Heming Feng same here. Whenever me and my sister would see one on the road we would try to yell out first “VOLKSWAGENBEETLE” and my dad would always get mad at us for blowing out his ears.
I was lucky enough to get a 5spd black 1985 VW cabriolet in 1994 durung my senior year in high school. Very similar in its configuration to this car, it was great sporty fun for me and my freinds to be quintessential suburban middle class teens in, and we knew it too. Such fun. It was not too fast, but I sure didn't drive it slow. The black paint and stick shift plus special black 5spoke Rabbit badged mag wheels with lo profile tires made it look just mean enough to not get too many comments that it was a girls car. Perfect for that time in my life, really. Plus I must say it increased my popularity and confidence exponentially. Good times. Truly I have never had a car since which was that fun to drive while also efficient, matching my wants and needs so well. It was almost a decade old at the time and I did replace the clutch and alternator during the couple years I had with it but it never once fully broke down left me stranded. I can't help but smile when remembering it, should have kept it longer.. Thanks Motorweek, I've been watching you since as far back as I can remember. Consistent and informative, I'm glad I've had you with me! Cheers.
I had a Convertible Super Beetle in high school, A couple summers ago, I donated the Sienna Van, I drove for 13 years (empty nester), and got a 2017 Convertible Beetle SE. The next one we see (and there WILL be a next one), will be electric. I give it another 10 years tops . . . . . and I'l buy one of those too.
Truth is the Jeep Wrangler consumed the lion's share of Beetle sales. Strange to think of them as competitors, but it makes sense for those looking for fun ~$30,000 convertibles primarily as a second car.
Carcaine You can get a Mustang for the same price convertible or nine convertible lmaoo Same for the Camaro, that alone should kill the sales of this car,,, And shit you can get a golf for the same price which is the platform it's based on
93remix, suspect the solution is to take an out-of-warranty Beetle with the TSi 2.0 and make the computer and suspension updates (the GTi / GLi are higher-output versions of the 2.0L and the R an even higher one, all being the same engine). ...oooor hunt down cars from the time when Beetles had the (200hp) GTi / GLi version of the TSi 2.0L (yes, at the time the choices were the NA-2.5L I5, the TDi 2.0L and the TSi 2.0L).
went through all MW tests of the New Beetle - Beetle. 0-60s from 6.6 to 11 seconds. 1.8 to 2.0 turbos 115 to 215 bhp... I did not know it had so many changes( not that I cared much) but dayum. Seems like VW didnt know which way to go.
Bye bye, Buggy......... As sad as I will be to see the Beetle go, & as much as I believe in the "If you built it, they will come" philosophy when it comes to cars, I have to admit that it was the Beetle's time to go for quite a while now. The problem is that the new version of the Beetle has mainly relied on its retro looks, & little else. It is no longer the cheap "people's car" that it once was, sadly. Maybe VW COULD try again with a version based on the European market Polo or Lupo, as I believe that there IS still a market for this type of car, even if it is only a niche one.
landyachtfan79, the thing of John stating "never say never" is that there are rumors a coupe version of the iD range of EV's (first off will be a Golf-sized / styled hatchback) will have Beetle styling, which would make for sort of a replacement for this one. The rate at which European governments are speeding the changeover to EV's will impede any new Beetle made on the Up! (replacement of the Lupo) or Polo platforms, as they will be ultimately replaced with the iD platform (ELB in Dub-speak), which is purposely built for EV apps (battery packs on the bottom and so for...).
The problem with these new Beetles is that the first gen was affordable but horribly unreliable (wife had one so this is experience speaking). The second gen was grossly overpriced. Between the two, no wonder the hype died down and never came back. Had VW priced this second gen Beetle about $5K lower, they would have sold a heck of a lot better.
We're heading into a large market of small EV vehicles that is almost tailor made for the Beetle. The market demand for an EV Beetle will be through the roof if VW gets the design right.
Volkswagen did it to themselves! If the 1998-2011 beetles were not such pieces of crap when the 2012 bottle came out it would have really sold. Bought 2 new beetles between 2998-2011 and they were made cheaply, had severe maintenance and reliability issues they all were no good by 100k. And VW charges very high prices for replacement parts that were ridiculous.
I'm not saying it's a good thing but it's happening. Honda stopped making the Accord coupe. Kia doesn't have the Forte Koup anymore and I think the Golf two-door is gone from the US market. I'm wondering if the Civic coupe will be gone when the next generation comes out.
The new Beetle momentum may have been maintained if Volkswagen head tried a little harder to work out all of its many many many many bugs. The car remains and electrical nightmare with one of the most unreliable automatic transmissions on the market. Air conditioning and bad infotainment systems add to the list of it's many trouble spots. It's sad for nostalgic reasons that it's going away but I've never known anyone who's ever owned one that would even consider buying a second
Aye John! What do you know about stoplight GrandPrixs?! I bet that you are too scared to do a big smokey burnout in a Dodge Challenger!..........................OMG,I hope that he takes this bait.....
