2012 Beetle Review - CNN Money

[TennesseeBug]

A not-so-good review of the 2012 Beetle by CNN Money.

VW 2012 Beetle has some bugs - Video - Personal Finance

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by TennesseeBug

A not-so-good review of the 2012 Beetle by CNN Money.

VW 2012 Beetle has some bugs - Video - Personal Finance

Seems to me that guy just doesn't like Beetle's in General. He looks more like a Lexus type of person to me

I test drove the New Beetle, (with 2.0T version the only engine I would ever consider) and it had plenty of pep and handles very well. Sure if you run over potholes and speedbumps it may upset someone's sensitive tush but this would be true in almost any car. This just proves that you either LOVE this Newer Generation Beetle or you Hate it.
His guy obviously hated it.
I would take his review with a large grain of salt, then a shot of Tequilla and a slice of Lime

[L33]

Watched the video. Not at all impressed by his review. Must have an Axe to grind with VW to give such a poor review.

[TennesseeBug]

I agree with both of you. It is almost like he was negative about it before he even stepped in it to drive.

I think the Beetle is just cooler than he is, and he got intimidated by its awesomeness!

I've never driven a 2012 Beetle but my 2010 drives like a dream!

[Pushing Fifty]

He was biased before he even got into the car! I test-drove a base 2.5 and thought it was great. I've never understood why so many people criticize the 2.5 for "poor" fuel economy. It gets exactly 1 mpg less than the old 2.0 it replaced and gained substantial hp to boot.

[Dipstick]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

I would take his review with a large grain of salt, then a shot of Tequilla and a slice of Lime

I wouldn't waste the booze on his opinion.....

I bet this guy loves the new (to us) Fiat 500.

[Dipstick]

Originally Posted by TennesseeBug

I agree with both of you. It is almost like he was negative about it before he even stepped in it to drive.

I think the Beetle is just cooler than he is, and he got intimidated by its awesomeness!

I've never driven a 2012 Beetle but my 2010 drives like a dream!

So does my 2000.

[blue98bug]

I don't think this clown likes VW as a whole.I watched the reveiw on the Passat,and he didn't seem to like that either.He mentioned about the high price of diesel vs. premium.Has he looked at the price of the two lately??....lol....almost the same.He also liked the way the transmission shifted...if I remember correctly,the Beetle,and Passat share the same one.Also, he complained about the brakes "need work"he says...lol I think VW has very good brakes,and my 98 Bug with 184,000 miles will prove it....ok my rant is over....lol..... keep on buggin...

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by blue98bug

I don't think this clown likes VW as a whole.I watched the reveiw on the Passat,and he didn't seem to like that either.He mentioned about the high price of diesel vs. premium.Has he looked at the price of the two lately??....lol....almost the same.He also liked the way the transmission shifted...if I remember correctly,the Beetle,and Passat share the same one.Also, he complained about the brakes "need work"he says...lol I think VW has very good brakes,and my 98 Bug with 184,000 miles will prove it....ok my rant is over....lol..... keep on buggin...

Since you brought up the cost of Diesel. I think Diesel is only more expensive in this country and perhaps Canada. In Europe Diesel is about 2 Dollars a Gallon Cheaper than Regular Gas (not Premium). They sell their gasoline and Diesel via Liters but converted into Gallons and taking the current exchange rate in mind regular gas is close to 8 Dollars a Gallon and Diesel about 6 Dollars a Gallon. Still, I am just trying to make a point that Diesel which costs less to refine should always be cheaper than Gasoline. I think the only reason it isn't in this country because we take advantage of the Truck Drivers and also if Diesel would be cheaper than regular gas more people would be buying Diesel in this Country and the Automakers can't have that. They rather push their SUVs and Pickup Trucks down our troats to keep the Oil Companies happy.

[Smileybug]

Depends where you are as to if diesel is close to premium. Its 30-40 cents more per gallon than premium here...

If you do the math though, the mpg you get from a diesel does offset the fuel costs. When the diesel gets nearly twice the mileage as an equivalent gasser (let's say TDI NB vs. a 1.8T NB) but the price is 10-15% higher, it will catch up and be worth it...IF you drive it enough. You don't make your money back on a diesel by driving it short distances or a small number of miles per year. The diesel debate won't go away. I have a diesel and I love it, but for my daily driving it doesn't make sense. I have less than a 15 mile round trip commute. My gasser can handle the short trips way better than a diesel can. Our TD (not TDI...this is an IDI diesel from '84 ) is our project/fun car.

