- Doors and Seats
3 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
1.6i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
75kW, 148Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2002 Volkswagen Beetle review: Steep flight of the humble Bug
The 1.6 Beetle has unique aspects, VW virtues – and an ambitious price. As a hatch, says Bill McKinnon, it is barely adequate.
Good: There's nothing else like it. Solidly built. High quality fit and finish. Bright, colourful cabin. Safe. Spacious up front, with a comfortable driver's seat. Compliant ride. Secure dynamics. Tractable 1.6 works well with auto.
Bad: Still expensive. Could be difficult to live with. Cramped rear seat with difficult access. Tiny, impractical boot. Restricted vision around the car. No central locking at $30,000 is ridiculous. Uses premium unleaded. Low resale values.
Verdict: A flower without power.
Stars: 2.5 (out of 5).
Volkswagen is trying to give the now not-so-New Beetle a much-needed rev up with a model that, arguably, should have been in the showrooms all along. The 1.6-litre Beetle comes in at less than $29,700 – still an ambitious price but at least closer to the spirit of the original than the $37,000 slug that accompanied the 2.0's launch in 2000.
The Beetle was everybody's darling when it arrived, but was soon being discounted. Sales have been on the slide since. It found 1328 fans in 2000 and 906 in 2001. This year, despite the 1600 version and the 1.8 turbo, it is on track for about 800 deliveries.
Short-term resale values are also poor. Glass's Guide quotes a low 68 percent after 12 months; the Golf is 77 percent. Such is the fickle, transient nature of retro-auto fashion. Once the nostalgia freaks have taken delivery, it's a hard sell.
The 1.6 uses the base Golf's 75kW four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual or four-speed auto transmission. Beetles also share most of the Golf's mechanical components.
The gear VW has left out of the 1.6 makes it a more authentic replica of its ancestor. You wind the windows by hand, for example, and you don't even get central locking – each door has to be locked or unlocked individually with the key, just like the good old days.
Cruise control, carpet mats, the sunglasses holder and armrest/storage between the front seats are also absent, while the audio system has four speakers rather than six.
However the 1.6 retains the two front and two side airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock and electronic force distribution, sophisticated seatbelt technology and sound body engineering that gave the Beetle its high crash-test score.
Air-conditioning, in-dash CD player, power mirrors, immobiliser security and, of course, the flower in the vase are included.
The eight-valve 1.6 is a useful engine by the humble standards that apply to this capacity. Speed is a moot point, but it is surprisingly tractable and pulls strongly and smoothly across a wide rev range, assisted by a variable length intake manifold and lowish gearing in the automatic.
It's very refined, willing enough around town and, at 3100rpm/100kmh on the highway, it spins at close enough to its optimum speed to keep the plot rolling without strain in hilly country.
Premium unleaded is recommended. On the open road you'll go a long way on the 55-litre tank.
The four-speed adaptive automatic's ratios are well suited to the 1.6, while shifts are smooth and timely.
The Beetle's suspension is tuned for a soft, supple ride, in accordance with the preferences of US buyers, but VW has cleverly finessed the ride-handling compromise to deliver decent handling as well. On the road, however, it feels larger and heavier than a typical hatchback.
Stability is excellent and its dynamics are secure and predictable. The steering is accurate and well weighted, if far from sharp, while Continental tyres – 195/65s on 15-inch steel wheels – provide secure roadholding.
The Beetle is a bit susceptible to being blown around by sidewinds – not to an alarming degree, but more so than conventional shapes.
Brakes are powerful and progressive, though the softly sprung front end dips under hard braking. The ride is compliant and comfortable, and very little road shock intrudes.
Like all VWs, the Beetle feels tight and solid, as evidenced when you swing open the heavy doors. Much of the non-structural bodywork is plastic, including the bumpers and wheel arches which are bolted on for easy removal.
The body shell, which carries a 12-year warranty against rust, is galvanised steel. Fit and finish quality are also up to VW's typical high standard.
On first impression, the Beetle's cabin looks too toy-like to be real. Dazzlingly light, bright and multicoloured, it makes most other interiors look as dull as a black-and-white television screen. Nearly a metre of dash stretches before the driver, people-mover style, to the base of the windscreen.
The large front seats are comfortable and supportive. Long travel ensures plenty of leg room for all drivers, and the domed roof provides unlimited headroom.
However, in several other respects the Beetle's retro-shape compromises the practical aspects of driving and ownership.
Vision around the car is poor. When parking, you have no idea where the extremities are. Over-the-shoulder vision is restricted to the extent that changing lanes requires a long look. The side mirrors are too small to properly cover adjacent lanes, and positioned too far forward.
For shorter drivers in particular, the Beetle's vision problems may make life difficult, despite the height and tilt adjustable steering wheel and height adjustable driver's seat.
With its circular instrument binnacle and large, centrally located speedo (lit at night in cool blue), the compact, old-style Beetle lookalike dash is as cute as can be. All switches and controls fall easily to hand. The headlights – mere decoration on the original – are fine on low beam but high lacks penetration. A beam angle adjuster is fitted.
The Beetle's back seat is suitable for those under 180cm only; taller adults will make head contact with the roof. Passengers sit under glass, with no opening side windows, on a short cushion with an upright backrest.
Access is restricted because VW has deleted the slide function on the front seats for the 1600 – only the backrest folds forward when the release lever is lifted, and it's a tight squeeze as you crawl into the back. Two rear lap-sash belts and head restraints are provided, along with child restraint anchors on the back of the seat.
Tiny and shallow, the boot can be extended by folding the rear seatback forward; lifting the seat base also provides a long floor, but the steep curves at the back of the Beetle, and the narrow opening of the boot itself, restrict the carrying of bulky objects. A full-size spare is under the floor.
You either want a Beetle or you don't. Even at $30,000, the 1.6 is expensive both to buy and to sell – and if you compare its performance, space and equipment levels with similarly priced conventional hatchbacks such as the Golf, the Beetle just doesn't stand up.
But, hey, if you're a hopeless romantic bitten by the bug, you'll probably love it.
Vital signs
Volkswagen Beetle 1.6
Engine: 1.6-litre eight-valve fuel-injected four-cylinder.
Power: 75kW at 5600rpm (average).
Performance: 0-100kmh in 13.4 seconds (slow).
Brakes: Discs with ABS (good).
Economy: 9.8 litres/100km city; 7.6 highway (average).
Prices: Recommended retail – $29,700. Street price – $500 off. Sydney dealers have been throwing in a spoiler (On a Beetle? Why?) and alloy wheels.
Main options: Four-speed automatic – $2,000; metallic paint – $650.
Warranty: Three years/60,000km (average years/below average km).
Residual value: 68 percent after 12 months (2.0-litre; poor).
Safety rating: Four stars (US NCAP).
Alternative:
Mini Cooper – $32,650
Prices correct at publication date.