If it only had been as lean looking and well proportioned as the Concept 1 prototype Beetle. I really wanted one, but lost interest as soon as the 3rd prototype was presented in Wolfsburg. It looked very much like the series production New Beetle, and it was obvious that VW had messed up the initial concept. Considering the success of the New Mini and the Fiat 500, it must be embarrassing for VW to acknowledge how badly they failed with the Beetle. Done right, it would probably be the best selling retro car of all.
I would buy this beetle as a hard top GTI VR6. Or I’m hoping for a Scirroco to come to North America. Again VR6. Are u listening Volkswagen???!!! Otherwise I’m going Camaro in 3 years from now.
Haaaatttteeee the DRL lights on these, it looks like someone is staring at they’re nose. Also the price for that money there are waaaaay better options.
The Beetle will be back, I have no doubt about it
LngVly22, wait to pay more and "plug it in" as would be an iD-based EV.
It will be back as an EV
2022 and it's still not back
2024@@yogaqueen1527
I don't' know why i keep watching these videos; i know how awesome the beetle is. Oh yeah, because i don't have one.
I remember when it first came out in 1998 when I was in elementary school. Lots of kids were excited by it.
Heming Feng same here. Whenever me and my sister would see one on the road we would try to yell out first “VOLKSWAGENBEETLE” and my dad would always get mad at us for blowing out his ears.
I was lucky enough to get a 5spd black 1985 VW cabriolet in 1994 durung my senior year in high school.
Very similar in its configuration to this car, it was great sporty fun for me and my freinds to be quintessential suburban middle class teens in, and we knew it too.
Such fun. It was not too fast, but I sure didn't drive it slow. The black paint and stick shift plus special black 5spoke Rabbit badged mag wheels with lo profile tires made it look just mean enough to not get too many comments that it was a girls car. Perfect for that time in my life, really. Plus I must say it increased my popularity and confidence exponentially.
Good times.
Truly I have never had a car since which was that fun to drive while also efficient, matching my wants and needs so well. It was almost a decade old at the time and I did replace the clutch and alternator during the couple years I had with it but it never once fully broke down left me stranded. I can't help but smile when remembering it,
should have kept it longer..
Thanks Motorweek,
I've been watching you since as far back as I can remember.
Consistent and informative,
I'm glad I've had you with me!
Cheers.
The Beetle will return in full Hippie electric mode
Groovy!
You can tell Ben is loving that thing
I have a feeling the VW Beetle will be back some day. (fingers crossed 🤘)
I've always wanted a convertible beetle in red or white. Hopefully, ill have one next year.
Bree Wright hey it’s been a year, did u get one??😂
@@katelynxxx269 hehehe no!
I had a Convertible Super Beetle in high school, A couple summers ago, I donated the Sienna Van, I drove for 13 years (empty nester), and got a 2017 Convertible Beetle SE. The next one we see (and there WILL be a next one), will be electric. I give it another 10 years tops . . . . . and I'l buy one of those too.
Truth is the Jeep Wrangler consumed the lion's share of Beetle sales. Strange to think of them as competitors, but it makes sense for those looking for fun ~$30,000 convertibles primarily as a second car.
Carcaine You can get a Mustang for the same price convertible or nine convertible lmaoo Same for the Camaro, that alone should kill the sales of this car,,, And shit you can get a golf for the same price which is the platform it's based on
I 💘 all the Beetles..
Color i like olive green.
If they would have made an "R" edition like they kept promising, it may would have shared the GTi's success.
The Beetle is leaving, for now.
This harshes John's mellow.
Left the corral open a bit too long.Used to have 200 horses now down to 174.
They shoulda put the GTI or GLI engine in that. I know they made a turbo but if they added more performance, maybe it woulda sold more
93remix, suspect the solution is to take an out-of-warranty Beetle with the TSi 2.0 and make the computer and suspension updates (the GTi / GLi are higher-output versions of the 2.0L and the R an even higher one, all being the same engine).
...oooor hunt down cars from the time when Beetles had the (200hp) GTi / GLi version of the TSi 2.0L (yes, at the time the choices were the NA-2.5L I5, the TDi 2.0L and the TSi 2.0L).
went through all MW tests of the New Beetle - Beetle. 0-60s from 6.6 to 11 seconds. 1.8 to 2.0 turbos 115 to 215 bhp... I did not know it had so many changes( not that I cared much) but dayum. Seems like VW didnt know which way to go.
Bye bye, Buggy......... As sad as I will be to see the Beetle go, & as much as I believe in the "If you built it, they will come" philosophy when it comes to cars, I have to admit that it was the Beetle's time to go for quite a while now. The problem is that the new version of the Beetle has mainly relied on its retro looks, & little else. It is no longer the cheap "people's car" that it once was, sadly. Maybe VW COULD try again with a version based on the European market Polo or Lupo, as I believe that there IS still a market for this type of car, even if it is only a niche one.
landyachtfan79, the thing of John stating "never say never" is that there are rumors a coupe version of the iD range of EV's (first off will be a Golf-sized / styled hatchback) will have Beetle styling, which would make for sort of a replacement for this one.
The rate at which European governments are speeding the changeover to EV's will impede any new Beetle made on the Up! (replacement of the Lupo) or Polo platforms, as they will be ultimately replaced with the iD platform (ELB in Dub-speak), which is purposely built for EV apps (battery packs on the bottom and so for...).
