Volkswagen Beetle Price in India
It was the year 2005 and I had just come out of a Planet M store with
a gleam in my eyes. In my hands, I had a brand new CD of Midtown
Madness 2 and I was dying to play it on my Compaq Presario. Quickly
installed the game and and found a yellow car that seemed quite
interesting. Yes, it was the second generation Volkswagen Beetle,
which I drove around merrily on the streets of San Fransisco, albeit
virtually. Times have changed since then and while I don’t possess
that CD of Midtown Madness any more, what I do have is a shiny white
Volkswagen Beetle standing in my parking. This is the third generation
of the cute hatchback and this time I’m driving it on the streets of
Mumbai. Let’s see whether the car really lives up to its hype or not.
STYLING AND DESIGN
The original Beetle had lived more than any other car has and when it
was time to say goodbye, it was replaced by a new, modern version. The
new version, though was contemporary in many aspects, it lacked the
charm and simplicity of the original. It appealed to women instantly
and initially sold decent volumes. However, it got a particular gender
focused and hence male buyers were not too keen on this car. This time
though Volkswagen aims to change that perception by making the Beetle
more muscular and mean looking, thereby adding a masculine undertone
to the car, to make it appeal universally.
The styling of the all-new Beetle leans towards the sporty side and is
a luxurious car too, unlike the original Beetle. In fact, at a glance
one might mistake it for a Porsche, from the front. The car is now
chunkier while keeping the basic design elements similar like the
rounded front with oval headlamps, bulging fenders, sloping roof and
the flattish rear. The taillamp is now elongated and the boot has a
large and prominent spoiler, making it look sportier. The car also
seems to be flatter from the top. The sharper lines and sporty looks
are sure to make it much more appealing to a wider audience.
CABIN
There are some very obvious retro touches, particularly the upright
dashboard finished in the same colour as the exterior. It houses a
tiny novelty old-fashioned glovebox, but the real one sits below it.
You’ll also like the round, hooded instrument cluster and the rather
unique looking door grab handles. Trouble is, that’s about where the
‘retro’ stops, and the rest of the cabin borrows quite obviously from
the VW family parts bin, unlike its rival the Mini Cooper, which has a
largely bespoke cabin. One borrowed part we’re not complaining about
is the new touchscreen, which is VW’s latest unit. It’s crisp, smooth
and uses a high-resolution screen, and though it doesn’t have its own
sat-nav, it does come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which
should let you mirror your phone’s maps app.
The new shape has allowed this Beetle to be quite practical. Apart
from a very large boot, you get loads of room in the front and a
sufficient amount in the two rear bucket seats as well; only headroom
is a bit tight. Visibility all round is very good too, and it needs to
be, because the Beetle is deceptively wide. The car comes with a
healthy amount of equipment. Missing in action are electric seats and
a rear-view camera, but you do get front and rear parking sensors,
leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, push-button start and
engine stop-start, among other things, on this sole variant.
PERFORMANCE
Internationally, the New Volkswagen Beetle comes with four engine
options. Of these the one that will make it to India is the 150PS
4-cylinder 1.4-litre TSI engine. This unit comes mated to a 7-speed
DSG transmission. Twist the key and the car comes to life with a sweet
sound. It isn’t the quickest off the line, but felt fairly comfortable
cruising at 140kmph on the autobahn. However, post that it does tend
to take longer to gain speeds and needs a long straight to reach its
top speed. We have always loved the way the 7-speed DSG from VW
performs and in this new Beetle it is no different. Shifts are butter
smooth even when you take matters in your hands with the paddle
shifters.
RIDE AND HANDLING
Ride quality is simply brilliant and we were in for a pleasant
surprise after driving the Beetle. Our highway blasts revealed that
the Beetle felt well-planted and it impressed us with the silent, flat
and absorbent ride. Its only when speeds fell that the car began to
show a slight stiffness over bigger undulations but it always feels
comfortable. What brings an even bigger smile to your face is when you
learn that the Beetle’s ground clearance makes a no-brainer out of
almost every kind of speed breaker. While the steering is mostly
accurate and feels well weighted, we would have appreciated better
feedback as it tends to feel numb around the dead centre. This also
means that it’s not very confidence inspiring for spirited driving
around tight bends.
Book a Test Drive for Volkswagen Beetle
SAFETY
The 2016 Volkswagen Beetle comes with the usual safety tech that you
would expect in a car below the price segment that the Beetle is
positioned in. It gets 6 airbags, ABS, Hill Hold and ESP. That’s it.
However, the build quality on the whole is also good and the hatchback
even bagged a 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests. Talking
about after-sales, Volkswagen has a pretty bad reputation in this
regard and people generally don’t have a good perception about the
German automaker’s service standards.
BOTTOMKNE
As a car the new Beetle works really well and except for the so-so
cabin it is hard to fault this VW bug. But when you consider its
ridiculous Rs 28.7 lakh price-tag, this is just not enough and it has
to feel special too. As far as looks go, it certainly looks fantastic
and its iconic bug shape definitely turned heads wherever we went. But
what really disappointed us is the cabin, which in our eyes looks too
generic, especially when you get the Mini Cooper in the picture. It
doesn’t feel half as much fun to drive too. So for the money, you get
a piece of history which feels thoroughly modern but nothing more.
Apply Car Loan for Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle Ex Showroom Price in Pune ranges from 26,61,798/- (Beetle 1.4 TSI) to 26,61,798/- (Beetle 1.4 TSI) .Volkswagen Beetle has 1 Variants of Petrol are available in India. Volkswagen Beetle comes in 1 colours, namely Night Blue.