Retro-stylish VW Beetle ragtop brings a smile to every trip

After VW squared off the shoulders and flattened the roof of the Volkswagen Beetle coupe in an attempt to inject a bit of masculinity into the model, the fun-loving 2013 Volkswagen Beetle seems like a bit of a step back toward “cutesiness.” That’s probably okay, because to be honest, short of moving the engine back to the rear of the vehicle where it belongs, there’s not much that VW can do at this point to butch up the Beetle.

So, a chick car it will remain and I suppose that’s just fine. Sorry, male and masculine Beetle fans. Don’t blame me, I don’t make the rules.

On the other hand, anthropomorphizing and assigning gender to a hunk of metal, plastic, and rubber is a bit silly, so let’s quickly move along.

Going topless We’ve already driven the Beetle coupe and most of the lessons learned there apply here. The cabin materials, ride quality, and cabin technology are all the same. The major difference in the brown Beetle that arrived in the Car Tech garage this time was the power-folding fabric top.

My first spin in the Beetle Convertible was en route to a photo shoot with the Bentley Continental GT Speed on a cold San Francisco morning. I took the trip through downtown with the top up and was disappointed to hear quite a bit of creaking and groaning from the seals where the glass of the windows met the roof. This led me to believe that … [Read more]

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