The Beetle is a good shout for a first car. Being only a 4-seater makes it much more insurance friendly than the equivalent Golf. Also, the front and rear wings are made of nice flexible plastic (surprised you didn't mention this) because they are essentially the bumper covers and so parking inexperience works out significantly cheaper.
I remember what a huge deal the New Beetle was when released. I can imagine there were some hefty dealer markups given the demand. We still have our 20 year old Beetle. It's a solid car other than having all the MK4 problems that do eventually pop up.
I've always liked the new Beetle. The whole retro design ethos appealed. I even like the, sharp intake of breath, PT Crusier! That's a nice example, thank you Matt.
I remember thinking "that can't be right" when I first saw the back window come in right across the tops of the head rests. And sure enough, it's not right. You have to watch out for speed bumps in the back of these, make sure you lean forward on time.
I had a 2.0 petrol new beetle it was a great car. The dash board was really useful as a dinner table. I never had a problem with the cup holders myself and helped a friend move in it by taking out the rear head rests and parcel shelf. The car really needed another gear, doing 70 on the motorway was deafening.
The temperature idiot light has now become commonplace. Had it on my 2010 vw polo and now on my 2019 Honda. You have to trust it. I really liked the new beetle. I drove a petrol…not sure which engine, maybe 1.8….manual gearbox wasn’t the best….and the arm rest in the down position prevented the parking brake from being pulled up. I think this car was designed to primarily have the 2.0 petrol with 4 speed auto (torque converter)….the automated DSG being offered later. Diesel engine just seems all shades of wrong, esp if the car was a convertible…this was back when the vw 1.9TDI was rattling away. I remember the vast dashboard and wheel overhangs. Then again, time moves on, and my Honda isn’t that much different at the front. Can’t see the ends or corners. Backup cameras✅ Even the new new beetle has now been discontinued. I’m guessing the new new new beetle - if they make it, will be electric.
My next car is going to be one of these, to me they’ve so much character. I owned a Clio mk2 for 3.5 years (claud) me and my wife loved it/him I was hasty and got rid because the MOT advisory list was long. We bought a Kia Rio, it’s a horrible car, 1.5 td and I’ve worked out I get about 25mpg urban 🤬 2 cars I could first name when I could talk was “mini” and “beetle” I’ve owned a 1275 clubman Now it’s time for a beetle, I love diesels, the marriage seems perfect. These “new” beetles too, to me have bags of cheek and character 😍 Edit, picked up a yellow 53 reg on Sunday…. Brian. Only 110k on clock He’s a beauty
The car on test is a PD unit so is 100hp not 90hp. In 2004 the only option was 100hp in the TDI. Later units rose to 105hp. The only 90hp TDIs would be very early non PD units, which I think in UK would have been LHD imports. My wife owned a 2004 TDI for 8yrs, so I know more about them than I should admit to.....😁
Fond feelings for these wee things! My first ever time at the wheel of a l/h drive car was in an American friend's 1998 New Beetle in Techno Blue. The twin nerves of driving a brand new car while being on the t'other side of the road and the car, trying hard not to kill us all or change gear with the door handle. Loved it.
If people start complaining about this car and the Golf chassis, blah blah blah, they’ve absolutely missed the point! This car is absolute style over substance and that is what it’s all about. New word to use is “Chispa” in Spanish it means it has or doesn’t have, spark, soul, life, fun, entertainment and a little Va va voom” 🤣🤣. Lovely video as always mate.
I own a 2.0 2004 TDI beetle PD. Over 140k miles and still running beautifully & turbo is so responsive. Would recommend for reliability & a little power.
I just remember when these came out and all the launch cars seem to be in bright pastel colours, I think every dealer got a bright yellow one, thats the colour i remember the most Was a bit like when the new mini launched their was a premium and people were fighting to buy them and "dealers" were making a profit reselling them
I remember when it came out I was interested in the retro style - but then when the upper inner doors weren't metal but just plastic, killed it for me. The redesign made the car look much more masculine, almost aggressive especially as the turbo with the reinstated beetle-esque wheel caps / liked it better.
