2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo Convertible

I recently spent a week driving the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, which carries a pricetag that starts at $24,995. My Turbo example, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, came with the Fender Sound System, Navigation and a six-speed DSG automatic transmission, and a list price of $32,295 plus $795 for destination charges. The EPA estimates that the Beetle Turbo Convertible will achieve 21 mpg city/29 mpg highway with the automatic transmission.

I have to confess that I have a lot of family history of VW ownership. I have owned a 1980 Rabbit, a 1973 Sun Bug and a 1974 Thing. My parents have owned a few Beetles, a VW Van, a Squareback, a Quantum, a Dasher, a couple of Rabbit Cabriolets and maybe a few other VWs, and my younger sister was a Beetle owner for a while. I even sold new and used VWs for a while during a break from undergrad. Even though my family has moved away from VW in recent years, I'm still very attached to the brand. I'd love to get my hands on another Super Beetle from the 1970s, just to drive around town and to tinker with on the weekends.

What has kept me (and the rest of the Fogelsons) from buying VWs for the past decade or so, after such a heavy involvement with the brand? I think we were scared off by a dip in perceived quality and value, and we were a bit confused by the product missteps of the Phaeton and the mixed message of the Touareg. This new Beetle may make strides toward recovering lost buyers, and attracting fans back to the showrooms.

Volkswagen's designers had a difficult task when it came to redesigning the New Beetle last year. How could they toughen up the compact coupe to attract more young male buyers, yet still retain the charm and cuteness that attracted female buyers? Chuck the bud vase, chisel the corners, install a Fender stereo system, and a few pop up gauges. That ought to do it. Actually, the Beetle came out looking retro, yet contemporary, with a knowing glance back into VW history. For 2013, VW has attacked the uber-cute Beetle Convertible with the same masculine approach.

Judged by looks alone, the Beetle Convertible is a home run. It is the sportiest-looking Beetle ever built. It looks low and long, sharp and assertive, without losing that "cute" factor somehow. Fans of the old Porsche 356 will recognize a similarity in silhouette. Top up, the Beetle is still low and cool; top down, it's just beautiful.

Inside (or outside, if you've got the top down), the Beetle Convertible lives up to its exterior. Great new seats with ribbed stitching have a sports car look and feel. Tasteful, yet sporty, carbon fibre-look interior trim pieces accent a simple, elegant dash. A cool central eyebrow houses a chronometer, a boost gauge and an oil temperature gauge. Rounded rectangles and curves dominate interior elements, lending an informal, fun feel to the dash and door panels.

Top operation is a simple, one-button affair, and can be opened or closed while driving up to 31 mph. There are no cumbersome latches to operate - all of that is automatic, and the top goes down in 9.5 seconds and back up in 11 seconds. When it is down, the top gathers above the rear deck lid. You can cover it up with a tonneau cover, but it's not necessary. When up, there's a glass rear window with an electric defroster. Wind noise is minimal with the top up, just a little noisier than an average hardtop. With the top down, the cabin is windy and loud, as expected. To reduce the tangles in my curly locks, I might invest in the accessory Wind Blocker, which installs quickly when the top is up and stores in the trunk when not in use.

The 2.0-liter engine in the Beetle is the same unit you can find in the Golf and Jetta, a torquey turbo that produces 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Torque steer (the tendency of front-wheel drive cars to pull to the side upon acceleration) is a problem with the Beetle, especially when you have a heavy right foot like I do. You have to have a firm grip on the steering wheel if you're planning to take advantage of the turbo's quick spool up. My test car's automatic transmission seemed to exacerbate the issue. I drove a Beetle with a manual transmission for a few miles a week earlier, and modulating the clutch helped tame the torque steer. With the automatic, the only choice is gentle application of the throttle - which sort of kills some of the fun. When you can control the Beetle, it's perky and fun to drive, and the handling lives up to the promise of the low-slung appearance. I wasn't at all disappointed in the suspension and steering of the Beetle, especially compared with the last New Beetle that I drove. One challenge of convertibles is cowl shake, and the Beetle doesn't exhibit a lick of it. When you take the top off of a vehicle, you have to do a lot of engineering to retain structural integrity, and there's only so much bracing you can add. The convertible Beetle isn't quite as stiff as the hardtop, but any rigidity that is sacrificed is worth the open air ride. The other sacrifice, necessary I suppose, is in trunk space. The tiny little trunk holds just 7.1 cubic feet of junk, and access is tight. A big suitcase will not fit - you're better off dropping the convertible top and tossing your bags in the back seat.

In the convertible wars, the big competition is MINI. It's going to be a matter of taste for most buyers, as an equivalent level of equipment and tune results in very close pricing. I prefer the VW's driver-centric instrument panel and actual useable back seat to the MINI's central binnacle and vestigial perch. Some buyers will consider the Fiat 500c, which isn't a true convertible, but is substantially cute.

I'm not sure whether the Beetle Convertible is going to get any of the Fogelsons back behind the wheel of a Volkswagen anytime soon. Most of us have big dogs right now, and aren't exactly convertible friendly. But as a halo vehicle, the Beetle Convertible has definitely put VW back into my sightline. If they can deliver a car this cool, it makes me curious about the rest of the lineup.