Car Review: 2011 VW Beetle

Can you still call a car introduced over ten years ago the New Beetle? The "new" Beetle was launched in the mid-1990s on the auto show circuit and became such a hit, VW made it available to the public as part of their model line up in 1998. We drove a new 2011 model as rental car, during a recent trip to Las Vegas.

The 2011 Volkswagen Beetle Sedan is still built on the VW Golf platform, another model offering more space for less money. So if you want to be quirky, get a Beetle. If you want to be sensible, get a Golf. Now as a modern, reliable, safe sedan, it remains worlds ahead of the previous models. I do love the previous models and can remember a babysitter we used had one in the early 1970s. She would sometimes take our kids on outings, and that was my first experience riding in one and driving one. I can also remember when they first came to America, before Japanese compacts were popular. They were marketed to and favored by college professors, writers and other intellectuals. It was a unique and specific way to introduce a vehicle, which is done much more today. They VW advertising people were relying on word of mouth, the earliest form of social networking.

The interior of the 2011 Volkswagen Beetle is quite roomy and spacious, although it has a huge, flat dashboard. The seating position is high with mostly good visibility. You do have some blind spot issues with the front pillars on either side. The outside of the car retains the same design as introduced in 1998 and remains both cute and weird. The body panels are galvanized steel and some are plastic. Fit and finish is good.

The performance is adequate, powered by a 150 HP engine, but there is no turbo option, which had been offered in the past. A six-speed Tiptronic automatic is available. Tiptronic is the technology also used by Porsche (part of the same corporation) which allows for high performance gear changes and a steering wheel mounted controls for shifting. The handling is good, firm and quite German. But the overall design of the car makes it feel very upright, and not good for racing.

Adding to the negatives is the mediocre gas mileage, 20 MPG city / 28 MPG highway, which is far less than many similar cars. The engine is just too small and needs to rev too high and work too hard.

The car starts at $19,440. for the base model, and $26,390. for the convertible. Options can easily push the price higher by $5,000.

The car does come with Volkswagen's safety engineering, including four airbags and a safety cage construction, designed to protect the passenger compartment.

Volkswagen Corporation of America Beetle Information page on vw.com