So how’s the Bug to drive?

Ignore its overall looks and a deep dashboard that stretches to eternity, and you get a car that’s quite easy to pilot. Volkswagen is offering the Beetle in India with a four-cylinder 1984cc petrol engine that produces 115 bhp at 5400 rpm and 17.5 kgm at 3200 revs. It’s an engine which is also as old as the New Beetle. Performance from the engine is pretty cheerful, but nothing exceptional. It is relaxed, smooth and has an enjoyable range between 2000 and 3500 rpm. In this zone, the New Beetle is quite peppy and would be quite a sight to see from the outside. The six-speed automatic gearbox is also a generation old now and is the weak link in the powertrain. Upshifts are phlegmatic and you need to manually override it if you want more control on your speeds. However, the performance from the engine is quite acceptable. A sub-6 second run to 60 kph and about 14 seconds to 100 kph is not that bad actually. So does the 170-plus kph top speed.

The steering is soft and devoid of any feedback, which is perfectly all right in a car like this. When it comes to ride, the New Beetle keeps the rough stuff away quite well. It is quite a comfortable car and you can do a good day’s drive without getting exhausted. That’s a typical VW attribute. When it comes to handling, the car’s age comes through. It’s not an engaging chassis anymore. It wallows in the corners, but the grip from the Pirellis are excellent. Still, this car is not meant to go through the motions as if it’s a sports coupe, so it’s all right. What it does best is cruise effortlessly on the highway or just showboat in the city – that is its raison d’être.

If you shut your eyes and drive the car (not that you should; it’s just a manner of speaking), the New Beetle feels like any other Volkswagen from that era in terms of feel, quality and design. But it’s really well built and looks as if it will last till all the old Beetles disappear from the face of the earth.