I have a 2014 R-Line convertible. I have owned Audis, Acuras, Hondas and Mazdas. All wonderful cars, but for some odd reason this car is so special; drives like my A3 but has the beauty of being a convertible. This car is not for everybody, but even the people who hate them, love them after they drive them. The fender audio is the best of the best! No matter where I go people smile when they see it, this is the only car I would love to keep forever, the driving experience is fun!!!!
I love VW's, my first car was a 1970 Bug, it never left me stranded anywhere, still have it in storage. I also had a 2009 Rabbit with the 2.5L 5/5-speed combo. That was a great little machine, great for commuting, road trips and the inline five was fun for me to drive everyday. Wish they still had the 5 banger over the base turbo 4 as an option.
To be fair, I have never driven a Volkswagen Beetle before, and I'm appreciate you being up front about the love you have for it because this would have got a three out of five stars from me. Nothing about it seems special and at $36,870, there is a slew of features I think this car should have but doesn't. Not to mention other sports cars I could get instead.
Merci! I love my Beetle! Which I just bought last month, a 2016.! Anything I should know? I love your analogy of "silky smooth". That's how my Beetle runs. I agree with that when you;re spending the money you gotta LOVE/ADORE your car, I think. I adore my Beetle! Thanks for sharing the vlog! xo
Great review, thanks a lot! One little note: at 4:00 you mention that nobody cares about oil temperature haha, in fact this is a very important parameter especially with turbo-chargers, you want to make sure your engine is at operating temp before playing hard with it, and the coolant temp is not a good indicator, so very grateful they included an oil temp gauge
True. But in the age of computers, there isn't a single metric that turbocharger needs the driver to be monitoring. Any single measurement gets out of line, the computer will protect the engine.
In the specific case of the turbo charger, I'm pretty sure the computer will 'allow' it to blow at high pressure (provided you floor the accelerator) even if oil temp is very low
I wanted one of these and in 2018 when i went to buy one, they had stopped making them, so i bought a GTI.. though i would have loved a grey R line convertible with a red top.
I do agree with you that VW should bring back the Golf Convertible in the States, it would really appeal to a larger group of people, but the Beetle Convertible is still a good option for someone who loves retro & sporty styling in a droptop car, so they should outright drop it.
I’ve got a beetle GSR that I got for $17,500, which is absolutely worth it. it was around 33k new. I would not buy it brand new. I love it to death. But 33k brand new can nearly get me a new mustang GT. The value proposition just isn’t there, even though I’ve always loved beetles of every generation.
I'm finding a butt load of 2014-2016 R Line hard top and convertibles from $17000 to $23,000 with 5000 to 60000 miles. I'll trade my 2007 NB yellow and possibly my 2015 KIA Soul ! that I owe less than $8000 and MIGHT get $4500 to help with the down payment. :)
E. Simons yep. 2017 is the last year of the r line beetle, sadly. Now all the 2018 beetles have the 2.0tsi engine, but it’s tuned down for gas mileage. I’d bet the r line beetle will be more sought after than other versions in a few years.
Like the host said in the video, two different customers. The GTI or Golf R aren't going to be cross shopped against a Beetle convertible by the same person.
@@TestDrivenTV Not convertible, but I actually debated between a Golf GTI and Beetle R. I ended up going with the Beetle because of the styling and how extremely common Golfs are on the road.
I have a 2014 R-Line convertible. I have owned Audis, Acuras, Hondas and Mazdas. All wonderful cars, but for some odd reason this car is so special; drives like my A3 but has the beauty of being a convertible. This car is not for everybody, but even the people who hate them, love them after they drive them. The fender audio is the best of the best! No matter where I go people smile when they see it, this is the only car I would love to keep forever, the driving experience is fun!!!!
I love VW's, my first car was a 1970 Bug, it never left me stranded anywhere, still have it in storage. I also had a 2009 Rabbit with the 2.5L 5/5-speed combo. That was a great little machine, great for commuting, road trips and the inline five was fun for me to drive everyday. Wish they still had the 5 banger over the base turbo 4 as an option.
