[ninjax]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Mate people plonking down 35l on a small hatch would desire something more than retro looks. Practicality and performance matters to all - unless you are a teen or tween girl with a rich dad looking for a ride to go to college. I just went through the whole motley of premium hatchbacks before booking mine last week. The mini has some redeeming factors - fantastic handling and a great 1.6 liter power unit. Unfortunately for the Beetle, it has neither.

The mini actually is pricey when start adding up the extras, the reason for me veering away from the cooper S was with the little extras here and there made the vehicle at 44L on road here in Chennai which i thought was ridiculous!

The beetle in my view is actually not a bad car at all. tad bit overpriced maybe.

[Jeroen]

I had one for a few weeks in the USA. Somebody put an add on Craigslist, saying it had fried electronics and you could pick it up for $ 500. So I went over to see. It was a very nice one, only 10 years old, but it wouldn't start. It belonged to a female student and her very bullish boyfriend did all the talking. According to him the electronics were fried. Told him I would take it of their hands for USA 250, which they accepted. Got the paperwork sorted, paid, got the keys. I had brought some tools and my ODB analyser. Hooked it up and sure enough got an error code on the CPS. Got one from the car parts shop down the road, fitted it, which was a bit of a fiddle. Started and drove of, much to the amazement of the two,students. Drove it for a couple of weeks, I thought my daughter might like it when she visited it, but she preferred my Jeep Cherokee. So I sold it again. As cars this previous models wasn't any great shakes. Nothing special about it other then it looks.

Jeroen

[suhaas307]

I actually like the new Beetle. In terms of design and styling, it harks back to the original Beetle unlike the previous generation which was designed using nothing but a protractor. The 1.4 TSI should give it sufficient poke too. The lack of a yellow colour option is baffling though.

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Mate people plonking down 35l on a small hatch would desire something more than retro looks. Practicality and performance matters to all - unless you are a teen or tween girl with a rich dad looking for a ride to go to college. I just went through the whole motley of premium hatchbacks before booking mine last week. The mini has some redeeming factors - fantastic handling and a great 1.6 liter power unit. Unfortunately for the Beetle, it has neither.

This one has one clear purpose - a gift for wife, daughter or mistress by Mr. Moneybags, punkte! If it helps VW India subsidise a few Polo GTs (or even better GTIs) with the ill gotten gains of Mr. Moneybags, whose father what goes !

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Mate people plonking down 35l on a small hatch would desire something more than retro looks. Practicality and performance matters to all - unless you are a teen or tween girl with a rich dad looking for a ride to go to college. I just went through the whole motley of premium hatchbacks before booking mine last week. The mini has some redeeming factors - fantastic handling and a great 1.6 liter power unit. Unfortunately for the Beetle, it has neither.

Have you driven the New Beetle? Being based on the new Golf it is supposed to be a decent drive (not a patch on the Mini though!) However, I am not sure if it comes with the multilink suspension

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

This one has one clear purpose - a gift for wife, daughter or mistress by Mr. Moneybags, punkte! If it helps VW India subsidise a few Polo GTs (or even better GTIs) with the ill gotten gains of Mr. Moneybags, whose father what goes !

ill gotten gains? - I would avoid type casting / stereotyping all rich people, some have earned honestly, not all!

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Have you driven the New Beetle? Being based on the new Golf it is supposed to be a decent drive (not a patch on the Mini though!) However, I am not sure if it comes with the multilink suspension

No td car available unfortunately in any vw dealer in bangalore. Had enquired about it.

Had a great experience with the mini dealer. Awesome to drive hatchback. However the lack of boot space was a downer for me.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by ajmat

ill gotten gains? - I would avoid type casting / stereotyping all rich people, some have earned honestly, not all!

Completely Agree!
By that logic, does it mean, Beetle (or Mini or Fiat 595) buyers should be scrutinized by IT department about the means of their wealth? Funny!

Leaving aside the wealth part, in my view, Beetle is selling because of its looks, and the history it is associated with, not because of its equipment or engine.
If we compare the engine & specifications, these are just comparable to cars such as Polo GT TSI or Abarth Punto. Not very different to demand a premium of 18L ex-showroom.
But, when a Beetle moves around on the road, we can see how many people watch it eagerly! (For this matter, I think Beetle should be offered in unique colours, not the usual red or white).
Will you pick up a Vespa over Activa, if both are available in same colors?

[ninjax]

Finally test drove the all new Beetle.
Positives

• The design philosophy
• excellent 1.4 L petrol engine with oodles of power available
• outstanding automatic transmission
• snob value
• front seats feel like a lazyboy!
• surprisingly large boot space
• fit and finish is outstanding

Now the other list
Negatives

• Not exactly value for money at 38L on road(Chennai). The other CBU being the volvo V40 is 5L cheaper and is packed to the gills in terms of features.
• No park assist.
• No electric seats both the driver as well as passenger.
• Seat upholstry is a big let down, does not have a premium feel to it.
• 1 L premium for metallic colour option!

The new beetle is fun to drive and will attract eyeballs like no other. Will post pics of the test drive later.