My 3rd car was an original 1971 Beetle 1500, (after the Vauxhall Astra i passed my test in and then my Mini FNV721T) and i loved it, i loved the feel of it the styling and how it drove to be honest. Then later in the 90s when these came along i always looked at them and thought i have to get one of them one day. I never got one in the end but my friend Penny has and she loves them. Riding in it i can say that it is just like my current MK4 Golf (yes one of the many new cars on my fleet now) sure it does have the fun beetle looks and the dashboard flowers are a fun thing too but does it capture the original? Slightly i would say. So i have to agree with you that the New Beetle is a fun looking car that is built on a reliable platform and gives you modern motoring. Those black boxes are just a bad idea but i guess if you are an insurer they are an essential bit of kit in keeping new drivers within their limits. Personally i dislike them as they don't take into account what is actually going on outside the car like you say what happens if you have to emergency brake or accelerate into traffic? It goes against you which is just bad. I like the similarity between this and your Mini with the cute retro styling and the nice face they both have, cars these days just seem to have aggressive angry faces and dogs, have to agree with you there, sorry cat owners :) anyways enough waffle and just gotta say great video as always.
Have always liked these, particularly the early version. Have also thought these would make a good candidate for conversion to electric, but not seen it done as yet.
I quite liked these at the time. The bolt on wings look like a good idea and I heard crash protection was really good. I considered the new new Beetle when they were, er, new. I quite liked it but it had some strange compromises (handbrake and arm rest comes to mind).
People bought this because it was retro, since they had one when they were younger. Goodness, I haven't ridden in one in a very long time! Parking sensors are definitely aftermarket. And I feel the fascia looks bug-eyed, hence the nickname The Bug decades!
I preferred this over the mark 4 golf it's based on. It's funny to see controls in the beetle that's in our Fabia like the heated electric switch and the seat trim is so like our Fabia same colour and hard wearing.
Very interesting that Autodoc service. I'm happy with AD as they have supplied many good parts over the last year to us and in pretty good time as well. Great video Matt, I must say I have always been more a new Mini fan than new beetle, BMW captured the spirit of the Cooper S well.
Many companies installed "black boxes" in their fleets, not only keeping insurance down but sorted out the cowboys, along with the "how's my Driving" sticker. Now done by CCTV and GPS.
Must admit I was browsing cars the other day considering what older car I'd get as a fun 2nd car if i could and i did have a look at these. I think they are cute and different. Always good in my book. 😊👍
Odd that of the retros like the Mini and the 500 you would think this, the venerable Beetle, would sell like hotcakes but here in Au they just never took off. (There's very good reasons the PT Cruiser didn't float. Ugly just doesnt sail)
I have a 2002 TDI beetle :) had it 8 years, just passed it’s mot with no advisory’s, even tow a very small caravan with it! It just keeps going and going. I’m sure that’s the 100Bhp PD, as it’s identical to mine
I drove the second gen 'new' beetle and its windows were way smaller so visibility wasn't great. It was heavy but that made it a smooth rider as well as slow (with a 1.6 tdi motor).
Great, informative video. It is an amazing design. All flush glass, flush lights, and finished wheel wells. They put in the details that they didn't have to.
I thought Jaguar started the retro-style with the magnificent S type well before the Beetle came on the scene. As for the dreaded 'Black Box' am totally with you as it has to be the worst way to learn to drive, it builds too much tension for you to be able to relax into the car and enjoy the act of driving. Good video on a car I dislike with a passion. Nice one Matt.
The first one I ever saw here in Sussex was a red left hand drive one on Florida plates. Amazingly, it's still around today on a UK S plate and still looking just like new!
when they first came out the UK RHD ones came out a year later than LHD and were priced at 4 grand more. so lots of early buyers bought LHD ones. i bought one new in 1998, LHD french registered, I took the first test drive for the first car the dealership got, i was that keen. I still have one, 23 years later, i will never sell it.
I love these cars and am considering picking one up as a cheap commuter car. I notice that the plater Luna models don’t have air con as standard. I guess with all of that glass, air con is a must. Might try to find a 1.9tdi as they are bomb proof.
Hopefully these will be a future classic. My mother bought one new in 2001 and has done a meager 36000 miles. Sadly only a 1.6 engine but these are rare cars now. I'd love a V5 with the 170 hp engine
@@theodorbean2604 Yeah, I know. Just wondering if there was any particular reason except cost. Also one with the Audi s3 motor might be nice if you want to tune and go real fast. Could be a laugh.
