The Volkswagen Beetle 2018 is no longer the car of the people, but we still love him

Frédéric Mercier

Thursday, January 18, 2018 12:31

UPDATE
Thursday, January 18, 2018 12:31

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There are those vehicles that, if we only thought rationally, there would simply be no reason to be.

Fortunately, the automobile is not a matter of reason. And when passion prevails, it can give birth to vehicles pretty darn fun. Like the Volkswagen Beetle 2018.

Volkswagen Beetle 2018

The car people, really?

Blink of an eye direct to the history of Volkswagen, the Beetle is not a car you buy for its practicality. With a configuration with two doors and storage space limited, must be ready to make some sacrifices.

This is not a car you buy to save money. Its base price of 21 865$ not anything extravagant, but it is still superior to that of almost any compact “ordinary”.

It is a little ironic, when you think about it. Because its development in the late 1930s, it was called the Ladybird, was built with one purpose in mind: to offer the German people a vehicle that is affordable. The car of the people.

A Ladybug

Frédéric Mercier

Today, the Beetle no longer meets this mandate with Volkswagen. We take rather the reputation of the model to please the fanatics, lovers of the brand. Some felt that the experience would not last long, when Volkswagen introduced the New Beetle in 1998. 20 years later, we can talk about a success. They don’t sell tons of them, it is true, but the attraction of this model and its impact on the image of the brand are undeniable.

The smile on the face, except for when it snows

On the road, the Volkswagen Beetle drives like a charm. When the weather is nice, at least.

His direction provides a precision-only Volkswagen seems to hold the secret, and the 174-horsepower provided by its new 2.0-litre turbocharged engine are quite enough to make driving fun. The manual transmission has, unfortunately, been abandoned for 2018, but the automatic gearbox with six reports did a pretty impeccable.

Our test version, called Beetle Coast, sported the 17-inch wheels to the retro design, and a dashboard of fake wood that makes you want to go surfing somewhere in California! Impossible not to fall under the spell.

Volkswagen Beetle 2018

With such a small cabin, in the comfort, however, takes for his cold. The rear seats are rather symbolic, and no adult is there to feel comfortable. At the front, it’s a little better, but we had to cut down on storage space. The center console is very small, and the glove compartment can barely accommodate a… pair of gloves.

Volkswagen Beetle 2018

The other hand, the compact size of the Beetle 2018, in fact, also a car very easy-to-use in the city. Its format is rounded and its large windows allow visibility without flaw that it has also been appreciated.

In fact, our week of testing aboard the Beetle went perfectly… until it starts to snow.

In the snow and cold, we soon forget all the small details that make us fall in love with this model. And we discover other that make us much less happy.

Like the fact that the wipers can’t be raised and they find themselves inevitably trapped in ice. Or as the lack of a button to disable the traction control system. Try to rely on a bank of snow, with it. Or, like the electric windows that freeze at the first small wave of cold.

No, the Beetle is not a good car for the winter. And it’s just as bad, because winter is part of our reality in Quebec.

Volkswagen Beetle 2018

The heart before the head

Don’t try to find rational reasons to buy a car like the Beetle. You won’t find them.

This is not to say that the car has not its reason for being, on the contrary. The automobile is often an affair of the heart, and the history of the volkswagen Beetle is one of the most fascinating of the last century. The Beetle, this is neither more nor less than a tribute to a legend on four wheels.

And if you have the flame motor you, you will be able to forgive him his little faults… unless it starts to snow!

Technical data sheet

Name: Volkswagen Beetle 2018
Base price: 21 895$
Trial Version: Beetle Coast
Price of model tested: 26 865$
Configuration : the Vehicle front-wheel drive with engine at the front
Engine: Engine four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged
Transmission: Automatic six-speed
Power/torque: 174 hp/ 184 lb-ft
Fuel consumption announced: 9.0 L/100 km (city) / 7.2 L/100 km (highway)
Fuel consumption, observed: 9.6 L/100 km
Warranty basic: 4 years / 80,000 km
Competition: Mini Cooper, Fiat 500