What they said when the Volkswagen Beetle was new… (Mar 4 2003)
IT is unlikely that Volkswagen's current Beetle will ever recreate the mantle of its predecessor, the so-called people's car.
Several years after its arrival, the latest incarnation remains a relative rarity, and stands little chance of overtaking the Golf upon which it is based in the popularity stakes.
Despite the similarity of their underpinnings, they are fundamentally different beasts, with one being practical, whilst the other's greatest asset seems to be its novelty value.
The Golf may be in the compact class, but it passes as a small family car too.
The Beetle is of similar proportions, but its design makes it more of a two-plus-two coupe, which could explain its limited appeal and the restricted sales as a consequence.
Recently there was a welcome development, in the form of a practical version of a car that is inherently anything but.
The Beetle became the latest model in Volkswagen's expansive line-up to receive one of its acclaimed oil-burning engines. It is a 100bhp version of the 1.9-litre PD engine, with Pump Deuse being the German name for a particularly clever type of diesel technology.
In the case of the Beetle it translates into 110mph performance and 50mpg economy, which is an acceptable balance between the two. Nonetheless, the choice of engine is a curious one, given the Beetle's trendy pretensions.
Also in the VW diesel armoury are versions of the same engine that produce 130bhp and even 150bhp. The performance from these engines is so impressive that Volkswagen refers to them as GTs in Golf guise, in both forms.
The more powerful Golf GT TDi 150 offers an incredible 130mph top speed, and acceleration to 60mph in a mere 8.5 seconds, whilst still achieving economy of more than 50mpg.
The oil-burning Beetle is tame by comparison, with a 0-60mph time of 12.5 seconds, and relatively lack-lustre progress through the gears.
Some might argue that this least powerful diesel engine has been used in order to keep costs down, but that certainly wouldn't appear to be the case, because there is a 2.3-litre petrol version in the range at a whopping £18,000. If people are expected to pay that much money for a131mph petrol version offering economy of just 31mpg, they would pay the same for a diesel version with identical performance, plus 50mpg economy.
The 150bhp diesel engine would have been perfectly suited to the Beetle, but we must settle for the 100bhp version instead, albeit for a relatively modest £13,910 (down from £14,175 when it first arrived six months ago).
In this guise everything about the car is average, including the combination of performance and economy, the way in which it rides and handles, its equipment levels and lack of rear space.
Single drivers and couples who fancy something out of the ordinary are attracted to the Beetle's youthful appearance and image. You would not expect to see pensioners clambering out of a Beetle, yet its predecessor attracted them like a magnet.
The 100bhp diesel version has price and economy on its side, although the 130bhp and 150bhp versions of the same engine are just as frugal, whilst offering the all-important F factor at the same time.
A school teacher awarding marks out of ten would probably give the newcomer six for effort, whilst reserving eight and nine for the eagerly anticipated arrival of the other two.
Copyright