I think this car was rightly derided, its an anti-tardis and I think price wise didn't compare favourably with an equivalent Golf, so you could really work out how much you were paying for styling and loss of practicality. But I will say that now the styling has a certain simplicity about it which I like, particularly now with all the complex lines and creases cars like to have. Good video on a car you don't hear much about. RE AutoDoc, I have used them in the past, pretty pleased on the whole (service is good although did get some inferior parts), however right now, I have over £300 of parts in my basket but am very reluctant to checkout as I know they are based in Europe, and I do not want to he landed with another bill for VAT and customs etc. I wonder if you could find out what the situation is? (or am I wrong and they have a base in the uk?), what would be best is if you could make a video, because I am sure I am not the only one worrying about this issue right now.
Nice video, Have they increased the headroom in the back as I am only 5 foot 4 and my head was touching the roof when I got in the back of one of these a few years ago.
Apparently in just post war Germany the original beetles were very popular with smugglers because with a front boot full of contraband they could still outrun the willy's jeeps of the occupation forces 2 out 10 tea shelf not good
7:52 "Not ideal for disposing of things" next sentence "And this was one of the major criticisms of the Beetle when it came out" A lot of mafia hippies looking to buy this car? :)
Hi I liked this video the older cars are the best. 80s 90s and early 2000s wear the year s that the old style cars wemt out i own a 2000 k11 nissan micra I'm currently working on the down side in London is the ULEZ extension is going to make people get rid of the older cars Great video keep up with the good
The New Beetle design was not so successful as it was the Mini and Fiat 500 revival. More than twenty years later, it's possible to see that it didn't get better. And that version with an old diesel engine don't improve in anyway the appeal of the car. Nevertheless, it was a good idea to review it to make sure that some cars don't resist to the time.
I feel the same way about this car as I do about my Daughter's modern Mini Cooper. Like most people, I can only afford to keep one car on the road, so it has to be practical and this and the Mini are anything but. The only thing going for said Mini is its four-wheel drive and the Beetle hasn't even got this. So great for posing in, but useless for carrying anything other than the nuclear family.
A good friend of mine had one of these - a 2001 model, for about 12 years - apparently it was pretty reliable until various sensors started to fail and it got expensive to maintain. After a lifetime of VWs it might have been a last straw......he now drives a Honda! I also remember the rear headroom being poor - when these were first shown at the motor show I remember watching someone repeatedly trying to brain a rear passenger while trying to close the tailgate.......
"when these were first shown at the motor show I remember watching someone repeatedly trying to brain a rear passenger while trying to close the tailgate......." That's funny!
Used to drive hundreds of the beetle from the ship back in 2016 good cars . I will try that autodoc. I have a peugeot 306 Mercedes w202 Morris ital estate
Probably the Americans designed in 18 Cup holders and then the German contingent remove them all while finalising the specification, reluctantly sticking in two teeny tiny ones for Italians to enjoy their expresso while blasting that raspy horn in traffic. Wonder if the Italian Market got the Black Box?
Have to watch after we come back from shopping. Well, it took me three attempts to finish this one, interrupted by nieghbour. I guess the VR6 would be fun but a bit too much of a fasion statement for me. Black box! See, getting older is not a bad thing really.
Amazing video!!!! This is my dream car!!! Since this is going to be first car should buy a Volkswagen Beetle from the 2000’s or a new year Volkswagen Beetle?
My mil used to have one of these but the convertible. Felt as if the car weighed about 5 ton and the wheezy 2 litre engine in hers couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. I think there was a limited run turbo or vr6 engined one with a bodykit on that looked OK
Well, that's because Americans are used to Toyota and Honda small cars that don't break much. Same goes in Australia and lots of other parts of the world. :)
Morgan Freeman 😂, well he did play God in a movie 🤔 so designing cars in his spare time is nothing. Does this mean Matt your gonna become all organised and on top of all those little easy jobs ? That surprise, surprise always end up giving you such a headache 🤕, Keep doing what your doing mate , you always put a smile on my face .
Fun car, but the interior is such a let down. Looks and feels cheap. I've serviced quite a lot of these cars in the early '00s. After a few years the craze was over in my region. Most people bought it as an impulse, and after a few years they where glad to get rid of it. Interior space, was the biggest criticism. I had one for a week as a loaner while I was tinkering with my own car. A 1.8T Highline, was a fun drive for a week. Great video, enjoyed it Matt. It needs some love, doesn't look as sharp as it used to do.
