2012 Volkswagen Beetle Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by DLFitzh2o

Driving position & visibility

I selected this car because I'd had some difficulty when I was trying out cars to purchase my first after only having done car share services and borrowed cars previously this was the one that was a cinderella fit me perfectly with minimal adjustments. I am approximately 5'5" but I have long legs and shortish arms, so finding a car where I could get pedals comfy and steeringwheel comfy was difficult.

Exterior styling

I chose it because I love the look of the Bug.

Cargo capacity

For a Tiny car it has a Surprising amount of room. With caveats that "I only had a bug" I wasable to help out with a friends move recently stuffing my trunk full.

Rear seat room & comfort

The rear seat is also surprisingly roomy. My 6'2" father was able to sit comfortably in the back for ~30 min hops around town.

Powertrain performance

Love sport mode for when I'm having to get up to speed to merge with traffic. It's then easy to pop it back into normal drive for cruising.

Exterior styling

Biggest down side is design of the windows/door. Without a top frame on the door the window has to slide up and down when you open and close the door. A couple times this winter (I park on the street in Minnesota) the windows froze in one position. Car was still drivable, doors would close and register as closed but potential for leaks as the windows would be outside the gaskets. A solid scraping with the Scraper could sometimes solve it.

Driving position & visibility

Rear window has no wiper, in winter only option is to run the defroster to clear light ice and snow. And no way to clear rain and water blow back while driving.

Ride smoothness

Without any fiddling (read aftermarket shocks) theshort stature gives it a rougher ride than other sedans, but it is not like riding in an old truck or smart car.

Overall I am pleased with the car and would if a solo person or small family liked the styling of it recommend it. However, this is a car for people who want to be distinctive without a high pricetag. I get nothing but compliments on it when people see me with it and often have people reminiscing with me about their First bugs from the early days of the car.

The flaws I mentioned are for the most part minor inconvienences. (review written after approx 1 year of ownership)