2013 VW Beetle Convertible

by Dave Stall
 
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

Volkswagen has brought to you a newly redesigned Volkswagen Convertible, and it is stunning!  Previewing at the LA Auto Show with al the bells and whistles the little car did not disappoint!

Being one of the lucky auto journalists to be invited to Santa Monica a few days early so we could take the little drop top out on the roads and hills on Santa Monica.

As a bonus Volkswagen brought out three vintage convertibles from the 70's, totally restored and a blast to drive!  Funny, everyone has a VW story, mine was a 1957.

Now to the car, some of the outstanding features that stood out in my mine was first, the speed of the convertible top, 9 seconds down and 11 seconds up withy auto latching (No more pinched fingers) and if your driving down the road and it start to sprinkle or rain, slow down to 30 mph and raise your top!

Another feature worth looking at is the Fender Sound System, yes the guitar manufacturer.  They had the idea of placing all the speakers in front of the driver and passenger, no speakers in the doors or rear, just like a real concert?  Who would have thought of that?  Amazing sound quality.

Like nostalgic? Well Volkswagen has three retro models, the 50's, 60's and 70's.  The 50's is a black convertible with baby moon VW hubcaps, the 70's is baby blue with denim interior treatments and the 70's was done in gold and copper colors.

You can get the base 2.5 liter in-line five-cylinder that produces 170 horsepower and 21 city and 27 freeway, the Turbo produces 200 horsepower and gets 21 city and 30 freeway and last but not least, TDI Diesel,  29 city and 41 freeway, these numbers are with a manual transmission and the automatic will be slightly different.

Pricing is very competitive, the convertible starts out at $24,995 and can climb to $32,295 depending on the combination of engines, transmission and features.

Was there anything I didn't like about the Beetle?  No, they massaged the body so that now it has a real sporty look, seats are comfortable and the convertible is quiet as a coupe thanks to a three layered top!

If you love driving with the top down…You need to put the VW Convertible on your list!

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