Black boxes are utterly stupid. Brake hard to avoid hitting someone who cuts you up or accelerate hard to not be a serious danger joining a motorway and your insurance punishes you. But yet if you write off a car in place of every time you would otherwise brake or accelerate 'hard' (they're often over sensitive on top of that) and they like you even less. Dashcams are much better for showing how someone drives, but if an incident occurs and the insurer's client isn't at fault they have to admit that when they see the footage and can't make an excuse to rip them off after it. I had an app equivalent for my first year, one corner I took on a daily commute was always flagged for harsh cornering. Even slowing to 10 mph when turning off the very busy A road, nearly getting rear-ended on various occasions, it still flagged me for harsh cornering! Slightly over 90 degree turn downhill off the outside of a cambered right hand bend. Thanks to stuff like that (and a slightly lead right foot), despite not having a single incident to contact insurance over, unlike a lot of 17 year olds if you believe the stats, because I scored something like 40 out of 100 that insurer wouldn't insure me for another year. Unfortunate for them that I haven't had any incidents since, but the 'little halo clients' that have never exceeded the limits or braked or accelerated hard in the same 4 and a half years have probably totalled 3 cars already and still have no idea what they're doing wrong vs someone who does drive fast but learns from emergency response driver training videos how to do so safely. Apologies for the rant. If I had the resources I'd overhaul driving in the UK. Legal incompetence wouldn't go unpunished.
The Beetle is a good shout for a first car. Being only a 4-seater makes it much more insurance friendly than the equivalent Golf. Also, the front and rear wings are made of nice flexible plastic (surprised you didn't mention this) because they are essentially the bumper covers and so parking inexperience works out significantly cheaper.
If you went to a art gallery in the 90s the car park would be full of new Beatles, so my car stood out been a Lada fun times
Beatles? The VW Fab Four.
Yes Mate and assuming that you drove a Lada Riva, then your vehicle was genuine Retro. Now classic.
Baby you can drive my car!
I remember what a huge deal the New Beetle was when released. I can imagine there were some hefty dealer markups given the demand. We still have our 20 year old Beetle. It's a solid car other than having all the MK4 problems that do eventually pop up.
i really like new beetle, i remember back in early-mid 2000 in my country, every rich young girl had one of this
I've always liked the new Beetle. The whole retro design ethos appealed. I even like the, sharp intake of breath, PT Crusier! That's a nice example, thank you Matt.
I remember thinking "that can't be right" when I first saw the back window come in right across the tops of the head rests. And sure enough, it's not right. You have to watch out for speed bumps in the back of these, make sure you lean forward on time.
A lot of "coupes" are like that though. The Honda Integra is the same. :)
I have a 2001 2.0 in yellow and I love it, I've owned it since 2004 and it's never let me down.
I had a 2.0 petrol new beetle it was a great car. The dash board was really useful as a dinner table. I never had a problem with the cup holders myself and helped a friend move in it by taking out the rear head rests and parcel shelf. The car really needed another gear, doing 70 on the motorway was deafening.
The temperature idiot light has now become commonplace. Had it on my 2010 vw polo and now on my 2019 Honda.
You have to trust it.
I really liked the new beetle. I drove a petrol…not sure which engine, maybe 1.8….manual gearbox wasn’t the best….and the arm rest in the down position prevented the parking brake from being pulled up.
I think this car was designed to primarily have the 2.0 petrol with 4 speed auto (torque converter)….the automated DSG being offered later. Diesel engine just seems all shades of wrong, esp if the car was a convertible…this was back when the vw 1.9TDI was rattling away.
I remember the vast dashboard and wheel overhangs. Then again, time moves on, and my Honda isn’t that much different at the front. Can’t see the ends or corners. Backup cameras✅
Even the new new beetle has now been discontinued. I’m guessing the new new new beetle - if they make it, will be electric.
