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2003 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible Sub-Compact

MSRP Range: $20,000 to $27,000

Invoice Range: $19,600 - $26,000
Price Quote

MSRP As Tested: $25,550

Versions: GL 2.0, GLS 2.0, GLS 1.8T, GLX 1.8T

Vehicle Category: Sub-compact

Engine Location: Front Engine

Drive Wheels: Front-Wheel Drive

Engine As Tested: 2.0-liter, Single Overhead Cam, Inline 4-cylinder, 115-horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 126 lb-ft torque at up to 3,200 rpm. Optional 1.8-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, turbo-charged, inter-cooled, inline 4-cylinder, 150-horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 162 lb-ft torque at up to 4,200 rpm

Transmission As Tested: 5-Speed Manual. Optional 6-speed Automatic with Manual Shift Option

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 2.0-liter with 5-speed Manual - 24/30. 2.0-liter with 4-speed Automatic - 22/29.

Standard Safety Features: Driver and Front Passenger, front and side airbags, power 4-wheel disc brakes, Antilock Braking System, Electronic Brake Control

Competition: Acura RSX, Ford Mustang Convertible, Mazda Miata, Mitsubishi Eclipse Convertible, Mini Cooper, Pontiac Sunfire Convertible, Toyota Celica Convertible, Toyota MR2, Volkswagen Jetta Convertible,

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- This is too cool: Volkswagen's roly-poly New Beetle pops the top to forge a cute new convertible edition.

So we're rolling along palm-fringed Collins Avenue in Miami Beach with the top dropped on one New Beetle Convertible as warm sunlight splashes across a curvaceous car body tinted to Sundown Orange.

Sure, the vivid orange paint causes this Beetle to pop out on an asphalt road, although we notice that sidewalk spectators pay unusual attention as so many eyes follow this particular car with heads turning and fingers pointing as we pass by.

While pausing for a traffic signal at 16th Street, a pedestrian in the crosswalk eyes us and inquires: "Since when did the Beetle go convertible? Another on the sidewalk in front of Loews Hotel cuts to the bottom line: "How much is it and where can I get one?"

Rarely do we find a vehicle prompting such a stir on the streets, but the Beetle has always had a legion of fans, and so too did the original convertible variation.

Also, keep in mind that the bug's new convertible variation vaguely duplicates that round-top shape and image of the first drop-top Beetle.

However, this version is a contemporary interpretation wrought from the current New Beetle two-door coupe, with the top designed by Karmann Coachworks of Germany, the company that rigged the top for the original.

With its top raised, the convertible maintains the familiar arched roof of the New Beetle coupe, so the generous dimensions in a spacious cabin remain relatively the same. The fabric-lined top has three layers for insulation plus a rear window constructed from glass and imbedded with a defroster element.

The top opens and closes by either a manual mode or optional semi-automatic power. When the lid's down, it rests in a ring behind the rear seats and looks similar to the top-down style of the vintage Beetle convertible.

Automatic Rollover Supports (ARS) are also aboard. The secreted bars, positioned behind backseat headrests, will deploy instantaneously if on-board sensors detect potential vehicle rollover movement. Additional safety gear standard to the convertible includes frontal air bags and side-impact air bags tucked into outboard bolsters of the front bucket seats.

New Beetle as a convertible comes with a choice of four different trims and two engine options, manual or high-tech automatic transmissions plus the manual or semi-automatic pop-top operation. And it appears in eight vivid paint colors, including Mellow Yellow, Aquarius Blue, Sundown Orange, Galactic Blue and Reflex Silver.

Steering, a rack and pinion arrangement with power assistance, reacts quickly in linear fashion with a firm on-center feel. A tight turning radius enables the driver to whip through traffic or cut a quick U-turn in a parking lot.

Brakes, with a disc at every wheel, link to an anti-lock brake system (ABS) for straight-line stopping plus electronic brake control (EBC).

For power, the base engine is an in-line-four that displaces 2.0-liters and supports a single overhead cam. It produces 115-hp at 5,200 rpm and maximum torque of 126 lb-ft between 1,750 and 3,200 rpm.

Acceleration with the 2.0-liter plant can only be described as frisky. It's not world-class fast, understand, but far more than you might expect from a four-cylinder engine with the power curve capped at 115-hp.

Standard shifter is a five-speed manual but Volkswagen also offers a sophisticated electronic six-speed automatic rigged with Porsche's shift-it-yourself Tiptronic feature that works like a clutch-less manual.

The manual is decisive and notchy, but the automatic is very smooth and quiet, and not in the least obtrusive.

A second engine option for the drop-top Beetle feels downright zippy. The 1.8T is a dual-cam four-pack rigged with five-valve technology plus a turbo-charger and inter-cooler. Why add an inter-cooler?

The inter-cooler chills each specific charge of incoming air before it reaches the turbo-charger. Cooling the air increases the air density but also the amount of oxygen in the air. More oxygen condensed into a specific quantity of air enriches the mixture of oxygen and fuel that's required for combustion and ultimately generates more power with each cycle of ignition.

This process further extends the turbo-charger's efficiency and results in virtually no detectable lag in the timing between throttle depression and actual acceleration. What you end up with is lively throttle action.

Output rises to 150 hp at 5800 rpm, with torque also tall at 162 lb-ft between 2200-4200 rpm.

Both the five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions also work with the 1.8T plant. Additional high-tech vehicle controls appear with the 1.8T: Electronic differential locks (EDL), anti-slip regulation (ASR) and Volkswagen's electronic stabilization program (ESP).

The convertible's cockpit matches the slick and curvy look of the exterior. Stylists created the look and feel of high-tech German industrial design, with liberal applications of brushed aluminum, faux carbon-fiber and tactile rubber-coated metal. A deep strip on the interior side of each door sill matches the body color and carries that flavor inside.

The New Beetle convertible comes in trim versions labeled GL 2.0, GLS 2.0, GLS 1.8T and GLX 1.8T. All stock gear like air conditioning, exterior mirrors with power controls and heat elements, cruise control, power locks and windows and a ten-speaker stereo system. The GLS adds foglamps and the semi-automatic convertible top, while top trim GLX 1.8T shows leather upholstery and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rain-sensing windshield wipers and a Monsoon Audio System.

MORE DATA

Where Built: Mexico

Seating: 4

Number of Rows: 2

Crash Test Ratings:

  • NHTSA Frontal Impact/Driver Crash Test Rating: ****
  • NHTSA Frontal Impact/Passenger Crash Test Rating: ****
  • NHTSA Side Impact/Front Seat Crash Test Rating: *****
  • NHTSA Side Impact/Rear Seat Crash Test Rating: ***
  • NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating: To Be Determined
  • IIHS Frontal Offset Crash Test: rated Good accept for Restraints which rated Average.

Length in Inches: 161.1

Warranties: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, 12 years/unlimited miles corrosion, 5 years/60,000 mile powertrain, 4 years/50,000 miles free Roadside Assistance.

Weight in Pounds: 3,075

Towing Capacity in Pounds: Not Applicable

Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 14.5

Destination Charge: $575