2014 VOLKSWAGEN Beetle

Retro design with minor flaws

Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 3

I've always been a Beetle fanatic since they came out with the second generation in 1998 when I was 8 years old! This 2014 Beetle was my 3rd Beetle since obtaining a license at 17 years old in 2007. I was obsessed with the car! It was a great color and loved the acceleration compared to my 2005 Beetle with only 115HP. I have driven so much in the last 2.5 years of owning it! I have racked up 70,000 miles in just 2.5 years! Yes thats a lot and I haven't had any major repairs yet! Although i'm getting nervous for the water pump/ timing belt replacement that comes between 80-100k miles and the dealerships charge about $1k. Besides that I only take my car to my local VW dealerships for oil changes. The only problem I've had with my car are the breaks. Even when I had my car for a few months they started to squeak when I would slow down. Especially during cold temperatures! Sometimes it gets very loud and my passengers are like wow you need new breaks already? I did take it into the dealership and they said they would have to send a request for them to replace it for free since it was still under the warranty. weeks went by and i never received a phone call. and summer rolled around so it made less noise and it didn't bother me. Before I knew it I was over the mileage for the warranty. Hopefully when i replace my brakes sometime this year the noise will stop. Another problem is my passenger seat sucks! I'm assuming it broke somehow. When someone wants to get in the back seat i pull the seat forward but when i push it back, it goes ALL the way back and the upper part of the seat does not come forward like it should. I have to aggressively pull the seat back with all my force and my passengers are again shocked! Another interesting tidbit is i am a 215 lb male and i noticed either of the front seats if you are heavy, and tend to move or when you make a turn, the seats will squeak! Its' kinda embarrasing if my friends are in the car. Also, I think my speakers really suck! I mean i know i don't expect the base speakers to sound like Fender, but I was in my friends 2011 Jetta and his speakers sounded way better than miles. I was surprised considering mines a 2014. The Beetle that I got happened to be one of the last 2.5L 5-cyl engines made.. a few months later they rolled out with the 1.8L's. Like I said I haven't had any major repairs or been stranded. I know I am getting close to 100k miles and i just get very nervous thinking about what i may need to replace. and since i am a student and work part time in California, money plays a factor. One thing i also don't like are the seats, they are in a way uncomfortable especially on road trips. I am 6'2" and i will get back pain. It feels like i am sitting on top of something. I don't really like it. The gas mileage is not too bad and not too good. I feel like this car shouldn't be your everyday car. But its mine. Its definitely fun to drive. I really wanted the turbo 2.0L r-line but i can't afford the higher gas grade or any major repairs in the future especially since its a turbo. One thing i did notice is that since 2010ish, VW has downgraded their interior quality by using cheap materials which makes it sad. One thing about the newer Beetle is that we all know its retro design, but when you're actually driving and holding onto the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 marks it really does feel like you're almost driving the older ones. not sure how to explain it but it may have to do with the steering wheel design/structure.