2012 Volkswagen Beetle vs. Its Competition

Martin Padgett Editorial Director

It's very difficult to peg the Beetle's competition, given its halo-car status and its automotive ancestry.

If you're shopping Beetle, you should also be shopping the MINI Cooper, a tidy little hatchback filled with more fun and better fuel economy than the Beetle manages, though with much less interior space and a much higher pricetag.

The Ford Mustang is closer on price, but its performance is significantly better than the Beetle--and so is its highway fuel economy, at least on V-6 versions.

Fashionistas and those into ritual scarification will look at the Nissan Juke with more understanding than we can muster, but they may be turned off by its stiff ride and poor gas mileage.

All would be reasonable options, but there's just one car that should really fear the Beetle: it's VW AG's own Audi TT, which bears a striking resemblance to the Beetle, though its more sophisticated running gear is priced far above the VW.