the Rolling Stones have been rolling in the music scene, but somehow it manages to pull a new generation into its clutches decade after decade, like an orphan baby lamb pouting at their doorstep.
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| Designed with style as job one, the sloped back New Beetle doesn't offer much rear seat headroom. (Photo: VW) |
But what happens when you get just a little too comfortable in your own exterior skin? What happens when your overall theme becomes more important than the features of the vehicle itself? Well, you get the 2009 New Beetle.
With this said, let me just say that I actually like the 2009 New Beetle. It is still the same, cute, fun-loving ride it has always been, but that is where the praise stops. You can't make a car that relies on its fun-loving nature to carry it through year after year, without offering a bone for its critics every now and then. The Beetle hasn't really evolved much over the past decade, in fact, I would say it has rather, de-evolved. You want proof? Let's take a step back to the New Beetle's humble beginnings back in 1998.
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| A unique profile, there's nothing like the New Beetle anywhere. (Photo: VW) |
The 1998 New Beetle came in two engine flavors, the 2.0-litre (115 horsepower, 8.1 city/6.0 highway L/100km) and 1.9-litre turbo-diesel (90 horsepower, 6.9 city/ 5.5 highway L/100km). Both of these engines could log much better fuel economy than its current 2.5-liter 5-cylinder (150 horsepower, 11.8 city/8.1 highway L/100km... although the US EPA rating system has been modified since the old car debuted which probably has some effect on its rating), and this is with only a very marginally improved performance rating. The 2.5-litre can achieve 0-100 km/h in approximately 9.5 seconds (some say 9.0), the 2.0 in 10.9 seconds. A difference you can barely feel in the seat of your pants.