What the official name of the wheels? I try to find fit in my T6
I agree with making it an EV. It actually looks like one
smply amzng I agree that the Bug should have died with an aircooled engine
They should definitely make a electric one!
2019 last year of VW Beetle. VW Beetle 1998-2019
The problem with these new Beetles is that the first gen was affordable but horribly unreliable (wife had one so this is experience speaking). The second gen was grossly overpriced. Between the two, no wonder the hype died down and never came back.
Had VW priced this second gen Beetle about $5K lower, they would have sold a heck of a lot better.
Yup price is a big factor. The original beetle was a cheap and cheerful, economy car.
Give it a few years it will be back
Owned a 66, 68 and 70 Beetle, 03, 05 (turbo) and now drive 00 new beetle. Why?
It has the 2.0T but it's DOWNgraded to 174hp?? WTF? Why not just use the 1.8T that has similar output and better mpg? Seems like a really stupid move.
01:58 80s on 8 on the SiriusXM...seems appropriate for MW. Most of the episodes I watch are from that decade.
The only beetle I miss is the original one they don’t make em like they used too !
We're heading into a large market of small EV vehicles that is almost tailor made for the Beetle. The market demand for an EV Beetle will be through the roof if VW gets the design right.
At 3:06 someone obviously prefers bees over beetles.
3:05 i'm not sure whether that's the intended use.....
Volkswagen did it to themselves! If the 1998-2011 beetles were not such pieces of crap when the 2012 bottle came out it would have really sold. Bought 2 new beetles between 2998-2011 and they were made cheaply, had severe maintenance and reliability issues they all were no good by 100k. And VW charges very high prices for replacement parts that were ridiculous.
bring back the RR Beetle
People don't want 2 doors anymore unless it's a performance/sports car
we don't know people's choices!!!!!!
I'm not saying it's a good thing but it's happening. Honda stopped making the Accord coupe. Kia doesn't have the Forte Koup anymore and I think the Golf two-door is gone from the US market. I'm wondering if the Civic coupe will be gone when the next generation comes out.
mebbe when i can fully retire, i'll have some GTH money to spare.
The new Beetle momentum may have been maintained if Volkswagen head tried a little harder to work out all of its many many many many bugs. The car remains and electrical nightmare with one of the most unreliable automatic transmissions on the market. Air conditioning and bad infotainment systems add to the list of it's many trouble spots. It's sad for nostalgic reasons that it's going away but I've never known anyone who's ever owned one that would even consider buying a second
I've had 2. One in 1985 (used), and another in 2017. I love it and Ive never had any problems with it.
once they killed the manual option, that was it..
At first I thought this video was from 1998 ...
I have a feeling that this goodbye is permanent.
That gas mileage MPG seems suspect to me...
Still if this were the last car on earth.. I would still buy it .. over ..all these boring to drive ..under powered crossovers.. I don’t get lol..
I agree at least these cars have character. Now everyone just drives don't the street in a box on wheels that looks like every other one.
Aye John! What do you know about stoplight GrandPrixs?! I bet that you are too scared to do a big smokey burnout in a Dodge Challenger!..........................OMG,I hope that he takes this bait.....
Who is her she's pretty tell me what her name cause that girl is cute looking in that beetle
If it only had been as lean looking and well proportioned as the Concept 1 prototype Beetle. I really wanted one, but lost interest as soon as the 3rd prototype was presented in Wolfsburg. It looked very much like the series production New Beetle, and it was obvious that VW had messed up the initial concept. Considering the success of the New Mini and the Fiat 500, it must be embarrassing for VW to acknowledge how badly they failed with the Beetle. Done right, it would probably be the best selling retro car of all.
Sorority chicks everywhere are wiping tears from their eyes.
Men can drive beetles - all it takes is a pair of balls 😊
I would buy this beetle as a hard top GTI VR6.
Or I’m hoping for a Scirroco to come to North America. Again VR6. Are u listening Volkswagen???!!!
Otherwise I’m going Camaro in 3 years from now.
But im a fan of it
Haaaatttteeee the DRL lights on these, it looks like someone is staring at they’re nose. Also the price for that money there are waaaaay better options.
Goodbye Beetle that wasn't worth saying the color and punching anyone over.
Really wanted one but a little older. Cream and black top
Hope it`s a final for once!!! Not even LED headlamps, it`s a mess!!!
Too bad the new Beetle was unreliable and poorly made, unlike its namesake.
Jeff Zekas too big, agressive, ugly, and I don't know. I think it should have died with the 2003 Mexican bug
@@akishot6735 Yep. I almost bought a Mexican Bug- guy in Texas was importing them. Decided to get a Subie instead.
@@jeffzekas Not a bad way to go either way
Buy buy BUG.
It is about time for WV to stop the beetle's production . Who would buy it when there is Golf ... ?
I did
Bee gone.
Finally it’s gone.
fastest k convertibile that ebeer lived
F
Chick car. What man would drive one of these?
First!
Nope.
@@1970HondaCL100 D'oh! Missed by 2 minutes.
SUPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!