Description: The New Beetle is a 2-door, 4-passenger family coupe, available in two trims, the S and the S PZEV.
Both trims are equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I5, 150-horsepower engine that achieves 20-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.
Strengths: umm hello! It gets amazing gas mileage and it now costs me with gas at $1.90 only $27 to fill it when almost on empty. With our economy every little bit helps.
I love the sound system and the available iPod jack. The sunroof is amazing. The heated seats have been a life-saver! To wash this car by hand, with waxing, it seriously takes me only 15-20 minutes.
Weaknesses: If you are going on a road trip with more than two to three individuals who are heavy packers you are going to have some space issues.
It seems to be a common issue that there is a malfunction with the trunk. Sometimes you have to push the button twice, but to me in the grand scheme of things, I consider that relatively minor.
If driving with multiple individuals you really have to be considerate of your tall passengers. It's best to have them in the passenger seat because there isn't much leg room to be had if they are demoted to the back.
If you need to have a car seat for younger children there isn't a middle seat belt. Therefore, there is not an overall safe option for buckling in your children.
Summary: I have absolutely love my beetle(s)! For the record I have had two. My first beetle was my first car, and it was a 1998 with over 120,000 miles. To be honest I never had a major problem with it. The biggest thing that had to be fixed was just replacing fuses which can be bought for $3.00 at wal-mart for a multipack. For a high school student, now a college student, this car has been amazing when considering gas mileage/gas. I loaded packed my friends in my car when we would go out because it was so cheap to fill it again when gas was over $4. I sold my first VW, I owned it for four years, only because someone offered a great deal to purchase it. I would have had no problem keeping it through my college career. When I had limitless possibilities for a new car I really couldn't think of a better car for a girl my age on a poor college kid's income. I had to have another beetle. I have yet to experience any issues with my newer VW beetle.
From a single, childless, college student this car is optimal for me, therefore, I can only rave about this product.
Strengths: Engine is quick to respond and breaks are sturdy. I love the sunroof, sounds system, iPod jack, and overall design. While the trunk is small, I am able to fit much more than I thought. Overall, I love the look, drive and safety.
Weaknesses: The trunk release button has acted up and I have to press the button twice. The dealer will adjust free of charge.
Summary: I absolutely love my new beetle! It's Gecko Green with tan leather! Previously I had a 1999 Toyota Corolla. Extremely reliable but, the beetle is so fun to drive and I feel extremely safe. The doors are heavy and the long dash makes you feel very safe. I love the pep and Sport mode (which I call Super Beetle mode). I've taken this car on two road trips: Las Vegas and LA and was very happy with the engine performance and comfortability. I highly recommend the beetle!
Similar Products Used: 1999 Toyota Corolla
1956 Beetle (Baby Blue)
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Rating Reviewed by: Autumn(Unregistered User)
Review Date May 3, 2007
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 4 of 5
Used product for Less than 1 month
Visitors rate this review 3.17 of 5,
24.00 votes
Review 3 of 316
Price Paid:
$0.00
from Volkwagon dealership
Year / Model Reviewed: 2007 NewBeetle
Strengths: Volkswagen NewBeetle has more room than you think before you drive it. It's a smooth comfortable ride. The engine sounds great.
Weaknesses: I would like to see it have more trunk space but it was decent. As I said before, I would like to know about repair costs and is it worth it when it is brand new and has a warranty? Anyone comment please?
Summary: I am seriously looking into buying a Volkwagon beetle and I test drove it and it was wonderful. I have a close friend who owns one, she bought it brand new, it's great. She's never had a problem. I will say I've read great reviews on the car. The only concern I have is when something does break down with it, i was told they are very expensive to fix, can anyone tell me if this is true?
I also would like to say that I went to Carmax and had HORRIBLE customer service, they wouldn't even let me test drive without first running my credit to see if I was preapproved. Where has anyone ever gone and they wouldn't allow a simple test drive?
Also... for the person who bought a NewBeetle from Carmax, your problem is Carmax, I've heard that from at least 5 friends of mine who went and purchased a car from them. I am refering to different models, such as a Jetta, Honda, Beetle, and another Honda. It's Carmax, don't believe a word about the inspection crap they advertise and what they call "customer service". Trust me... they suck.
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Rating Reviewed by: tholmes(Unregistered User)
Review Date June 3, 2008
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 4 of 5
Used product for Less than 1 month
Visitors rate this review 3.00 of 5,
2.00 votes
Review 4 of 316
Price Paid:
$14000.00
from VW of Van nuys
Year / Model Reviewed: 2006 VW Beetle zpev auto 2d
Strengths: cute,
Weaknesses: trunk release must press the button twice to open
Summary: Cute car, runs great
bought with 37111 miles
it was taken care of an very clean..
good gas mileage 35hwy,great with gas prices at 4.20
will update when I have had it for a while
Weaknesses: Not dependable, no coat hook for hanging clothes, sun visors useless for keeping sun out of your eyes, can't get parts, poor gas mileage
Summary: What a nightmare. EPA says mileage is 37/42m (diesel - TDI) but the best I can do is 37mpg, and usually average around 35 - that only after 12 months of begging in Sptb to fix. The selling dealer in Greenville after keeping the car for several days found the thermostat was defective - and replaced it. Had to sent it back to Greenville on a wrecker when the car overheated due to losing Antifreeze. Now mileage is around 37-38 WHEN I GET TO DRIVE IT. Instrument cluster has been replaced twice. The first time had to send the vehicle to a dealer on a wrecker - because it wouldn't start. Had to wait for it to come in. The trunk lid has been so hard to close, I have bent the lip at the bottom of it. The stop light on the trunk was defective - had to replace it. Now (I haven't seen the car for about 10 days, the Driver's seat frame broke (no I'm no fatty - weigh about 190) the seat won't latch down - flies up every time you get out of the vehicle, banks down when you sit down. Dealer won't give a loaner - because he saays it is say to drive with a broken seat - so it sits at the dealer.
Also have had trouble with the alarm system - all related to the trunk lid - had to be adjusted several times. The latest round with the alarm now working - they say the radio had slidden into the dash too far and the sensors were not activated. (??????). The car has been towed to a dealer once because it wouldn't start, it has been held captive at a dealership for well over three weeks since new - and only one night did I get a loaner - and then only because they told me it was ready, and I had someone take me to Greenville and didn't have a ride home. Would I buy another Volkswagen - well - the dealer wants to trade with me for another, and is wanting me to take close to $6,000 less than I paid for it - against his list price. So much for holding it's value. To summarize - not dependable, not cost effective to operate - can drive a gas car for less than the diesel bug - quality is not there - and you lose too much when you go to sell.
Also - the engineers who designed this car probably never rode in it. The sun roof can't be used over 45 miles per hour, and there is no place to hang close when you go on a trip.
I can't complain about the dealer's because they have tried hard to fix the car, and have had to spend so much time trying to get it running right - I know they hate to see me come in. If I were to weaken and buy another Volkswagen, it would be because of the dealer - not because of the Brand
Similar Products Used: Honda Civic, Honda Prelude, Toyota Solara
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