Review and photos by Simon Hill
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Volkswagen’s Beetle Convertible has always had its share of loyal fans, and they’ve arrived in the showrooms with a pretty simple list of requirements: They want a Beetle, with its unmistakably iconic profile, they want it to be a convertible, and they want it to drive like a Volkswagen.
So far so good, and the previous-generation ‘New’ Beetle Convertible met these requirements just fine. Except it lacked one important quality that cost it nearly half its potential customers before they even opened the door: masculine appeal.
For the current Beetle Convertible, the mandate was therefore simple: Be like the New Beetle Convertible, but man it up a little.
Has it succeeded? I’d say yes. It looks iconic like a Beetle should, but in a more athletic and masculine way (it’s still cute mind you, just not terminally cute). It’s convertible, sure enough, and now with a fully automatic top so you no longer need to manually latch or unlatch the roof like you did with the previous car (the roof can be lowered or raised in about 10 seconds flat, while driving at speeds up to 50 km/h). And it drives like a Volkswagen, in a pleasant but almost entirely unremarkable way. It should sell like hotcakes.
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
I tested a Tornado Red Highline model for a week, and was blessed with warm sunshine almost every day. This allowed me to fully embrace the car’s convertible appeal and enjoy what Volkswagen teasingly calls its “class leading headroom.” In reality, that statement is likely true whether you have the top up or down, because while the latest Beetle is somewhat squashed down compared to its predecessor, its curved roofline still offers excellent interior headroom.
Exterior visibility with the top up isn’t quite so good – the stout A pillars, while entirely necessary for a convertible, are a bit obstructive, and the cloth top leaves a big blind spot in the back where the D pillar would be. The simple solution to this, of course, is to lower the top, which earns you panoramic rearward visibility. Problem solved.
There’s no problem with the car’s body structure, which is admirably stiff and solid for a convertible, with almost no discernible cowl shake at all whether the roof was up or down. As a result of this solid structure, the car’s handling is every bit as good as the Beetle coupe, which is to say that it’s buttoned down yet comfortable, responsive, and decently grippy (it should be noted that the Convertible gets the same independent multilink rear suspension as the Turbo Beetle, rather than the Jetta-based torsion beam setup in the garden-variety Beetle coupes).
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Under the hood, all 2013 Beetle Convertibles get Volkswagen’s proven 2.5L five-cylinder engine, good for 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque (a Turbo Beetle Convertible is said to be coming for 2014). The 2.5L engine offers a reasonable blend of performance (0-100 km/h takes about 7.5 seconds) and fuel economy (city/highway ratings are 9.9/7.3 L/100 km with the standard-issue six-speed automatic transmission – not exactly stellar, but not likely to send you to the poorhouse either). My real-world results ended up including a lot of short hops and stop-and-go driving in traffic so I was never quite able to crack the 10 L/100 km mark, and at one point I saw readings as bad as (cough, cough) 14.6 L/100 km. But that’s after I’d been shuffling the car around taking photos, so it doesn’t really mean much.
I was disappointed but not particularly surprised to find that a manual transmission isn’t available with the Beetle Convertible. The transmission does offer Sport and Tiptronic modes with manual shifting available via the console-mounted gear lever should one be so inclined.
Inside, the Beetle Convertible offers realistic seating for four, although the rear seatbacks are uncompromisingly upright. I didn’t spend any time back there myself, but while it doesn’t look like the best place for a road trip it seems perfectly reasonable for city trips; certainly my teenage kids didn’t complain about the stints they spent in the rear seat, and the shortest of them is 5’8″. I can attest for the front seats, which are very comfortable, and leather upholstered in my Highline test car (Comfortline cars get leatherette). Trunk space is good for a convertible, which is to say not exactly great (it’s 201 L, if you like to measure trunk space by cartons of milk). But it’s certainly a lot roomier than the trunk in Volkswagen’s Eos hardtop convertible, and we were able to fit a week’s worth of groceries back there with a little fiddling. On the other hand, when I took the kids to music lessons only one guitar would squeeze in – the other had to ride in the back seat.
    2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
The interior does get high marks for its nicely detailed, premium feel. The dashboard is styled to recall the 1960s-era Beetle, with a body-coloured insert spanning the dash and flowing into body-coloured door panel uppers. There’s even a small secondary glove box with its cover exactly where the 1960s Beetles had their glove box lids. Below this, concealed in the lower dash, is a more usefully sized glovebox. The precision-looking triple gauges put all the basic information required by the driver right where it belongs, while a screen in the middle of the dash handles infotainment duties.
Comfortline cars get a good array of equipment including the aforementioned leatherette upholstery, 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, cruise control, a pair of 12-volt power outlets, trip computer, alarm system, ambient lighting, an eight-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3 capability and iPod connectivity, flat-bottomed leather-wrapped steering wheel, split-folding rear seats, and of course all the basic gear such as climate control, power windows and power locks.
    2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
The Highline trim ups the ante with its leather upholstery and other features including 17-inch alloys, fog lights, keyless entry, push-button start and multifunction steering wheel. My test car was also fitted with Volkswagen’s $1,290 Technology Package, which includes a 400-watt Fender audio system with subwoofer, Sirius satellite radio, and a touchscreen navigation system.
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Priced starting at $30,170 including destination fees for the Comfortline model, and climbing to $33,135 (destination in) for the Highline trim, the Beetle Convertible offers not just a cheeky attitude and a skyful of open air motoring fun, but also compelling four-seat convertible value. Because while there are plenty of two-seat convertibles out there such as the Mazda MX-5, or bigger four-seat convertibles like the Mustang and Camaro, or expensive four-seat convertibles like the BMW 1 Series and 3 Series, there are few fun and affordable four-seat convertibles in the market sweet spot occupied by the Beetle. The Mini Cooper convertible and Fiat 500C both come to mind, but remember we’re talking four-seaters here, and if I was the one riding in the back I know I’d pick the Volkswagen.
Pricing: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible
Base Price: $28,775
Base Price (Highline Trim): $31,740
Options: $1,290 (Technology Package)
Freight: $1,395
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $34,525
Competitors:
Mini Cooper Convertible
Fiat 500c
Volkswagen Eos
Ford Mustang Convertible
Chevrolet Camaro Convertible
Buyer’s Guide:
Buyer’s Guide: 2013 Volkswagen Beetle
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
