Old smoothy still groovy

Scotland on Sunday - August 5, 2001

In a world where cars can have the same banal appearance, and exude about as much character as the crass procession of soap stars that flicker on to our television screens and off again into oblivion, one vehicle remains guaranteed to put a smile on your face - the Volkswagen New Beetle.

Now, we're not talking about being laughed at here. While the Fiat Multipla tends to immediately send onlookers into hysterics, the Beetle is greeted by a friendly grin.

You could scarcely find a more conspicuous mode of transport than its domed body and retro-modern, glossy curves. And while people may point in amazement, there is no ridiculing. Volkswagen's Beetle remains a

class act.

Whether you decide to buy it out of nostalgia (it's uncanny how it captures the mood of the air-cooled chugger while still looking every bit a modern VW) or just because it has struck a vital chord and you simply have to have one, this car is a convincing and stylish package.

Pop your head into the engine bay - look under the bonnet these days, and don't be embarrassed by delving into the boot, where the original had its unit stashed - and you will discover the 2.0-litre, 115bhp engine and five-speed gearbox, which is straight out of the Golf GTi.

Performance does not match the GTi, but it's a different animal, and it doesn't have to. The Beetle takes 10.9 seconds to proceed from 0-62mph (a Golf GTi will do it in 9.0) and it runs out of steam at 115mph, 8mph short of the hatch's maximum. Although the engine has the flexible, mid-range pull typical of an eight-valve unit, because it has considerably more weight to move in the Beetle than the Golf, acceleration in each gear is usually slower.

The Beetle is also thirstier, covering 32.5 miles on a gallon around our touring route against a GTi's 40.3. But how many smiling glances do you get when travelling in a Golf GTi? There are plus points beyond its distinctive curves - and I have watched envious hands being passed over these...

While it might not be as fast as the GTi, in many ways it delivers a better drive. The curvy shape and the relatively-small door apertures (particularly the hatch to the little boot) lend the body a rigidity of which the engineers have taken advantage, making the domed creature less floppy than a Golf over uneven roads or heading into corners.

Inside the cabin, which resembles a coupe because of the knee-hugging rear space, there seem to be yards of headroom in the front. But even with the seat at its highest setting, you cannot see the front or rear extremities of the car.

Indeed, you learn to park with the indicators or lights on, using the reflection to give a reference point.

While Volkswagen's distinguishable air of a tightly-drawn, squeak-free, solid-feeling environment abounds, the shapes and features are unique to the Beetle.

It features a strip of body-colour metal along the top of the doors, a single round pod housing the three dials, aluminium bars in the three-spoke steering wheel, and a dog-daisy vase - a throwback to the Beetle's significant role in the hippie scene of three decades ago.

Sure, the Beetle isn't perfect, but as a statement it says more about the owner than any old pair of faded, flared jeans would ever do.

sent in by Pete Frost