REVIEW: Volkswagen Beetle, a Classic that Never Gets Old

By Ammar Haziq  •  05 Sep 2019 in Features

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The Volkswagen Beetle, also known as “the people’s car”, is an icon that was first introduced back in 1938. Today, more than 80 years later, the Beetle is as relevant and cool as ever. So how did the Beetle maintain its relevance?

We soon found out, thanks to the good folks at Volkswagen Malaysia who passed us the Volkswagen Beetle Sport in Habanero Orange for a 7-day test run. Here’s what we think of the car…

An icon that never loses it’s touch

The Beetle got a facelift to give it that modern look without breaking away from its classic aesthetic. It’s still a curvy two door car, but with an added chrome featuring a new set of grilles, bi-xenon headlamps and 17-inch ‘Rotor‘ alloy rims to make it look tougher and more premium. It’s slightly bigger than its predecessors but not by a mile. It’s driver-centric, so the two seats in front are slightly bigger than the back, which means back-seat passengers have to make do with the limited leg room, but it makes up with a spacious trunk.

What makes the Beetle visually appealing on the outside is also shown on the inside. The retro-future interior matches the car’s colourway, with a combination of leather and fabric seats that feels premium, as you should when driving a VW car. Like the generations before it, the new Beetle will stand the test of time.

It comes with different variants – Tornado Red, Blue Silk, Habanero Orange and Pure White. Our favourite is definitely the colour poppin’ Habanero Orange that’s lowkey flexin’.

It runs smooth as it has back then, if not better

With an upgrade in aesthetics, The Beetle has some upgrades in its tech too. The Beetle is powered by a 1.2 litre four-cylinder TSI engine, paired with a 7-DSG gearbox and paddle shifters. You don’t have to choose between economy and performance because it’s a fast car that saves fuel.

The car also has 8 powerful speakers with nice sounding bass, with a user friendly 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment unit that’s super easy to operate. But just one thing… Where’s the keyless push start button?!

Final Verdict?

What the Beetle lacks in one area, it makes up in another. Nonetheless, the Beetle wasn’t designed to be powerful, but an everyday companion for the city and to be honest, we enjoyed the Beetle a lot.

But all good things must come to an end. Volkswagen has announced that the Beetle will cease production this year and there are not many units left. If you ever dream of driving this iconic car that makes you feel fancy and confident, you should definitely get it before it’s bye-bye forever.

The Volkswagen Beetle Sport starts at RM152, 390* and RM164,390* for the Collector’s Edition variant. For more information on the car and pricing list, head to www.volkswagen.my. Book a test drive now!