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Cute as a Topless Bug
It’s new for
2003, a new New Beetle from Volkswagen that offers top-down fun and
Volkswagen reliability for a bit over ,000.
The new convertible replaces the Golf-based ragtop. Cuddly and round like
a cheerful little bubble, the only straight line in sight is the shift
lever. The well-known arched roofline silhouette of the New Beetle is
duplicated here in a soft top whose familiar profile yields enough headroom
for Abe Lincoln and his top hat, even in the rear seats. But backseat hip
and shoulder room suffer because of the intrusion of the hidden mechanism
for the folding top.
All the modifications to the original Beetle bod look natural, not
grafted. When converting a coupe to a soft-top, you can’t leave ragged metal
where you cut off the roof. And Karmann didn’t. Superb coachwork from this
experienced custom body maker is evident everywhere. The whole auto is a
superb example of how to build a vehicle tight and right. It even has a roll
bar that automatically deploys to protect occupants in the unlikely event of
a rollover accident.
Solid Machine, Soft Springs
 This is one solid machine. There were no shakes nor squeaks from the body
structure.
Steering was precise and firm, the ride comfortable and softly sprung.
The soft springing showed whenever we hit a bump or an early springtime
pothole. Although these jolts were soaked up just fine, the bug bounced and
teetered. And in hard turns, there was lots of body tilt. In the Vee Dub’s
favor, however, I have to say that this Jell-O action never represented a
danger.
The front-wheel drive and traction control got us through some messy,
muddy ski-area parking lots. The 115-horse motor (a 150-hp turbo is a
two-grand, extra-cost option) pulled well enough to stay with traffic on
I-80 and had enough zip left at (unprintable) speed to still accelerate in
top gear. Our test car had the standard 5-speed manual. Shifting and
clutching could hardly be lighter, but the gear ratios could be closer
because when upshifting, engine revs fell a disturbing amount between gears.
For those who measure performance by 0-60 times: starting from idle took 11
seconds flat; dropping the clutch at 3500 rpm cut that to 10.1 seconds.
 The power soft top went up and down so easily and quickly that we never
hesitated to indulge in al fresco motoring, even for a quick trip to the
store. When the top was up, the noise level was reasonable except for some
wind whistling. It was completely weathertight, so much so that the windows
automatically are programmed to lower a fraction whenever the doors are
opened – and raise a fraction for full sealing when the doors are closed. On
chilly-morning commuting runs, the heater allowed for open-air driving at
highway speeds.
Lift the narrow trunk lid only to find an even smaller porthole for
access. The trunk will hold a few duffel bags but it’s difficult to fit them
through the narrow opening, unlike the more commodious trunk of the
hard-topped Beetle. Like a smaller back seat, that’s the price you pay to
have a space for the mechanicals of the soft top to live. There’s a
glow-in-the-dark escape handle in the trunk, but that feature is completely
useless because anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the trunk would have
had to be dismembered first in order to fit.
Thoughtful features: A
heated rear window when some convertibles don’t even have glass. This one
folds in neatly with the top and it’s wired. There is also a switch to lower
or raise all side glass at once. Since there are no side pillars between the
front and back windows, lowering the four windows offers a nice wide-angle
view and an almost-convertible feeling with the top up. The steering wheel
telescopes as well as tilts The Monsoon sound system is among the best. Yes,
it can be cranked to the point of pain and still not distort. That’s why we
have highways.
 Seat adjustments were manual, but quick, and they’ll never short out. The
two drivers with a nine-inch height difference appreciated the light-touch
ratcheting seat-height adjusters. And speaking of space utilization, the
vast flat expanse between dashboard and windshield will hold four pizza
boxes. Try it. And don’t forget the defroster to keep the cheese bubbling
hot.
Inconveniences:
Horrendous and dangerous blind spot at rear quarter with top up. Bad blind
spot directly to the rear when the top is down and folded above the trunk.
When you’ve dropped your driving glasses at night, there’s nothing darker
than a black interior topped with a dark gray headliner...and no lighting
other than the dim light under the inside rearview. Lighting is nonexistent
for the poor inhabitants of the cave behind the front seats even though
there’s room in the door panels and gunwales for courtesy lights. Listen up,
VW: Don’t leave your paying customers in the dark. Consumer warning: The
cutesy bud vase to the right of the steering wheel is a unique and charming
touch, but our daffodil died a horrible death after the Bug had been parked
in the sun for several hours with windows and top up.
Base price of the convertible is , 850. Add 0 for leather interior
and heated seats, 5 for the Monsoon AM/FM/CD changer, and 5 (!)
destination charge to bring the total to about ,000. There’s a
4-year/50,000-mile warranty, 5/60 powertrain warranty, and 4/50 roadside
service plan. Mileage as estimated by EPA: 28 highway/22 city.
Levin writes about autos, wine and food, entertainment,
and travel.
Copyright Joel Levin 2003
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