My next car is going to be one of these, to me they’ve so much character. I owned a Clio mk2 for 3.5 years (claud) me and my wife loved it/him
I was hasty and got rid because the MOT advisory list was long. We bought a Kia Rio, it’s a horrible car, 1.5 td and I’ve worked out I get about 25mpg urban 🤬
2 cars I could first name when I could talk was “mini” and “beetle”
I’ve owned a 1275 clubman
Now it’s time for a beetle, I love diesels, the marriage seems perfect. These “new” beetles too, to me have bags of cheek and character 😍
Edit, picked up a yellow 53 reg on Sunday…. Brian. Only 110k on clock
He’s a beauty
The car on test is a PD unit so is 100hp not 90hp. In 2004 the only option was 100hp in the TDI. Later units rose to 105hp. The only 90hp TDIs would be very early non PD units, which I think in UK would have been LHD imports. My wife owned a 2004 TDI for 8yrs, so I know more about them than I should admit to.....😁
I currently drive a 2005 with 175k on the odo. It has the PD motor. Runs great.
Fond feelings for these wee things! My first ever time at the wheel of a l/h drive car was in an American friend's 1998 New Beetle in Techno Blue. The twin nerves of driving a brand new car while being on the t'other side of the road and the car, trying hard not to kill us all or change gear with the door handle. Loved it.
If people start complaining about this car and the Golf chassis, blah blah blah, they’ve absolutely missed the point! This car is absolute style over substance and that is what it’s all about. New word to use is “Chispa” in Spanish it means it has or doesn’t have, spark, soul, life, fun, entertainment and a little Va va voom” 🤣🤣. Lovely video as always mate.
I own a 2.0 2004 TDI beetle PD. Over 140k miles and still running beautifully & turbo is so responsive. Would recommend for reliability & a little power.
Find a decent one ,and you have a decent everyday modern classic
Not sure if you were aware, the cup holders aren't to bad, they slide to the left so you can get taller things in.....
I just remember when these came out and all the launch cars seem to be in bright pastel colours, I think every dealer got a bright yellow one, thats the colour i remember the most
Was a bit like when the new mini launched their was a premium and people were fighting to buy them and "dealers" were making a profit reselling them
At 10.01 Matt says "And a heater..how cool is that",.... classic!
I hated it when it was new, because I was extremely young and these were girly. Now I like all quirky cars. How times change :)
I remember when it came out I was interested in the retro style - but then when the upper inner doors weren't metal but just plastic, killed it for me. The redesign made the car look much more masculine, almost aggressive especially as the turbo with the reinstated beetle-esque wheel caps / liked it better.
My 3rd car was an original 1971 Beetle 1500, (after the Vauxhall Astra i passed my test in and then my Mini FNV721T) and i loved it, i loved the feel of it the styling and how it drove to be honest. Then later in the 90s when these came along i always looked at them and thought i have to get one of them one day. I never got one in the end but my friend Penny has and she loves them. Riding in it i can say that it is just like my current MK4 Golf (yes one of the many new cars on my fleet now) sure it does have the fun beetle looks and the dashboard flowers are a fun thing too but does it capture the original? Slightly i would say. So i have to agree with you that the New Beetle is a fun looking car that is built on a reliable platform and gives you modern motoring. Those black boxes are just a bad idea but i guess if you are an insurer they are an essential bit of kit in keeping new drivers within their limits. Personally i dislike them as they don't take into account what is actually going on outside the car like you say what happens if you have to emergency brake or accelerate into traffic? It goes against you which is just bad. I like the similarity between this and your Mini with the cute retro styling and the nice face they both have, cars these days just seem to have aggressive angry faces and dogs, have to agree with you there, sorry cat owners :) anyways enough waffle and just gotta say great video as always.
I had a '71. I covered it in hay. Fun to drive down the freeway with all that hay flying behind me.
Something very endearing about these. I can see why they were popular. VW common sense where it counted but with some quirky design
We have a 2013 Beetle 2.5 5 cylinder 175 hp. 5 speed which is very nice and easy to park in parking garage.
Have always liked these, particularly the early version. Have also thought these would make a good candidate for conversion to electric, but not seen it done as yet.
Looks like the large sills have been used as parking guides.
Woman's car
I quite liked these at the time. The bolt on wings look like a good idea and I heard crash protection was really good. I considered the new new Beetle when they were, er, new. I quite liked it but it had some strange compromises (handbrake and arm rest comes to mind).
Excellent! I've got a 2010 New Beetle and have been looking for TH-cam reviews, there are very few! Saved to my watch list for later
People bought this because it was retro, since they had one when they were younger.