You can't make judgements on the diesel just based on price. Yes, the fuel costs more and yes you pay a premium for the car, but for some, its worth it. When I was looking for a new car, VW was offering crazy finance incentives on their cars...everything but the TDIs. No need to on those...they sell on their own.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

Depends where you are as to if diesel is close to premium. Its 30-40 cents more per gallon than premium here...

If you do the math though, the mpg you get from a diesel does offset the fuel costs. When the diesel gets nearly twice the mileage as an equivalent gasser (let's say TDI NB vs. a 1.8T NB) but the price is 10-15% higher, it will catch up and be worth it...IF you drive it enough. You don't make your money back on a diesel by driving it short distances or a small number of miles per year. The diesel debate won't go away. I have a diesel and I love it, but for my daily driving it doesn't make sense. I have less than a 15 mile round trip commute. My gasser can handle the short trips way better than a diesel can. Our TD (not TDI...this is an IDI diesel from '84 ) is our project/fun car.

You can't make judgements on the diesel just based on price. Yes, the fuel costs more and yes you pay a premium for the car, but for some, its worth it. When I was looking for a new car, VW was offering crazy finance incentives on their cars...everything but the TDIs. No need to on those...they sell on their own.

I am totally sold on a Diesel. You just can't find any. The US Car Manufactureres and Importers keep the production of Diesel Cars to a Minimum. That way the demand stays high and so do the prices.
In Germany you get Government discounts and tax credits if you drive a Diesel and with Diesel prices being a lot cheaper than Gasoline 80% of the cars on the road you see over there are Turbo Diesels. Plus they are suppose to be better for the environment than Gasoline powered cars. So it is a win win situation. Better Gas Mileage, Cheaper Fuel costs (Everywhere but in the US), tax and insurance credits (in Europe), cleaner burning Diesel any ever before. So sure, I would drive a Diesel in a heartbeat if I could ever find one that I could afford.

[SMG]

"It's powerful enough but not anything more than that"

What does that mean? It's either powerful enough or it isn't. It's weird how he complains about understeer and the ride quality and those are two big parts of VW driving feel. Understeer isn't bad, it just makes the car more forgiving to drivers who make mistakes at high speeds. Don't like it? Get a rear sway bar.

I'd love to see him ramp that speed bump in a GM. It would break something for sure.

[digitalputty]

This guy looks (and sounds) like a tool.

I drove the 2.0T with an automatic a few months ago for TWO whole days ... 320+ miles. Sure, it does feel different but, it isn't a 4 door station wagon. Yes, it feels the bumps ... especially when you go over a speed bump like that guy did. But, EVERY CAR does that. The one I drove had 18" wheels. Hard as hell. But, it did better than my 2003 did - with 17" wheels - going over train tracks.

To me, the steering felt fine. The thing that bothered me about the steering was the fact that the steering wheel felt smaller and thicker. Took a while to get used to it.

[Smileybug]

Indy, pick yourself an old VW diesel That's what we did. Ours is actually a TD (not TDI...its indirect injection on these old cars!). Cheap but get even better mileage than the newer TDI's often times (much lighter cars!). Ours is an '84 Jetta. Great little car. Sunk a lot of money in it for a full rebuild (went for that because we were *only* getting 33mpg city) but its great now. 43-44mpg city, 51mpg highway (driving reasonably...not hypermiling though. Pulled 46mpg though doing some more spirited speeds from NC to GA).

These older diesels are great because you can pick one up for a reasonable price, even ones that have been restored. They don't have nearly as much power (ours was 68hp factory, the n/a was 52hp) but they can be modded pretty easily for more. And very little in the way of electronics to worry about!

/threadjack.


I saw this review. I take them all with a grain of salt. I'm not your average car buyer so I wouldn't be looking at this to make my decision anyway. I make my decisions based on my own experiences. Anyone who decides against a Beetle based on this, they shouldn't be driving one anyawy. So no biggie to me really.