It’s a Bug’s life

The Beetle is in fact one of the most difficult cars on the market to offer an objective review on.

The reason? Most customers care very little about its statistics, its engineering or its driving characteristics.

They’ll make their minds up on how cool it looks and then check that the price isn’t exorbitant.

If it satisfies those two criteria, it’ll sell.

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You might think that given this buyer behaviour, that Volkswagen would have been tempted to lift the foot off the gas a bit with the development of this car.

In fact, it’s been quite the opposite and it’s a smart longer term view.

The Beetle now offers something more than a mere style statement.

Even once the novelty of the looks have worn off, buyers will be rewarded with a car that’s fun to drive and reasonably practical too.

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Although this Beetle’s styling isn’t quite as extreme as its predecessor’s, in many ways it’s more faithful to the design cues of the original car.

The flat section in the roof profile and tapered look to the rear end diverge from design of the New Beetle and instead draw on cues from the original and Beetle Ragster concept shown in Detroit in 2005.

Longer, wider and lower, this latest Beetle has a more muscular appearance that will broaden its appeal.

The design features a boot capacity of 310 litres, up from 209 litres in the 1998 model.

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The interior also feels more akin to the original Beetle, especially the slab-fronted glove box and the neat colour accent panels. You’ll look in vain for a bud vase though.

The tactics might have changed but the strategy hasn’t.

Aesthetics matter. Live a beautiful life.

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