Skip advert
Advertisement

Volkswagen Beetle

Beefier VW Beetle hits British roads. Is there any substance to the style?

Overall Auto Express rating

4.0

How we review cars
Find your Volkswagen Beetle
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

The Beetle Sport handles and rides competently, and is built superbly, with a new beefed-up look. The funky design comes at the cost of some practicality, but the verve of this car will overcome that for many. It’s efficient, fast and enjoyable to drive, but is still much more about image than all-out fun: it needs an ESP off switch before it can be considered even close to a genuine hot hatch. Yet the Beetle is still a competent, comfortable sporting hatch with design flair that’s far from ordinary.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Volkswagen describes the new Beetle as “no flowers, more power”, promising that it’s more than a decorative tribute to the original. We hit the road to see if this beefed-up Bug can convince buyers in the UK.

The look is undoubtedly more masculine, with the cartoonish curves of the old Beetle making way for a longer, flattened bonnet and roofline. The windscreen is mounted further back, too.

The high waistline gives the car a hot rod-style ‘chopped roof’, and that means a lower, wider look overall. It’s not an illusion: the new Beetle is 84mm wider, 12mm lower and 152mm longer than its predecessor.

Inside is a bolder and classier design. It’s still typically VW, but touches like the oval dash ends and upward-opening glovebox lid pay tribute to the original Bug.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Rifter

2020 Peugeot

Rifter

49,069 milesManualDiesel1.5L

Cash £14,699
View Rifter
Tucson

2020 Hyundai

Tucson

30,320 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £14,699
View Tucson
Golf GTE

2020 Volkswagen

Golf GTE

36,745 milesAutomaticPetrol1.4L

Cash £14,899
View Golf GTE
Duster

2019 Dacia

Duster

11,269 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £11,200
View Duster

It’s all well made with tactile surfaces and switchgear. The centre console could be better trimmed, while the central display is a bit small. But otherwise, it’s decent quality.

Our Sport test model featured heated leather sports seats with manual adjustment and lumbar support. They’re well bolstered, but the leather can be slippery when cornering. You sit higher in the Beetle than in the MkVI Golf on which it’s based, and when combined with the narrow screen, this makes the front a bit claustrophobic for six-footers. The rear is worse.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The flat-bottomed steering wheel looks great with its gloss black trim, and the multifunction buttons will be familiar to Golf and Polo owners. But the wheel is too large – and that means a lot of arm work when you’re changing direction quickly.

Still, we have no complaints about the steering’s feel. It’s sharp, direct and well weighted, and tightens up nicely in corners. Body control is better than average, but the Beetle is tuned for a supple ride on the standard 18-inch wheels, so there’s too much dive and squat to threaten the likes of the Renaultsport Megane for agility. The positive is that the car isn’t unsettled by mid-corner bumps, and is easily placed on the road.

Straight-line performance is also strong. The 162bhp 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine is refined when you’re on the motorway, but responds as well as any other VW engine when you want it to. It revs strong and hard and is at its best around 4,000rpm, with 240Nm on tap from 4,500rpm.

A 0-62mph sprint time of 8.3 seconds reflects the brisk but not neck-snapping acceleration, with the throttle response, clutch and six-speed manual box’s gearing well matched to the steering. The brakes are solid, too.

At £21,220, the Beetle Sport is nearly the same price as the three-door Golf GT (£21,325) with an identical drivetrain. So would you buy it over the regular hatch? That’s missing the point.

The Beetle has luxuries like dual-zone air-con, a leather steering wheel and larger alloys – all extra on the Golf. It’s also a more stylish choice than the hatch – and that makes the new Bug a serious contender.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,739 off RRP*Used from £8,800
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £1,675 off RRP*
Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £18,725Avg. savings £4,137 off RRP*Used from £15,496
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £28,065Avg. savings £2,233 off RRP*Used from £15,297
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring
Baby Nissan Juke exclusive image - rear

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring

Nissan to fast-track development of new battery-powered city car to take on forthcoming Volkswagen ID.1, and our exclusive images preview how it could…
News
18 Apr 2025
Best SUVs to buy 2025
Best SUVs - header image

Best SUVs to buy 2025

There are plenty of great SUVs to choose from, so we’ve picked out the very best
Best cars & vans
17 Apr 2025
You can run an electric car with nowhere at home to charge it, honest
Opinion - ease of EV ownership

You can run an electric car with nowhere at home to charge it, honest

Chris Rosamond explains why ultra-fast charging could convince you to make the switch to driving an EV
Opinion
17 Apr 2025