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36 | FireFlyz
Car
Review
T
his
is the Beetle. It’s the
latest from Volkswagen. Like
the original Type 1 – which
became such an endearing
icon, it is simply gorgeous.
Where originally it was just
called Volkswagen for what
it is – the people’s car, the latest incarnation
marks a milestone in the history of this
remarkable vehicle.
Designed by the great automotive
genius Ferdinand Porsche, and based
on his Type 12 Porsche, the original was
made to be cheap, simple and frugal to
carry a family of five on the Autobahn
(German motorway). When it was first
produced, it sold at the price nearing that
of a motorcycle in those times. The Beetle
today, despite being an effort to revive the
icon, costs more than a simple motorcycle
and has become much more fanciful in its
recent incarnation.
Staying true to the original shape, the
new Beetle is decidedly less kitschy than
before. Those who felt their masculinity
threatened by the (one down) older model,
can rest easy for this is no longer a girl
scout’s car.
Rollicking Interior
What you do get in the new incarnation
is a redesigned dashboard of elegant
confusion (I feel), due to the mix of retro
and contemporary themes carried through.
If you’ve sat in other VW’s, you will notice
many familiar buttons and switches picked
from the common parts bin. The most
noticeable difference is how much more
upmarket the new dashboard looks and
feels. The interior also appears less bulky
and intrusive than the previous one.
The 2.0 offered comes in the ‘Sport’
trim which has the classy piano-black
sheen on the dashboard. Although nicely
retro, it’s a magnet for fingerprints. The
thin steering wheel is supposed to be a
throwback to the original, and certainly
looks more like the original in design than
All New Volkswagen Beetle:
The Bug’s
Life is Back!
W o r d s :
Z a c h a r y H o