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Gone is the syrupy-cute, large-bubble-eating-a-smaller-bubble look, replaced by a design with a flatter, lower roof, a flatter, longer hood, and tauter sheetmetal that looks like someone popped a pressure-relief valve and bled off a couple dozen psi.
The dashboard and instrument cluster are quite attractive, looking both purposeful and chic, and, Volkswagen claims, evocative of the original Bug.
Gone is the Astrodome roof line. Gone is the push-me pull-you front-to-rear symmetry. Gone is the arcing windshield covering a dash so broad you could play foosball on it.
At one point – strike us dead for it – we found ourselves looking through the camera's viewfinder, only to get an impression in our mind that wouldn't go away. Looking up from the camera and staring at the Beetle's profile, we whispered, "PT Cruiser."
the 2013 Beetle convertible wears its harder, more chiseled exterior lines well, and the roofline with the top in place connotes seriousness more than frivolity.
STYLING | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
Gone is the syrupy-cute, large-bubble-eating-a-smaller-bubble look, replaced by a design with a flatter, lower roof, a flatter, longer hood, and tauter sheetmetal that looks like someone popped a pressure-relief valve and bled off a couple dozen psi.
Car and Driver
The dashboard and instrument cluster are quite attractive, looking both purposeful and chic, and, Volkswagen claims, evocative of the original Bug.
Motor Trend
Gone is the Astrodome roof line. Gone is the push-me pull-you front-to-rear symmetry. Gone is the arcing windshield covering a dash so broad you could play foosball on it.
Inside Line
At one point – strike us dead for it – we found ourselves looking through the camera's viewfinder, only to get an impression in our mind that wouldn't go away. Looking up from the camera and staring at the Beetle's profile, we whispered, "PT Cruiser."
Autoblog
the 2013 Beetle convertible wears its harder, more chiseled exterior lines well, and the roofline with the top in place connotes seriousness more than frivolity.
Automobile
The previous-generation New Beetle, on the other hand, was decidedly feminine--right down to the bud vase in the dash. This time around, Volkswagen hopes to find a balance that keeps the fans of the previous "chick car" while bringing in new buyers--mostly men.
A longer body, flatter roof line, wider haunches, and heritage details combine to give the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle a fresh-yet-classic look. The hood is flatter than the New Beetle's, and the windshield is set at a steeper pitch--which coincidentally eliminates the expansive sea of dashboard inside the cabin.
Sporty cues like the spoiler and graphics of the Turbo model, larger wheels (up to 19 inches), and xenon headlights help give the Beetle more edge, too. Special-edition models decked out in eponymous '50s, '60s, and '70s style offer a set of ready-made looks. Of the three, we find the wheels of the '50s models compelling, as well as the retro-chic Toffee Brown of the '70s models.
Inside, the cabin carries the exterior's heritage-meets-hip theme through to body-color plastic panels (optionally carbon fiber-look on Turbo models), a simple but clean button and center-stack layout, and gauges framed by a flat-bottom steering wheel. The upright feeling really captures the essence of the original, without looking like it's trying too hard.
Conclusion
More masculine in shape, and now available as a convertible, the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle cuts an iconic figure.
