2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible Review and Road Test
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- Опубликовано: 14 апр 2013
- Redesigning retro is a herculean task. You need to change the vehicle enough to be worth the effort, meanwhile maintaining an iconic retro theme. If you don't change enough, shoppers won't see a reason to trade in their old flashback for the new time capsule. Change it too much and you're left with a caricature. The task is so daunting that few even attempt it. (Just look at the one-hit-wonders: PT Cruiser, HHR, SSR and Thunderbird.)VW on the other hand is different. After all they continued to build and sell the same Beetle with minor tweaks for 65 years straight. If anyone can tweak retro and convince people they need it, it's VW. Sure enough, 2012 was the best Beetle sales year since 1973. As a chaser to VW's revived retro-mojo, the Beetle is now offered sans-top and VW tossed us the keys to a brown-on-brown model for a week so we could get our 70s on. Can you dig it?
This Beetle, like the old "New Beetle," sells on nostalgia and cutesy-bubbly good looks. In fact, the first words anyone utters upon seeing a Beetle are: "aww, its cute." See the problem? How many guys buy "cute" cars? Recognizing the problem, VW set out to "butch things up" with the second generation FWD Beetle. The bubbly-fenders, round headlamps and "smiling" hood lines haven't left but they have been joined by VW's corporate "Gillette" grille, sharper corners and more "masculine" tail lamps. (Or so I'm told.) The redesign also adds an incredible 3.5 inches to the Bug's width and 5 inches to the length. The extra length means the Bug's side profile is no longer semi-circular, something of a loss for retro fans. The wider stance and crisper creases do make Herbie look meaner, but the ginormous fenders make him look fatter as well.
Sorry '70s fans, our chocolate brown Bug didn't come with a built-in CB radio. Burn! Instead shoppers will need to get hip with the 21st century, VW style. Base drop-tops get an AM/FM radio, single slot CD player, Bluetooth speaker phone/audio streaming and VW's USB/iDevice interface (MDI). Working your way up the ladder, the next stop is the touchscreen audio system which adds HD Radio, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and am MP3 compatible CD reader (why is there no 1990s edition?).
You won't find a air-cooled engine in this Beetle, this isn't the '50s. Base Beetles (and the '50s and '70s edition models) use VW's refreshed 2.5L inline 5-cylinder engine which gets a 20 HP bump to 170 at 5,700RPM while torque creeps up to 177 lb-ft at 4,250 RPM. VW mates the 5-banger to a 5-speed manual and for an extra $1,100 you can opt for the 6-speed automatic. If you need more shove, you can opt for VW's ubiquitous 2.0L turbo, good for 200 ponies and 207 lb-ft of twist. A first for America (as far as I know), VW's topless cruiser can now be had in oil-burning form with the same 140 HP 2.0L TDI powerplant as the Jetta. Both 2.0L mills are mated to VW's slick-shifting 6-speed manual transmission or for $1,100, VW's latest 6-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission.
How well the Beetle accelerates and handles is unlikely to matter to prospective convertible shoppers. I'm not kidding. There isn't a drop top I can think of that has better performance metrics than its hard-top donor car, that's just the nature of the beast. Convertibles are all about open air motoring and style, something thee Beetle, despite all of its flaws, still has in spades. VW's infotainment options feel like they are stuck in 1990, the lack of power front seats and automatic climate control irk me to no end, and the 2.0L engine needs a testosterone injection, yet the Beetle's topless charm is enough for me to overlook its flaws. There is only one problem: Herbie's still cute. Go figure.
Music by Kevin MacLeod
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When he got in the trunk and closed it he achieved my complete respect.
So much so I went out and bought one 🚗😉.
ah yes i can fit a person in my trunk totally gonna keep that in mind.
💀
Ah yes 😍
That is an awesome feature ! If I have to fit two people in it I’ll just have to come back and get the other one ! Lol !
I cant stop laughing at the fact that he got in the trunk and tried to close to trunk. LMAO!!! AHAHAHA
In addition to being one of the most thorough reviewers, you are the only person that I know that actually hops in the trunks to test out the space. You definitely earned not only a subscriber in me but also a fan :)
I don't think any one who actually likes convertibles cares about any of the "issues" mentioned on this video.
This is the car I got today and it is amazing!! 😊😂 will definitely check the comfortable-ness tomorrow in the trunk ☺️
7:52 "oH tHat'S aWfUl. oH mY! ERRRRGGG."
Best trunk test.... EVER! Long live Alex! Hope you're alright Sir...
Manual seats are ALWAYS a plus! One less thing to break!!!
