A cold spring in Maryland has kept us from enjoying the top down driving experience of this 2018 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2.0T Coast. So, with the top up, 1450 miles have passed by.
The 2.0-liter turbo-4 can surely tug this bug. You hear it, but it never sounds like it’s struggling. The 6-speed automatic triggers smooth shifts up and down. Steering is direct and pretty heavy for a VW.
Simple gauges give just the info we need… no more…no less. Three knobs make it easy to adjust climate while driving. Visibility out the rear window is tight… removing the rear headrests helps a lot.
So far we’ve averaged 31.4-miles-per-gallon of regular. And, we do plan on dropping the top if it ever gets warm!
Mileage: 2,650
They say patience is a virtue. We’re certainly learning that lesson with cold weather lingering in Maryland and a 2018 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2.0T Coast in our fleet.
While we haven’t dropped the top much yet… the tires have rolled over another 12-hundred miles. The 174-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo in-line 4 easily handles its duties and works well with the 6-speed automatic.
The simple gauges and controls generate compliments no matter who’s behind the wheel. The front seats are comfortable, but room in the back is tight… though that’s not surprising for a two-door compact.
We did experience a glitch in the dash electronics… but that eventually rebooted away.
So far we’ve averaged 29.7-miles-per-gallon of regular. That’s slightly better than what the Feds say.
We’re confident our patience will pay off… when warmer weather finally arrives… and we can turn up the fun factor with open air driving.
Mileage: 3,000
While excitement for the Volkswagen Beetle has waned from the mass hysteria that surrounded the “New Beetle’s” relaunch for 1998, it’s still the world’s cutest car.
And we’ve been pining for warmer weather to take advantage of our 2018 Beetle Convertible and we’ve had plenty of that lately! Though we’ve mostly kept our trips short, as we’ve put just 3,000-miles on it so far, in the 3-months that it’s been in our care.
Its convertible top has been at the center of the majority of our logbook comments. Both from people not used to the typical convertible blind spots-our Beetle is about average-and from the impatient ones that don’t like waiting for the window to drop down to clear the top when you pull the door handle; as the window will snag on the top if you yank open the door too quickly. Once down however, it’s all open air drop top fun.
It’s hard to complain about our good 29.9 mile-per-gallon average from the lively 2.0-liter, or the smiles-per-mile we’re getting in this Beetle Convertible.
Mileage: 4,300
Another Long Term test vehicle is driving off our lot – the 2018 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2.0T Coast. Cool, rainy weather limited our open air driving, but when we did get to go top down, it was total fun. Plus this solid, confidence inspiring rag top made those times extra enjoyable.
Enjoyable enough to travel 43-hundred miles in 3-months, averaging a very fine 32.6 miles-per-gallon of regular. That’s well above the Fed’s combined rating of 29.
Aiding the driving fun is a spirted 174-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo in-line 4, matched with a 6-speed automatic. Our bug buzzed through a variety of driving demands with ease. For those of us who remember early Beetles, it was nice to be once again faced with simple gauges and logical climate and radio controls. Having even tight rear seats also provided welcomed practicality.
While everyone found having a soft top on our lot intriguing, it also triggered complaints about the smallish rear window and the blind spots so typical with convertibles. Waiting for the window to drop down to clear the top when you pull the door handle was a grumble too. But these minor issues quickly disappeared as the wind whipped past us.
Driving a convertible is indeed refreshing, and the 2018 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible delivers that experience with a unique style, and at a mid-twenties starting price, with a terrific warranty, it makes carefree driving almost common sense.