Goodness, I haven't ridden in one in a very long time!
Parking sensors are definitely aftermarket.
And I feel the fascia looks bug-eyed, hence the nickname The Bug decades!
I preferred this over the mark 4 golf it's based on. It's funny to see controls in the beetle that's in our Fabia like the heated electric switch and the seat trim is so like our Fabia same colour and hard wearing.
Very interesting that Autodoc service. I'm happy with AD as they have supplied many good parts over the last year to us and in pretty good time as well. Great video Matt, I must say I have always been more a new Mini fan than new beetle, BMW captured the spirit of the Cooper S well.
Many companies installed "black boxes" in their fleets, not only keeping insurance down but sorted out the cowboys, along with the "how's my Driving" sticker. Now done by CCTV and GPS.
Must admit I was browsing cars the other day considering what older car I'd get as a fun 2nd car if i could and i did have a look at these. I think they are cute and different. Always good in my book. 😊👍
An old friend of mine called it 'silver cloud' were people try to match silver paint with an rattle can.
Odd that of the retros like the Mini and the 500 you would think this, the venerable Beetle, would sell like hotcakes but here in Au they just never took off. (There's very good reasons the PT Cruiser didn't float. Ugly just doesnt sail)
PT cruiser was rubbish full stop.The beetles big negative was it's front placed water cooled engine .
@@LOTPOR0402 Believe or not the PT still commands reasonable coin here in Au. Buggered if I know why but it does.
I have a 2002 TDI beetle :) had it 8 years, just passed it’s mot with no advisory’s, even tow a very small caravan with it! It just keeps going and going.
I’m sure that’s the 100Bhp PD, as it’s identical to mine
I didn't think the 90hp engine was used after 2002...
Fantastic I’ll enjoy watching this while having breakfast.
Same :)
@@nikonordman7624 Same
Lol. Same!
I drove the second gen 'new' beetle and its windows were way smaller so visibility wasn't great. It was heavy but that made it a smooth rider as well as slow (with a 1.6 tdi motor).
The cup holders slide to towards the passenger to make one of them slightly more useable for tall drinks.
Great, informative video. It is an amazing design. All flush glass, flush lights, and finished wheel wells. They put in the details that they didn't have to.
I thought Jaguar started the retro-style with the magnificent S type well before the Beetle came on the scene. As for the dreaded 'Black Box' am totally with you as it has to be the worst way to learn to drive, it builds too much tension for you to be able to relax into the car and enjoy the act of driving. Good video on a car I dislike with a passion. Nice one Matt.
When did the PT Cruiser come out? :)
Dogs better than cats? Them's fightin' words.
It's not bad, sir, but it is powered by the Forbidden Fuel, and therefore I wouldn't be able to talk about it on my channel...
The first one I ever saw here in Sussex was a red left hand drive one on Florida plates. Amazingly, it's still around today on a UK S plate and still looking just like new!
when they first came out the UK RHD ones came out a year later than LHD and were priced at 4 grand more. so lots of early buyers bought LHD ones. i bought one new in 1998, LHD french registered, I took the first test drive for the first car the dealership got, i was that keen. I still have one, 23 years later, i will never sell it.
The rear engined ones seem to be worth a small fortune if the net is anything to go by, iconic car .
I’m very pleased that it’s not in that awful green but otherwise I do like the Beetles in general, getting rare now!
An old girl friend of mine used to call them a 'bumdermobille'. No idea what she meant but I never thought of buying one.
I love these cars and am considering picking one up as a cheap commuter car. I notice that the plater Luna models don’t have air con as standard. I guess with all of that glass, air con is a must. Might try to find a 1.9tdi as they are bomb proof.
I had a couple of the original VW Beetles I could never get on with the styling of the remake.
Hopefully these will be a future classic. My mother bought one new in 2001 and has done a meager 36000 miles. Sadly only a 1.6 engine but these are rare cars now. I'd love a V5 with the 170 hp engine
Why not a RSi 3.2 one?
@@GoldenCroc they are collectables now and worth a small fortune
@@theodorbean2604 Yeah, I know. Just wondering if there was any particular reason except cost. Also one with the Audi s3 motor might be nice if you want to tune and go real fast. Could be a laugh.