I'm a Volkswagen guy too. ...and not ashamed of it ;-)
Sam, another good review. always looking fwd to your weekly videos.
To be fair, I have never driven a Volkswagen Beetle before, and I'm appreciate you being up front about the love you have for it because this would have got a three out of five stars from me. Nothing about it seems special and at $36,870, there is a slew of features I think this car should have but doesn't. Not to mention other sports cars I could get instead.
Merci! I love my Beetle! Which I just bought last month, a 2016.! Anything I should know? I love your analogy of "silky smooth". That's how my Beetle runs. I agree with that when you;re spending the money you gotta LOVE/ADORE your car, I think. I adore my Beetle! Thanks for sharing the vlog! xo
Looking good Sam. Great review as well.
Great review, thanks a lot!
One little note: at 4:00 you mention that nobody cares about oil temperature haha, in fact this is a very important parameter especially with turbo-chargers, you want to make sure your engine is at operating temp before playing hard with it, and the coolant temp is not a good indicator, so very grateful they included an oil temp gauge
True. But in the age of computers, there isn't a single metric that turbocharger needs the driver to be monitoring. Any single measurement gets out of line, the computer will protect the engine.
In the specific case of the turbo charger, I'm pretty sure the computer will 'allow' it to blow at high pressure (provided you floor the accelerator) even if oil temp is very low
Fantastic drivetrain - the 2.0T and DSG. Loved it in my CC. Great MPG and performance.
I WANT ONE SO BAD
I wanted one of these and in 2018 when i went to buy one, they had stopped making them, so i bought a GTI.. though i would have loved a grey R line convertible with a red top.
Ok I know you guys are not going to like but I will go ahead and say it: VW should bring back the Golf convertible. More practical and better styling.
I do agree with you that VW should bring back the Golf Convertible in the States, it would really appeal to a larger group of people, but the Beetle Convertible is still a good option for someone who loves retro & sporty styling in a droptop car, so they should outright drop it.
*shouldn't
totally agree with you
Absolutely, 👍🏾👊🏾✌🏾🇳🇬🇺🇸
I’ve got a beetle GSR that I got for $17,500, which is absolutely worth it. it was around 33k new. I would not buy it brand new. I love it to death. But 33k brand new can nearly get me a new mustang GT. The value proposition just isn’t there, even though I’ve always loved beetles of every generation.
OMG great review but you are something else…..quite a man!!
Bellissima
Too bad you can't test drive something between Sierra Vista and Bisbee. SR90 and 80, are fun for "test" driving! 😉
I like beetle from Volkswagen
Hello, Have you been testing the 2018 Beetle Dune with same great evaluation ? Thx.
I'm finding a butt load of 2014-2016 R Line hard top and convertibles from $17000 to $23,000 with 5000 to 60000 miles. I'll trade my 2007 NB yellow and possibly my 2015 KIA Soul ! that I owe less than $8000 and MIGHT get $4500 to help with the down payment. :)
Sam I'm thinking about buying a used beetle, what year and engine type should I stick too?
Hey Sam! Do you know if VW makes this R-line convertible for the 2017 model year?
E. Simons yep. 2017 is the last year of the r line beetle, sadly. Now all the 2018 beetles have the 2.0tsi engine, but it’s tuned down for gas mileage. I’d bet the r line beetle will be more sought after than other versions in a few years.
Damn.... that looks sexy, even if its emasculating for others, I dont care.
Sam could make Barbie's pink Fiat convertible seem masculine...
Well that is true!
Why have this when you can get the Golf R? The convertible I understand but that is the only feature.
Like the host said in the video, two different customers. The GTI or Golf R aren't going to be cross shopped against a Beetle convertible by the same person.
@@TestDrivenTV Not convertible, but I actually debated between a Golf GTI and Beetle R. I ended up going with the Beetle because of the styling and how extremely common Golfs are on the road.
...I AM ONE OF THOSE oil PRESSURE GUYS....lOl...;--),,,,,,,,