Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet 1.9 TDI

Advantages:

The New VW Beetle Cabriolet 1.9 TDI is Is a comfortable, well contructed car with good visability out of the front of the vehicle. It is economical and half a tank of diesel (£20) lasts me on average 200+ miles. The interior is well designed and you get a real sense of space in the front, there is so much room they decided to add 2 cupholders! All the mod cons (air con, cd player, central locking, electric windows and a leather roof cover) come as standard.

It is when the sun comes out however that the Beetle really shines. you get a great sense of being outside and you remember why you paid that extra money for the cabriolet. The roof is electric (Except for the 1.4 model) making putting it up/down a simple, quick task and the optional wind deflector makes a fantastic difference when driving on larger roads. I would recomend paying the extra money for a wind deflector as it really does make that much difference, when the windows are up, it feels like the roof is too.

Disadvantages:

There are a number of things that niggle at me about the beetle. Firstly the car feels a little too heavy, it is slow to accelerate and if you like to feel the pull of a car you have to push high in each gear. I found the brakes in the Beetle are un-responsive and require a lot of force for quick breaking. Those cup holders I was talking about earlier, although handy when stationery, I am yet to find a bottle or can that stays in them when I turn a corner. There is no window controls in the back of the car so if you oftern give friends a lift, you will constantly be getting asked to open and close them. The visability out of the back of the car is poor all the time, when the roof is up you get a limited view through a small window and when the roof is down, it sits to high at the back of the car and you can't even see out of your rear view mirror properly.

If you have a family, then this is not for you as it has limited room in the back and even less in the boot. With the wind deflector and roof cover in the boot, you have almost no room for shoping etc I have to use my back seat.

Overview

A fun, stylish car that is a pleasure to drive at first, especially when the sun is out. Longer term you find there are some design flaws that will annoy you. If you enjoy crusing through town, making heads turn and generally limit yousrself to short trips then this is a good buy. Not ideal if you like fast cars however, whilst it is not what you would call a slow car, it feels sluggish and unresponsive at times.