With the 2012 Beetle Coupe you are always aware that Volkswagen are determined to retain their classic design whilst moving forward into the 21st century.
That means a strong hint of retro around the cabin marries with all the most modern technology that Volkswagen can muster making for a very pleasant interwoven combination of the old and the new. The Volkswagen Beetle Coupe of 2012 comes with a very pleasing two tone interior trim, designed to blend with the exterior color scheme, There is clever use of a secondary color to emphasize the Beetle's gauges rounded off by both colors being used on the fabric upholstery.
The L model Beetle comes with heavy duty fabric upholstery, tilting and telescoping leather colored steering wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, trip computer, CD player and an auxiliary audio jack, eight speaker sound system, heated mirrors and seventeen inch alloy wheels with 215/55R H all season tires.
The slightly upgraded 2.5 liter SL Beetle comes with all of the above as well as heated and power operated height adjustable and heated front seats, leather effect vinyl upholstery, Bluetooth operation facilities as well as an iPod interface.
The Beetle Turbo version comes with a few sporting refinements such as sport seats with specifically designed fabric upholstery, alloy pedals , Fender audio system, Bi-xenon headlamps, fog lights, rear spoiler and 19-inch alloy wheels with 235/45R H all season tires. Each of the Beetle variants can be ordered with the Volkswagen Sunroof package, taking in keyless entry, multi-function steering wheel, trip computer, satellite radio as well as a panoramic sunroof.
Safety features for Volkswagen Beetle Hatchback abound with front and side impact airbags, passenger and driver head restraint protection system, emergency braking assist, child seat anchors , seatbelt pre-tensioners for the driver and front seat passenger, electronic stability control and a tire pressure monitoring system being just a few of the options available.
Fuel consumption for the Volkswagen Beetle five cylinder 2.5 liter automatic , according to the US EPA, averages out at 25 miles per gallon, with 22 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon on the open road, while the four cylinder, two liter six speed manual averages 24 miles per gallon, with 21 miles per gallon in the city and 30 miles per gallon on the highway being reported in most reviews.
While the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle rides along nicely on the strength of its rich history and its fairly outstanding and certainly unique shape, it does still have a fair share of opposition in its category, coming particularly from the Toyota with their Prius and Matrix hatchbacks as well as Chevrolet with their Volt.