First Impressions: 2012 Beetle Turbo

[miffmole]

Well, I had an hour to kill yesterday before my gig for the evening, so I decided to stop by the local VW dealership and see the 2012 Beetle for the first time...After I got there, I thought, why not give it a test drive? So I did.

First of all, it was raining the entire time I was there or driving, so photos and/or video wasn't practical. It sort of put a damper (no pun intended) on the whole experience, but it was what it was.

This Beetle was a red turbo model with the 19" Tornado alloy wheels, Fender sound, and navigation system.

see:
Volkswagen New Beetle TURBO, $29,020 - Cars.com

As everyone has said earlier, the quality of the interior is exceptional, and quite an upgrade. The navigation system was...beautiful. It even showed a speed limit sign up in the upper left hand part of the display. I'm not sure it could be counted on 100% of the time, but I liked it. I didn't play with the Fender system that much, but it sounded Ok while the salesman played with it.

I mainly had my eyes on the road, keeping in mind that it was raining, and I didn't want to be the first person to KO a 2012 Beetle.

The Tiptronic® and Sport Mode transmission was interesting, in that it sort of simulated a manual sans the manual clutch. The dashboard display shows you which gear you're in. It's a 6-speed, so it showed 1-6. I still prefer my 5-speed manual. I guess time will tell whether this new 6-speed auto trans will have a better track record than its Beetle predecessors. I certainly hope so. Sport Mode made the gears change at higher speeds, to give better acceleration...something that you might do with a manual.

My feeling on the transmission is, if I want to shift I prefer a manual. If I drive an automatic I probably would forget about it and never use the Tiptronic® aspect of it.

To my (sort of) surprise, I found that my 2004 1.8T REVO-chipped turbo was just as fast, and accelerated just as well as the 2012 2.0T. They're both rated at around 200-205 HP, so I guess that makes sense. Maybe the 2.0T would be better with the 6-speed manual. Plus, I think a 2.0T chipped will be around 250 HP.

Overall, I found it hard to compare the 2012 with the New Beetle 1998-2010s. From the inside, and while driving it, it doesn't even seem like the same car..and it isn't. To me it's an apples and oranges comparison. I could have been driving any car, had I not known what I was in. From the outside, it's definitely a Beetle. On the inside, I wouldn't have known.

The price tag is a big deal here...at least on the brand-new 2012 Beetles, which is all there are right now. This car's sticker showed $30,000 and some change. And of course, this is a pre-sunroof model. The salesman told me that people would have to wait up to four weeks for the dealership to get more of these cars, so dickering on the price will not be happening for a while.

I can see (or hope I can see) owning one of these at some point in the future. We usually go for low-mileage 2- or 3-year-old cars that are about 1/2 the price of a new car. My current 2004 1.8T GLS NBC has only 68k miles. It'll be paid for in about a year and a half.

It was a fun ride, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'm happy with what I have. I do like the 2012, though.

[scarabY2k]

Great review Kenny

I hope history repeats itself and the prices drop after the novelty wears off.

VW really did what they set out to do- make a totally different car. Many want the 12B to be like the nB... if it were, it wouldn't be the 12B, but just another new beetle. It's good to know, through all of the changes, the 12B still carries the distinguishing characteristics of the beetle.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Well I will agree with Kenny's review after driving one earlier this evening.

From the outside very similar. But once you get inside the car it is 100% different. I do like the old air cooled styling with the body colored pieces across the full dash area. Plus the front windshield is decidedly flatter and more vertical than our Nb's.

Overall I really liked it and it is still a fun car to drive.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

[miffmole]

By the way, I heard no wind noise at all while I test drove.

[Zann]

Was the dash and everything else inside rubber coating free? Please say yes.

[Palafox]

IMO it's the long dash (and bubble roof that we love) that makes the NB so different, 2012 felt more driver oriented with everything up close, more sportier but... just like every other car. The 2012 drove much tighter, steering, transmission and engine felt more taught.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Originally Posted by Zann

Was the dash and everything else inside rubber coating free? Please say yes.

Yep, the melted crayon hidden for 12 years in the NB1, has finally been removed by VW Engineers. lol...

It was more traditional materials, with the color matched plastic panels making up the front dash area.

[Cadenza]

Originally Posted by Palafox

IMO it's the long dash (and bubble roof that we love) that makes the NB so different, 2012 felt more driver oriented with everything up close, more sportier but... just like every other car. The 2012 drove much tighter, steering, transmission and engine felt more taught.

Yep the dashboard will be missed. It made possible for me to have a 7 course meal while driving. Only thing missing was a sink!

[Cadenza]

Originally Posted by miffmole

By the way, I heard no wind noise at all while I test drove.

I've test-driven 2 so far. The first had wind noise; the second didn't. I made sure the windows were completely raised, radio and AC off, and driving at the same speed range of 60-70. So I'm guessing there might be a seal issue?

On the turbo with DSG, D mode is better described as "economy" mode. Tranny shifts early to save gas. Kinda sluggish compared to the GTI DSG in D. VW must have reprogrammed the DSG on the Bug. In S mode, the 2.0TSI engine shines.

[scarabY2k]

Originally Posted by Cadenza

Yep the dashboard will be missed. It made possible for me to have a 7 course meal while driving. Only thing missing was a sink!

They hold a few pizzas pretty good too

Originally Posted by Cadenza

I've test-driven 2 so far. The first had wind noise; the second didn't. I made sure the windows were completely raised, radio and AC off, and driving at the same speed range of 60-70. So I'm guessing there might be a seal issue?

On the turbo with DSG, D mode is better described as "economy" mode. Tranny shifts early to save gas. Kinda sluggish compared to the GTI DSG in D. VW must have reprogrammed the DSG on the Bug. In S mode, the 2.0TSI engine shines.

I wonder if you can reprogram the DSG via the VAG-COM to GTI specs?

[miffmole]

Originally Posted by Cadenza

Yep the dashboard will be missed. It made possible for me to have a 7 course meal while driving. Only thing missing was a sink!

Actually, in the NB vert, it's the big dashboard that gives you such a feeling of freedom and openess that's missing in most convertibles. It keeps you from hitting your head on the top of the windshield (see my earlier thread, Convertible Design )

I'm hoping that the less-slanted windshield of the 2012 Beetle vert will compensate for the smaller dash...

I'm using the Chrysler Sebring as an example below, but have found the lack of headroom to be noticeable in most newer convertibles.

[pigpenracing]

Well I have been driving TDI's for the past few years and fell in love with the VW diesels. I sold my 2000 TDI Golf a few months ago because I wanted something newer and different. I was 100% set to buy a new TDI Beetle when they come out. I went and test drove a 2.5 and liked the car, especially the nav and stuff. Last week I came across a local lady that put her 2006 TDI beetle up for sale. It had 66,000 miles and every option available. The car was always garaged and is as clean as a brand new car. I took it for a test drive and liked it WAY better than the new one. I negotiated price and got it for what Kelly bluebook rough trade shows. It is now in my garage. I think I am way happier with the 06 than the 2012, especially being $16,000 cheaper... So far I lowered it and next week I am getting 19" wheels. So all in all I do thing they took the cool feel away on the 2012. I love the long dash in mine and also sitting way back and low. Here she is.

[Cadenza]

At the moment, you're better off with the last generation TDIs. The current TDIs has a couple of issues that can be very costly to repair... the High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). We're talking about a few grands here.

[GlobalCarDealers]

Test drives always gives a different and memorable experience. You enjoy the drive whether it is good or bad.