2005 Volkswagen Beetle review from North America
"Reliable, but a few irritating aspects of the car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
About a week after buying the car new, the airbag light on the dash came on. Evidently this indicates that the airbags are either not working or are not activated. A few days after that, the rear cup holder would not push back into place.
General comments?
I've never enjoyed driving huge cars, so I wanted the smallest thing I could find. The Beetle was cute and definitely small. I love how it holds the road - takes curves well and wind doesn't seem to have any effect on it.
However, there are a few things that are just irritating about the car.
Road noise seems to be getting worse the more miles I put on it. At first it was pretty quiet, but now it seems to rattle at every bump in the road and especially at highway speeds.
The car gets about 30 MPG on the highway, but around the city it usually gets only 23 MPG. This was pretty disappointing to me seeing that it is such a small car; seems like it should get more than that.
Also, the cup holders in the front of the car are at a strange angle. There are two, but you can only fit one cup in there unless they're extremely small.
The engine seems to rev up at very low speeds. When trying to get up to speed quickly, it almost feels like the engine is about to burst...
Overall, it's a reliable car, but just a few design flaws that should be fixed.
Recommended reviews
| Previous years, so many problems. Same for 2007. |
|
| Beetles are LEMONS. Beetle lover turned beetle hater. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2005 |
| Year of manufacture | 2005 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 3 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 6000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 8th January, 2006 |