Test Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle gets 'manly' redo
— -- Man up, Volkswagen is saying to its iconic Beetle. We love all those female buyers, but the cute look is leaving too much male money on the table.
The 2012 Beetle ("New" no longer is part of its name) is a redesign that's bigger, still rounded but sleeker, more powerful and sits on a wider stance.
The dashboard bud vase of the previous model wasn't carried over.
Instead, you can adorn the dashboard with optional gauges to monitor temperatures and pressures.
VW U.S. chief Jonathan Browning says the New Beetle, discontinued in August 2010, had "a very large contingent of female buyers. We want to keep those buyers and expand to male buyers."
Women were registered owners of 60.6% of New Beetles last year, up from 56.1% in 2009, according to industry tracker TrueCar.com. "It is the most female-oriented car on the market," says TrueCar's Jesse Toprak. No. 2: Nissan Rogue, at 56.3% and 53.5% female owners.
Experience tells automakers that women will buy a "guy's car," but men are less likely to buy what still is called in the business "a chick's car," or "a girl's car."
We'll soon see how well VW read the tea leaves. The 2012 Beetle hit showrooms Thursday, starting at the same $18,995 (before $770 shipping) as the model it replaces. It has a meaner look outside, more like the TT from VW's corporate relative Audi.
Beetle and TT share some hardware, too, though neither brand brags about that.
In dark colors, with the right wheels, the new Beetle does have a masculine look and feel, so maybe it'll be fine.
The 2010 had only a 2.5-liter five-cylinder rated just 150 horsepower. The 2012 uses a modified version of that engine rated 170 hp, same as in other VW models.
And there's now an optional 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated 200 hp for spirited drivers. Not to say the frisky always are male, but the auto industry thinks they usually are.
Inside, the bigger cabin is appreciated, and works toward the man thing because men generally are bigger than women.
Rear seat legroom is down a bit, despite a longer wheelbase, but the back seat is repositioned and more comfortable.
The short take: The 2012 Beetle is a very nice car' its changes are welcome, as is its hold-the-line starting price.
Solid, yet agile
It is, fitting for an icon, a great example of things good and bad about VW. On the plus side: solid feel, quick and agile. On the minus side: no backup camera, although the government intends to require such safety features soon. Good that it's easy to see out of Beetle.
And the electronic power locks on the test car were unreliable. Sometimes they worked fine when you touched the outside door handle where the owner's manual said to, other times not. It's a big deal, because the remote-control fob didn't work. The turbo engine has a so-called dry-clutch (DSG, in VW-speak) automatic, and it's a bit clunky. Power delivery lagged when you tried to move away fast from a dead stop. Even underway, the drivetrain paused slightly before hard-throttle downshifts. That could have been more turbo lag than gearbox indecision.
The five-cylinder with conventional automatic is our preferred model.
