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Although some may not be enamoured by the Beetle shape, I think this latest iteration is the coolest and best of the bunch without a doubt. If you aren’t a Beetle fan I’m not sure anything will change your mind, so you may want to look elsewhere; but if you are, then this new design I’m sure intrigues you, as it certainly seems to be turning many heads out on the roads.
But the real star of the show here is the engine – the 2.0L turbodiesel only offers 140-horsepower but the 236-lb-ft of torque at just 1,750 rpm are what make this engine a joy. It never feels strained and when you demand some “go” in a pinch it delivers and does so quickly and smoothly.
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Yes that is correct, I said quick and smooth and diesel all within the same paragraph. The 2.0L TDI delivers both in the city and out on the highway and the six-speed Tiptronic DSG transmission is perfectly mated to the engine to keep it in the powerband when needed and rarely downshifts due to the mountains of torque.
There is a little clatter to the Diesel but no smell and no “oddities” to speak of really. I guess the only issue is that when I picked up the car, riding with former Autos.ca editor Chris Chase, he forgot it was diesel and we had to drive around for another 30 minutes to fill up the tank as most stations in the city seem to be diesel free.
I’m not a huge fan of the DSG transmission as an automatic. Parking lot speeds and reversing with this transmission feels odd and strained. It is something to get used to, it really is like driving a manual but with no control over the clutch slipping, so some throttle is required to keep your momentum up.
The shape of the Beetle defines its character but it also leads to large blind spots and difficulty with outward visibility, but this is not any different than any other “form” over “function” design.
