More pictures of the 2012 VW Beetle
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Driving around in Europe.
I am really getting used to the new design, and now love it. The car seems more substantial and upscale than before. Even though the previous design was much purer.
The interior has nice retro touches. But it also depends on what color you pick. The black finish is black only on black cars. Or the ones with the sport package.
You could be staring at a lot of red or green plastic in there…
I saw it at the NY auto show and have to admit it looks good. That said, I hate Volkswagen and would never be stupid enough to buy another one, regardless of how nice it looks. Beauty is only skin deep. On the other hand, the Passat and Jetta do not have to worry about beauty.
That awkward A-pillar/roof intersection seriously skeeves me out, particularly in the front quarter view.. it looks like the aftermath of a rollover in the current model!
With retro MINI is still king.
VW really are the masters of building good looking interiors. I think that with the Beetle, the improvements are subtle, but thorough.
I also want to rant a little about the direction of VW's other cars… I need a sedan and was hoping to get a Passat. But I'm saddened that my beloved VW has lowered their standards and is chasing the tails of mass market dullards like Toyota and Hyundai instead of appealing to their enthusiast niche. People who like VW's buy them even though they are more expensive, knowing that they are better than other mass brands. And if you don't "get" VW or why people would pay a premium for them, then who cares? VW will never succeed against the Koreans if they engage in price wars. To beat the competition, VW needs to be committed to building superior vehicles, not de-contenting them and making them generic looking.
I like this car allot. I like the way they toughened it up. The interior looks great. I think mini is the manlier of the two, if you could use that term
VWs are "not better than mass brands". They are overpriced junk for people who stupidly think German=Quality. It doesn't.
"VWs are "not better than mass brands". They are overpriced junk for people who stupidly think German=Quality. It doesn't."
Then don't buy one. I've had three VW's as well as many other brands. I've had very good luck with VW and Audis. German doesn't = "maintenance free" but it does mean that there's a level of engineering that you don't get in Japanese or Korean brands. If you want a car where you don't ever plan to look under the hood, or have no real interest in cars, a Camry will get you from point A to point B just fine. A Toyota, Buick, Honda or Lincoln are reliable because the components that go into them aren't pushed to very high levels. For comparison a top tier "performance" Accord has a 270HP V6 that has 250 lb-ft of torque, an Audi S4 has a 333HP V6 that has 320 lb-ft of torque. Plus the brakes are better materials with higher tolerances, the composites are more cutting edge, the transmission is more advanced and it all requires more engineering because everything is pushed to a higher level of performance. It's a free country, be bland if you want. If you want a car that is enjoyable to drive and is the benchmark of performance, buy German. But anyone who makes a blanket statement that German cars don't equal quality clearly needs more education on the subject.
My American built Rabbit was a much better car than my German built Passat. I put more money into the Passat in the 4 years of ownership than I put into the Rabbit in 15. Definitely not a quality built automobile.
I am not sure you can get anymore bland than VW's, they are as boring as you get. They also end up in the bottom 50% of reliability as a company.
Bland styling, terrible reliability, and poor dealer experience. That is today's VW for you.
They are overpriced junk for people who stupidly think German=Quality. It doesn't.
Ditto. (& not any more than Japan=Quality)
But I do like the new Beetle. And the latest Jetta is undeniably the best one yet–looking more upscale (at a distance) that anyone in the price range. Overpriced? sure. But so are Subarus, Toyotas, and Honda's. I noticed that Motor Trends lastest comparison of a dozen small cars had Hyundai the undisputed leader in Quality and Toytota placing dead last. VW, Ford, Dodge, Chevy & Honda jockied for position somewhere between those two extremes. (July 2011)