by Connor Parks
2019 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo (owned by Elke Coenders)
How does a departing icon leave the most memorable legacy possible?
I was, admittedly, a little nervous about reviewing this thing. I expected to fully enjoy it (and I absolutely did), and it wasn’t any specific feature of the car that had me concerned. Rather, the notion that I’d be taking on quite possibly the greatest legacy nameplate in automotive history and summing it up into a few pages was daunting at best. This was, after all, a Beetle from the final model year of (arguably) the world’s most famous car, so how was I to fully encapsulate everything it meant to the car world? The answers, as I found, were more complicated than they might seem. Perhaps, I realised, this was more than just the last breath of a dying icon. Perhaps it was amazing for simply what it was.
Elke bought her 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo after saying goodbye to her dad’s former Cadillac ATS, a major change which she found sad at the time, but has come to adore now. She admitted very quickly that she “wasn’t that good of a driver” and started off the review by discussing a little incident in which she ran into a metal barrier at a gas station and had to pour hot water on the dent to buff it out. Elke, if that’s the worst thing you’ve done to the car after this long owning it, then I’ve seen much worse drivers in my time. She was specifically seeking a Beetle of any kind: being a huge fan of 60s Hippie culture, she had always found them charming, especially the previous generation (the “New Beetle”) of which she has a keychain. She appreciated the Beetle’s reliability, affordability, and strong gas mileage when reading reviews, and decided to spring on a new model rather than a used one as they were cheaper at the time due to supply chain shortages. It had 13,418 original miles at the time of the review, which is fantastic for a reliable six year old car.
All around, the A5 generation Volkswagen Beetle (sold from 2012 to 2019) is a great looking car, with cues from the original coinciding with new, sporty styling. Volkswagen faced the monumental task of designing something which maintained the flair and charm of the successful New Beetle, harkening back to the world-famous original, but adapting to modern design language and safety standards. Looking at this example, I believe they did so exceptionally well. The Turbo model runs on a turbocharged 2.0 litre inline 4, making a respectable 174 horsepower with a double overhead camshaft. The purr of the turbo is easily audible whenever you’re driving the car, and it makes for a wonderful sound both inside and out. The subtle chrome accents and cheeky round features everywhere make for a charming, contemporary design which makes it stand out from others in the segment. The trunk was opened by flipping up the huge rear VW logo, a feature I absolutely love. The only thing I found out of the ordinary regarding external features was its weirdly massive fuel door, yet even it added some whimsy to the design.
The Beetle’s interior, meanwhile, provided lots of interesting surprises. I’m about 5’10, and was expecting to feel cramped and tight in something so small, but the entire car (front and backseats) proved incredibly spacious. Headroom, legroom, and knee-room all around were more than ample, and even comfortable. Elke says her rear passengers complain sometimes, but I’d only worry about it on longer trips. There’s even small storage pockets where the rear doors would be. The trunk was surprisingly spacy and capable as well. Despite the seats being cloth, a strong leather smell fills the car from the small spot of leather on the dash, emblazoned with a “Beetle” logo. The rearview mirror is tiny but works well, and the door mirrors (controlled by a panel on the door) are a bit larger. Also on the door is a small light which indicates whether the doors are locked or not, something I haven’t seen on similar models in this segment. Everything is manual inside: from both front seat controls, to the key (no button, just a regular insert-key), to the head/taillights, to the lock and unlock feature. There’s a strange pocket in between the visor mirrors that should be able to fit a pair of sunglasses, but for some reason doesn’t: no idea what it’s there for. By far my biggest complaint were the climate controls: although the system was great, the dials themselves were difficult to manipulate and read confusingly, which caused a little trouble along the way. The infotainment system (which proudly displays “Welcome to Your Beetle” upon entering) is also a little outdated: not on par with more luxurious vehicles of the time, or even Japanese models in the same segment, but doing a decent job for an economy car. The backup camera and audio system in particular worked excellently.
It had been a while since I’d driven something as small and sporty as the Beetle Turbo before I got in Elke’s, which made me all the more excited to experience it for myself on an open road where I could really put it to the test. I soon came to realise one thing in particular: this thing is phenomenally easy to get carried away with quickly! Immediate acceleration is mediocre up until about 10-15 mph, but when the turbo kicks in, it audibly wakes up and jolts to action. Going down a rural two-lane road, I laughed and smiled as it went from 45, to 55, to 65, to 70 before I could even process what was happening. Slowing down for a curve causes it to take a breath to get back up to speed, but as soon as you do, it’s off to the races again. The suspension was some of the best I’ve ever felt, which is surprising given how small of a car it is compared to most I’ve driven. Even significant potholes and grooves felt basically nonexistent at any speed, something I appreciated more than almost anything else. It grips like a champ, and handling (especially in quicker, tighter curves) was nearly perfect. The brakes are barely touchy at first, but after you get up to a reasonable speed they have just the right level of responsiveness.
In short, this unassuming, cheeky little hatchback is so much more than just an economy car: it’s the swansong of a global giant since the 1940s, fading into the slow death of the sedan/coupe market with an underappreciated final iteration. I’d be more than happy to daily drive one of these. Despite the out-of-date tech, it’s reliable and fun enough for me to know I’d enjoy it constantly. With almost all examples on the used market sitting at less than $20,000, it’s also a fantastic deal if you’re looking for something with more personality than a base model Golf or Jetta. Will the A5 Beetle become a future classic like the New Beetle has become? As of now, I have my unfortunate doubts: there just doesn’t seem to be as much of a cult following around them as VW really would’ve wanted. Throughout the review, I kept on asking myself what this final version of the Beetle would mean for public memory of the entire marque. Incredibly difficult shoes to fill, if you ask me. Yet as time went on, I realised that an alternative arose. Whatever the A5 Beetle ends up meaning in terms of the entire car’s history, I believe
people need to start taking it seriously as an enjoyable, driveable car aside from it being the last Beetle. If you put aside expectations and just enjoy this thing for all it is- a sporty, economic, reliable, and generally fantastic commuter car- it’ll surpass your best expectations. From drive height, to ride comfort, to speed, it excels at what so many others in the segment get wrong.
For every car that exists, there’s someone to fit it perfectly, and I believe Elke does that with her Beetle. Much as the world said goodbye to the long-beloved Vee-Dubya Bug with this great final generation, full of panache, so we say a difficult goodbye to our inspirational head editor who revived the mighty Cento from the ground up. Whatever legacy the Beetle leaves, it pales in comparison to the one she leaves behind for our entire publication. Thanks, Elke!
Want to see your ride featured? Feel free to submit it by contacting connor.parks@centre.edu. Drive safe!