Mr Furious, youre making me feel bad for having not slept yet. some late morning viewing ticked off then aha...
Nice to see a review in the good old lark field rec
Always been a fan of these bugs. Big fan of all the modern retros.
New Beetle has 20 years or more, its almost a retro car
I think this car was rightly derided, its an anti-tardis and I think price wise didn't compare favourably with an equivalent Golf, so you could really work out how much you were paying for styling and loss of practicality. But I will say that now the styling has a certain simplicity about it which I like, particularly now with all the complex lines and creases cars like to have. Good video on a car you don't hear much about.
RE AutoDoc, I have used them in the past, pretty pleased on the whole (service is good although did get some inferior parts), however right now, I have over £300 of parts in my basket but am very reluctant to checkout as I know they are based in Europe, and I do not want to he landed with another bill for VAT and customs etc. I wonder if you could find out what the situation is? (or am I wrong and they have a base in the uk?), what would be best is if you could make a video, because I am sure I am not the only one worrying about this issue right now.
“Dogs are better.” Truer words have never been spoken.
Don't think I'd want a black box in my car either. Mainly because it hasn't exactly been all that idle during lockdown.
Nice video, Have they increased the headroom in the back as I am only 5 foot 4 and my head was touching the roof when I got in the back of one of these a few years ago.
Apparently in just post war Germany the original beetles were very popular with smugglers because with a front boot full of contraband they could still outrun the willy's jeeps of the occupation forces 2 out 10 tea shelf not good
7:52 "Not ideal for disposing of things" next sentence "And this was one of the major criticisms of the Beetle when it came out"
A lot of mafia hippies looking to buy this car? :)
Just like my wife old one she got a newer one now its a 1.2tsi she loves is brill video keep up the good work
Secretly always admired the styling.
Hi I liked this video the older cars are the best. 80s 90s and early 2000s wear the year s that the old style cars wemt out i own a 2000 k11 nissan micra I'm currently working on the down side in London is the ULEZ extension is going to make people get rid of the older cars
Great video keep up with the good
The New Beetle design was not so successful as it was the Mini and Fiat 500 revival. More than twenty years later, it's possible to see that it didn't get better. And that version with an old diesel engine don't improve in anyway the appeal of the car. Nevertheless, it was a good idea to review it to make sure that some cars don't resist to the time.
I feel the same way about this car as I do about my Daughter's modern Mini Cooper. Like most people, I can only afford to keep one car on the road, so it has to be practical and this and the Mini are anything but.
The only thing going for said Mini is its four-wheel drive and the Beetle hasn't even got this.
So great for posing in, but useless for carrying anything other than the nuclear family.
But it's not a _proper_ Beetle. If it ain't got a rear-mounted air-cooled flat-four, it ain't no Beetle!
Not proper, but new ;)
A good friend of mine had one of these - a 2001 model, for about 12 years - apparently it was pretty reliable until various sensors started to fail and it got expensive to maintain. After a lifetime of VWs it might have been a last straw......he now drives a Honda! I also remember the rear headroom being poor - when these were first shown at the motor show I remember watching someone repeatedly trying to brain a rear passenger while trying to close the tailgate.......
"when these were first shown at the motor show I remember watching someone repeatedly trying to brain a rear passenger while trying to close the tailgate......." That's funny!
8 out 10 for horn test 😆 👍
Sister had a bug like that had nothing but trouble with it ,sold it after 18 months .
Used to drive hundreds of the beetle from the ship back in 2016 good cars .
I will try that autodoc. I have a peugeot 306 Mercedes w202 Morris ital estate
Probably the Americans designed in 18 Cup holders and then the German contingent remove them all while finalising the specification, reluctantly sticking in two teeny tiny ones for Italians to enjoy their expresso while blasting that raspy horn in traffic. Wonder if the Italian Market got the Black Box?
I wouldn't have one of those black boxes if you paid me!
Nice golf
Hi Matt,great video,test drive a New Beetle.being a diesel power is there after the foot done on the accelerator.are they still around on the road.?
You forgot to mention the bane of all Golfs...., the electrical issues.
Have to watch after we come back from shopping.
Well, it took me three attempts to finish this one, interrupted by nieghbour. I guess the VR6 would be fun but a bit too much of a fasion statement for me.
