 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
| Manufacturer’s Website Volkswagen Canada |
Review and photos by Mike Schlee
Photo Gallery:
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible
Malibu, California – Volkswagen, as a worldwide company, is on track to set their all-time sales record in 2012: pretty amazing for a European car company in 2012 as this year has not been very kind to several other manufacturers across the pond. Although part of Volkswagen’s sales success has to do with the North American market where they have an ambitious plan of selling 800,000 vehicles annually by 2014, their real success has to do with being in a ton of markets the world over. They, unlike other manufacturers, are not tied financially to one market and its up and down swings.
Volkswagen is hoping to achieve the 800,000 North American sales milestone by leaning heavily on their German heritage. As Volkswagen put it during the 2013 Beetle Convertible launch in Santa Monica, they don’t think the world needs another Honda or Toyota. They are the only German brand playing in this price point and Volkswagen considers themselves the automotive equivalent to Target: mass produced products with a side of premium.
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Whether you believe all of this marketing-speak or not is irrelevant; Volkswagen is on a roll. So it really should come as no surprise that a new Beetle Convertible is heading to the market to complement the 2013 Beetle Coupe. These all-new 2013 Beetles are built exclusively in Mexico and share their basic platform with the Jetta. As mentioned during our 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo review, this has allowed the Beetle to grow.
Besides growing in stature, Volkswagen also wanted to butch up the new Beetle. Volkswagen basically admitted that they were looking for more male buyers with the newest Beetle; male enthusiasts specifically. I believe the wording they used was along the lines of “looking for an expanded audience.” That being said, roughly 50 percent of Beetle buyers in Canada are male… well… at least 50 percent of Beetle ownerships are signed with male names on them. The numbers, however, get far more skewed when the top is removed, as only 17 percent of Beetle Convertible owners in the United States are male.
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Indeed the new Beetle is manlier. During a recent test drive of the 2013 Beetle Sportline, I noted that that the new look resembles that of the original Beetle much more than the last generation, albeit in a grossly inflated size. But what happens when Volkswagen chops the top off? Does it lose its looks and its manliness? Well, manliness is debatable, but the looks remain, a fact reinforced by Volkswagen, who brought along two 1979 Beetle convertibles and one 1980 Beetle convertible for reference and comparison.
Volkswagen is calling the new drop-top Beetle a ‘convertible without compromise’, which is a bit of a stretch because the sheer fact the vehicle has to haul around its convertible roof is a compromise in itself. But at least it sits on top of the rear section of the car just like all Convertible Beetles have throughout its history. This allows far fewer compromises in rear seat room and trunk space, which helps make the Beetle more practical. For the record, the trunk has a capacity of 201 L and the added benefit of split-folding rear seats to allow longer items to pass through into the passenger compartment. There is also a special built-in tray in the trunk to hold the collapsible wind blocker.
   2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Rear seat volume is bigger than that of either the MINI Cooper Convertible or the Ford Mustang Convertible. Even with the top up, the rear seat is semi-usable by regular-sized people just like in the Beetle Coupe. Up front, the seats are very comfortable and thanks to the Beetle’s unique roofline, headroom is very generous with the top up.
But the real standout feature of the 2013 Beetle Convertible is the retractable roof. Volkswagen states it can open in roughly 9.5 seconds and close in 11 seconds. The top can also be operated at speeds up to 50 km/h, which is a huge plus for convertible owners. Needing to put these claims to the test, I lowered the roof while travelling at 40 km/h and then raised it again at the same speed. Not only did it work flawlessly, it was also fast as promised—handy during a day of on and off rain. Actually, speaking of rain, with all the windows raised, roof down and wind blocker in place, the vehicle keeps light rain out of the cabin assuming speeds remain around 60 km/h. The full-power top requires no manual latches and will open and close with the touch of one button.
Since the top of the otherwise coupe-designed Beetle is missing, Volkswagen made sure to beef up the chassis so it would not flex over bumps. The A-pillar, front roof cross member, side member and lower B-pillars have all been reinforced. These improvements have worked as the Beetle is indeed a solid structure. On the back roads of Malibu, California, there was not a lot of noticeable flex in the chassis on broken roads. Volkswagen claims the Beetle’s rollover protection is also very strong as it was autobahn designed, meaning it was designed to be safe at 200 km/h (but not actually crash tested at that speed).
This added reinforcement causes the Beetle to tip the scales at 1,454 kg, about 100 kg heavier than its coupe counterpart. This hasn’t really affected handling, though, as the regular 2.5L five-cylinder Beetle Convertible handles decently, while turbocharged vehicles with their sports suspension are slightly more planted to the road. Like the Beetle Coupe with the 2.0L turbocharged engine I drove a month ago, this convertible is not a sports car, but more a decent handler that is confident and sporty.
 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
And that brings us to the Canadian market. For 2013, there will only be two trims in Canada, Comfortline and Highline. With Comfortline you pick your colour, and with Highline you pick your colour, and if you want the tech package, that is all. Comfortline Beetle Convertibles come standard with leatherette seating surfaces, 16-inch wheels and heated seats. All 2013 Canadian-sold Beetle Convertibles will be powered exclusively by the 2.5L five-cylinder engines and six-speed automatic transmissions; there will be no TDI or Turbo in 2013 north of the border. The reason behind this decision is that since the Beetle Convertible will not go on sale in Canada until early in February, the 2013 models will spend most of the their sales cycle in non-premium convertible weather before the 2014’s begin to be produced this summer. It will be then, with the 2014 model, that Canada will receive the 2.0L turbocharged motor and manual transmissions. At this time, it is still undecided if the TDI convertible will make its way into Canada.
I had a chance to drive all three vehicles while in California and although the Beetle with the turbo or diesel are more my preference, the base Beetle is not a bad car. The 2.5L five-cylinder engine produces the same 170 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque as found in its other Volkswagen applications. Combined with the six-speed automatic, the 2.5L engine feels plenty powerful enough for this car. The car pulls moderately in all gears and the transmission is quick to react when a downshift is called for, especially in sport mode. Those not interested in an absolutely sporty ride will be happy enough with this drivetrain. Those wanting a bit more performance may want to wait for the 2014 models.
   2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Click image to enlarge |
Volkswagen knows that the Beetle Convertible is bought on style and, to some degree, an emotional connection. They consider their chief rivals to be the Fiat 500c, Mini Cooper Convertible and Mazda MX-5, quite a mishmash of vehicles. With the improvements made to style and practicality of this new Beetle Convertible, I expect it will do alright in this niche market when it hits showroom floors late this winter.
Pricing
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible Comfortline $28,775
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible Highline $31,740