Oh yeah Alex one more thing ! I couldn’t believe you were able to get into that trunk man ! That made the whole video for me ! I’m 6’1” And if I got in there I’d need the Fire Department to get my ass out ! I give you ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for doing that. Let your Company know that was an awesome idea and you should get a Bonus for that alone ! Also you are a very good speaker too !
I've owned two 2013 Bettles, both diesel powered. Unfortunately both were totaled. My black one when I hit a sedan stalled on an off ramp, my white convertable was totaled when I hit coyote and it broke the interior of the intercooler, and all that debris was ingested into thr engine. I really like the beetles. I have since acquired an 2014 Eos, so far so good.
I’m confused, all the 2013 beetles I’ve looked up do not have a touched screen rear view camera, or a push start button, or a keyless lock, is t because I’m looking at hardtops not convertible? Does the interior differ if it’s a convertible?
There was a light blue one parked across the street where I waited in the car last nigt.
It realy grew on me while I was looking at it..... I own a 78.
GETTING THIS WHEN IM 19 IM SO EXITED AAAAAA
thanx, i'm converting a hardtop Revell model into a convertable, for a friend, needed exact dimensions, thanx.
I love this channel. I am very late to the game on this review... I have a 2008 2.5 Rabbit which I love, in part because it sounds awesome. Wondering, for this 2.5 convertible... how does it sound on the open road? Thanks!
I still don't know how you got in that trunk? Great job Alex!
Subscribed when he got in the trunk LOL
Thank you Alex for your video man ! I thought it was very informative myself. My ole’ lady has a “Baby Powder Blue” one and it’s her 3rd one ! She loves them ! I cracked up when you said iit’s really not a manly looking car ! Hahahaha ! You gotta see the looks I get driving with the top down when my truck is getting worked on ! People are looking for the cute little blonde chick that’s always driving it cause it stands out like a sore thumb ! You know how many women come up to me whether it be in a parking lot or gas pump and tell me how much they love my car and how adorable it is ! LMFAO ! This ain’t my car it’s my wife’s car man ! 😂🤣😂
I thought about that, but the Beetle is about 2 feet longer, 7 inches wider and 500lbs heavier. Also, the 500 is considered by some to not be a "true" convertible because of the way the top is designed. All in all it didn't seem to be a huge cross-shopping competitor in our research.
Did he really get in the truck? Thats what i saw?
Nice review by the way!
last time I checked the trunk wasnt meant fir comfort? lol
Always enjoy your reports but wouldn't the Fiat 500 (ragtop) be the best comparison to this Beetle?
i’m a 16yr old girl & im looking for a car & im really interested in this one but i don’t know if i should really get it or not?
Like those wheels and gas mileage.
Holy crap, how the hell did you get in there?
What about the Mini convertible?
What's my chances person that convertible Volkswagen that I just seen with $1,500 down
7:45 Lol
the higher highs and the lower lows compensate for everything other than paid subscription radio. i drove a '68 beetle that used no radiator. the trunk was the engine. if one bumped something, then one bent down and bent back the bumper.never pay 4 anything. . peoples car 4 the people daddammit
what name color
3:10 lol
WHEN HE GOT IN THE TRUNK.
Great video....but...lose the black out glasses. It's creepy!!!! Still, great video.
Bah, give me an EOS
The front in less rounded hood and non-round fog lights, the rear lights that aren't oval, the flattened roof, all make it less desirable to me than the first new beetle! Also, the square front bumper - a no no. All these things have taken away from rounded look, that the original beetle had. All big NO NO'S!
Quina vergonya conduir un descapotable...quina vergonya, quina vergonya, QUINA VERGONYA!!! En plan: mireu- me, i feu- me una foto conduint el cotxe, què ridícul sóc! I amb ulleres del sol en el descapotable, ho empitjora molt...en plan, què guapo/ a sóc. Sóc cool, sóc guay, vaig sobrat/ da de tot...mireu- me, mireu- me!!!
Not a bad looking new beetle, but that rag top needs better engineering along with that stupid manual "boot" method. Dumb idea. Make it an automatic rag top or hard top roof that hides away mechanically, at the push of a button, without that stupid boot top, and it's a bug I could go for.
Glad the Beetle is getting "butcher" and "manly".
What's my chance in purchasing a vehicle convertible Volkswagen with $15 down and so money every month little paid every month I'm All Out retired and there was this a disability or Social Security can you give me some quotes that give me a call
This car has the worst reliability record ever.
How?
Wait, I want to buy a car for top down fun, and then spend 30 minutes to install the boot? Seriously VW? Dumb, dumb, dumb. Absolutely, positively, not interested.
Waste of time.