Black box! See, getting older is not a bad thing really.
Had a 1.8 Turbo brilliant car very quick car for only have 150 bhp
Good one Matt. Funky car.
Black Boxes are the work of the Devil
I never liked the styling of this generation. The "new new beetle" on the other hand is a much more refined car.
For real. This sucks. The last beetle looked good for what it was
If you can't stash a victim....I mean a washing machine in the boot what's the point?🤔
I always disappoint myself when I can't get stuck inside a boot :(
Sorry, never got warm for the Beetle.
13:31 HONK! HONK!
It's like a not very good Golf with less space.
That dash looks like it needs an introduction to some diamondbrite products 😉
or an electric sander!!
Amazing video!!!! This is my dream car!!! Since this is going to be first car should buy a Volkswagen Beetle from the 2000’s or a new year Volkswagen Beetle?
My mil used to have one of these but the convertible. Felt as if the car weighed about 5 ton and the wheezy 2 litre engine in hers couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. I think there was a limited run turbo or vr6 engined one with a bodykit on that looked OK
Did you ever do a New Fiat 500? 🤔 I think we need that, preferably an Abarth 😊
Love this car but American reviews talk about too much reliability problems; whats a black box? Thank you for the review!
Well, that's because Americans are used to Toyota and Honda small cars that don't break much. Same goes in Australia and lots of other parts of the world. :)
Morgan Freeman 😂, well he did play God in a movie 🤔 so designing cars in his spare time is nothing. Does this mean Matt your gonna become all organised and on top of all those little easy jobs ? That surprise, surprise always end up giving you such a headache 🤕, Keep doing what your doing mate , you always put a smile on my face .
You forgot the daddy of them all Mat, whilst talking VW, golf platforms etc you didn't mention my Audi TT 😥
I forgive you 😯
Fun car, but the interior is such a let down. Looks and feels cheap. I've serviced quite a lot of these cars in the early '00s. After a few years the craze was over in my region. Most people bought it as an impulse, and after a few years they where glad to get rid of it. Interior space, was the biggest criticism. I had one for a week as a loaner while I was tinkering with my own car. A 1.8T Highline, was a fun drive for a week. Great video, enjoyed it Matt. It needs some love, doesn't look as sharp as it used to do.
I got a ad for the new vw ID.3 before this video lol
hard to park|? yeah - try an 09 Insignia - Ray Charles reversing mode engaged
i like them, you see so few.
That insurance black box reminds me of an eppisode from the Black Mirror. >:(
Black boxes are utterly stupid. Brake hard to avoid hitting someone who cuts you up or accelerate hard to not be a serious danger joining a motorway and your insurance punishes you. But yet if you write off a car in place of every time you would otherwise brake or accelerate 'hard' (they're often over sensitive on top of that) and they like you even less. Dashcams are much better for showing how someone drives, but if an incident occurs and the insurer's client isn't at fault they have to admit that when they see the footage and can't make an excuse to rip them off after it.
I had an app equivalent for my first year, one corner I took on a daily commute was always flagged for harsh cornering. Even slowing to 10 mph when turning off the very busy A road, nearly getting rear-ended on various occasions, it still flagged me for harsh cornering! Slightly over 90 degree turn downhill off the outside of a cambered right hand bend. Thanks to stuff like that (and a slightly lead right foot), despite not having a single incident to contact insurance over, unlike a lot of 17 year olds if you believe the stats, because I scored something like 40 out of 100 that insurer wouldn't insure me for another year. Unfortunate for them that I haven't had any incidents since, but the 'little halo clients' that have never exceeded the limits or braked or accelerated hard in the same 4 and a half years have probably totalled 3 cars already and still have no idea what they're doing wrong vs someone who does drive fast but learns from emergency response driver training videos how to do so safely.
Apologies for the rant. If I had the resources I'd overhaul driving in the UK. Legal incompetence wouldn't go unpunished.
is there a quick version of these, i want a fast one .
RSI
My car, but in metallic gray. Leather interior.
Superb review
Ne, cats are better
why are there no beetles on the road now .any more even new ones .
The 1.9 TDI is the only 4 cylinder diesel I like. All others are rubbish.
Toyota 1KZ 😁
Best diesel engine vw made.
What every budding Angela Chancellorette was driving in the naughties . (rolling zee eyes)