2018 Volkswagen Beetle Review: You Won't Be Missed

It’s time. There doesn’t appear to be a replacement in the works for the Volkswagen Beetle. The revival has had a 20-year run, an echo of the original’s two decades of popularity, but it seems the Beetle has once again outlived its usefulness or relevance.

There are still people who appreciate the Beetle. The head of my kids’ school repeatedly gushed about how cute it is, and I can’t disagree. But it’s hard to miss it when it won't go away. Old and new versions overlapped in production, and for the last 70 years there’s been a Beetle of some sort. I spent some time with the 2018 Volkswagen Beetle 2.0T as a refresher on what it’s like.

The Beetle is a neat car, but its main asset is also its biggest problem. It will always look the way it looks. Only the most devoted fans will spot the differences, since every Beetle has the same profile. It’s a weird paradox; a car that is both is both distinctive and wallpaper at the same time.

Another problem for the Beetle is that it’s been around long enough for anyone who wanted one to do it more than once. It’s out of their systems, so how do you sustain demand? Volkswagen clearly doesn’t know. Sales have been tumbling for years and it’s getting worse. In 2017, VW struggled to sell a total of 15,000 Beetle coupes and convertibles in the United States. That’s half as many cars as 2016, which was nearly 25% off the pace of 2015, itself off 2014 results by 22%. The sales pattern doesn’t make a great case for the Beetle.

There have been some changes made for 2018. New option packages include the Style & Comfort Package, Lighting Package, and Premium Package. The warranty has been extended to 6 years or 72,000 miles. There is also a special Beetle Coast model based on the “S” trim with a unique blue color and surf-inspired interior treatment. The Beetle S trim I tried had Titan Black cloth upholstery with a houndstooth-like pattern and a somber all-black color scheme. Some models use a pop of the exterior color on the dashboard and upper door trim, and that would have made the interior feel more inviting. Ergonomics are excellent, and even the basic MIB II infotainment system is easy to use and capable of various tricks with your phone via VW Car-Net, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

A larger 2.0T turbocharged 4 cylinder engine is standard for every Beetle model, together with a 6-speed DSG automatic. No manual is available. The transmission has both sport and Tiptronic (manual) modes, but it’s still a bore. The bigger engine generates just 174 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque at a time when other 2.0Ts provide more than 200hp. Indeed, the same engine puts out 220 hp in the GTI. This latest version of the EA888 engine is smooth thanks to balance shafts and reduced internal friction. Updated engine management uses a four-core processor for faster, finer control.

With 3,000 pounds and 174 hp, the Beetle is quick but not dramatic about it. Volkswagen has given the Beetle ownership story a gloss of fun - fun to drive, fun to own, fun to be seen in. If you want to flash around town in an icon, sure, but from behind the wheel, not so much. Normally, Volkswagens feel premium - solid, refined, precise. This Beetle, on the other hand, was clumsy. Its moves were sloppy and its responses either grabby or abrupt.

A touchy accelerator causes the car to lunge away from stops and is very unpleasant in stop-and-go. Worse, the brakes had a grabby initial bite, as well. Dull as it is, the DSG transmission is an under-appreciated marvel. It shifts as smoothly (or better) than a conventional automatic transmission in nearly every situation except very low-speed maneuvers. It is light, compact, and efficient, but a manual transmission would have changed the character of this Beetle very much for the better. The handling is predictable  but mediocre due mostly to tire choice. The car delivered understeer and body roll despite VW touting its 22mm front stabilizer bar, which is probably too small for a 3,000 pound nose-heavy car, anyway. The electric power steering didn’t deliver much feedback through the flat-bottomed wheel that’s weird to use, either. Street cars with 100 cubic foot cabins do not need a D-shaped steering wheel inspired by motorsports.

The interior space takes a hit for the Beetle style. It’s cozy in there with good room for front-seat occupants, but limited rear-seat legroom. Headroom for everyone is less than the Golf it’s based on. The cargo space is smaller, too, though at 15.4 cubic feet behind the rear seat, the Beetle is a useful hatchback. Still, the Golf has a more-useful 22.8 cubic feet. That’s the real issue with the Beetle. I spent a week wishing it were a Golf - specifically a GTI - which does everything the Beetle does, but better. The GTI is even an icon in its own right, at least among enthusiasts.

As hotly anticipated as this new breed of Beetle once was, it isn’t likely to be missed so strongly. The generations who relate to the original enough to buy one for nostalgia are quickly heading toward their very last automotive purchase. Beyond that, the picture for sustained sales seems murky, and that probably means a new Beetle isn’t worth it. It might just be time to shut out the lights on the Beetle. It may be the car that built Wolfsburg, but you don’t see them making Model Ts in Dearborn anymore, either.