Faults:

The engine in particular tends to consume a lot of oil, which must be checked and maintained to prevent failures that affect engine efficiency.

The turbocharger began to fail after 10,000 km, so I had to replace it completely. This was the most serious failure the car had had in all these years.

Another thing I had to change was the timing belt. Obviously, although the car had low mileage when I bought it, it wasn't very well maintained, at least not in the way I would have liked.

General Comments:

I must say that I bought the car for its style and design, a personal taste so to speak.

It's still very much retro but with a modern touch thanks to design tweaks such as the new bumper design (similar to the Jetta), a revised rear end, a prominent rear spoiler and larger, sportier wheels. Pop the doors with the rimless windows and it's clear that this Beetle is quite far from its spartan roots. The cabin is properly premium even when compared to the previous “New” Beetle thanks to the quality feel of the materials and those panels that were color-keyed to the body.

Sitting in the driver's seat, it's clear that this Beetle is quite comfortable. The seating position is quite natural, and the ergonomics have clearly been well thought out. The seats themselves aren't wrapped in leather as VW opted for a sporty fabric, but the steering wheel and shift knob are.

The 2015 Beetle gets a long list of standard equipment such as power windows, mirrors, locks, stability control, traction control, HID headlamps with a level control, steering wheel audio controls and a multi-information computer that displays consumption, fuel range and other pertinent information. It was unusual that the air conditioning system was manual and not automatic, but it's still very powerful and easily defeats the summer heat.

The 1.4 TSI engine is very powerful (160 hp) and very elastic, sporty in character and quite quiet, both at low and high speeds. As expected, the power of the 1.4L TSI engine does come through especially for a car as light as this. The car is surprisingly very enjoyable especially on a mountain road, as VW definitely worked on engineering a well rounded machine, literally and figuratively.

Regarding driving the car, noise and vibration suppression are good given the small dimensions (particularly the wheelbase) of the car. The suspension is surprisingly comfortable even when faced with local tarmac. Parking in tight spots is made very easy by a very accurate parking radar system. Maneuverability and visibility are quite good.