2015 Volkswagen Beetle Classic Review - Cashing In On Nostalgia

[@garythegamer3004]

Man, seeing $21k MSRP on a car is such a blast to the past

[@sentiencepsn2714]

And the funny part, that number seems high. You could buy a similar era Passat new for under 20k.

[@yungcabbage]

And it wasn’t even a decade ago

[@anthonykiedis1765]

Pre-Biden era.

[@Specz187]

2024 Mitsubishi mirage g4 for 17k. If you can deal with 78hp lol

[@AndrasBuzas1908]

​@@anthonykiedis1765nice "democracy" you Americans have ... nothing but a bourgeois dictatorship

[@Sharion.Inuyatt]

The old and the new Beetle at the same time, nice!

[@anthonykiedis1765]

My friend's mom bought one of these when we were in high school and we thought it was going to be fast because it said "turbo" on the back. Boy, were we wrong.

[@ottolinden371]

Any car that doesn't look like the typical Black, grey, white blob is a win in my book. The retro styling is slowly going full circle where new generations are growing up with new versions outnumbering those who grew up with the originals.

[@Dankcatvacs]

Lol looks kinda bloby to me

[@mr.everything4941]

0:11 Woah Zack!!! Watch out!!! There is a "CAT" in your car!!! LOL

[@delrayshaffer6376]

We own a 2015 classic beetle with 1.8 TSI. I can honestly say this is the best car we've ever owned. It has enough power and torque. I can easily cruise at 90 mph (in the wide open western states) with ease. The mpg is good at about 37. The seats are a bit hard on a long drive though. But it is comfortable enough for two people on a long trip.

[@raymond_sycamore]

I never realized HOW different the new ones looked over the old ones. I still like it!

[@Kerleem]

I've got my 2014 Beetle Convertible in Florida and I love it. It's got the 2.5L 5 cylinder which I think is a bit unique because we don't really see inline 5's anymore. But I also got it for nostalgia reasons as well, as you said!

[@timothyforce1949]

Same here, my wife has a 2014 1.8 T Convertible and we live in SWFL. We had a 2013 sunroof coupe with the 2.5 5 cylinder. The engine performance was far less than her 1.8 Turbo, but the 2.5 never gave her trouble.

[@nathanjoseph4284]

Volkswagen should've kept the Beetle rear-engined and a no-frills economy car like its predecessor

[@Kacpa2]

It would be expensive as heck to develop, hence would not even remotely be an economy car. What would you derive it from? 911? an upmarket sports car/super car? It is based on Golf which made it as simple to make as possible and it was an economy car especially it's first revived iteration from 2000s.

[@bwofficial1776]

@@Kacpa2 Just put the Golf's powertrain in the back.

[@greenlavaproductions]

@@bwofficial1776I thought that’s what they did until about 15 years ago

[@The_One_Over_There]

Would it really be a cheap, simple, economy car. Like the original. If they'd have to be build in a more expensive way, and thus becoming more expensive to buy and maintain as a whole?

[@mbd501]

@@Kacpa2 They could use a Porsche Rear-engine RWD platform, but that would make it a much more expensive car.

[@insid3493]

As someone who's actually driven a 60s bettle several times, I mean like a lot cause my brother owns one, this is horrible in comparison lol, nothing like the original 4 speed, air cooled flat 4 RWD, no power steering, no brake booster, no TC or ABS, wants to kill you typa car. Im not upset that VW is trying to cash out on a "classic car" I'm upset that they labeled it a classic bettle and it's the furthest thing from that. Anyways, excellent review as always Zach! Killing the uploads lately, definitely you are my favorite reviewer!

[@MichaelKelly-eg6jo]

I love the look of these cars and had my eye out for one around 2018. I found a nice, low mileage Passat with the same engine and transmission instead. I thought I looked it over well enough and did the whole test drive thing. So, after I bought it and enjoyed it for a few weeks, I decided to change my own oil, since that's one of the few things I can still do on a car. After dropping the plastic cover under the engine, I noticed the trans pan was pushed in pretty badly. Took it to my trusted mechanic. Pan, gasket, fluid, filter= $880. So, buyer beware, I guess. Mercedes repair prices on a budget car.

[@RobsNeighbor]

Yes!! I just bought a 2003 with a 2.0 5 speed from the original owner! Everything works! What a fun car to drive! You get a turbo!

[@jimmypage2499]

The Beetle and the Sirocco looked damn good for their time. Unfortunately VW only offered them as 2 doors(3 including the hatch) and that meant there was barely any room for other people to squeeze in. Speaking of VW my dad has 98 or 99 1,6 Polo. Very zippy for a vehicle that weighs less than a ton. I Owned a 2001(facelift) of that same generation with the 1,9 TDI engine as my first car. In keeping up with the theme of this episode i think a lot of people in Europe would universally agree that 1,9 TDI was the greatest engine ever made.

[@richardwilliams5842]

Volks is actually bringing the Beetle back and the renderings look AWESOME, hopefully it doesn't change much from the concept SMH

[@keithdosik]

I love these little shits so much

[@KayakTN]

That interior actually looks really nice. I was expecting something out of a PT Cruiser,

[@mark_u]

VW had much better interior and infotainment game during this era than now.

[@engineer_alv]

yes, better interiors but those infotainment screens were tiny and slow. Also this is pre Carplay and Android Auto so no full smartphone integration. No thanks

[@mbd501]

@@engineer_alvMy 2016 Jetta has that stuff (Carplay and AA).

[@SSP49]

You’re like the nicer version of regular car reviews

[@eddiefalcon8316]

“You get the best of some worlds I guess”. That comment made my day 😂 if you are going to use the back seats manual is usually better since most power seats have to move up with the seat motor vs a manual override.

[@timothyforce1949]

My wife has a 2014 Beetle Convertible 1.8 T with an APR 87 Octane tune. I have to admit, its a lot of fun, especially in the Winter (we live in SWFL), and in the mountains of NC in the Summer and Autumn.

[@TekuJames]

Man, I do like these. I'd love a convertible 5 cyl with a manual!

[@miguelojera2356]

I wouldn't mind owning one because of it looks and it is practical enough as a daily. Also in other markets, this can be had with a smaller 1.2 turbo engine that was quite rev happy.

[@Josh-kx1vv]

Another great review thank you keep up the great work!!!!

[@davinp]

I bought my 2018 Corolla SE for $20,000. Unfortunately new Corollas (after the 2020 redesign) have gotten more expesnive

[@mbd501]

It was basically a Mk VI Golf hatchback in the shape of a Beetle. But it was a little less practical, as the Golf had room for 3 in the back seat, but the Beetle only has 2 seats in the back.

[@davinp]

a problem for auto manufacturers is that cars have allot of electronic, tech and safety features making cars more expensive to build. That is why there are no more basic cars you can get for $20,000.

[@The_One_Over_There]

it's also a problem that a lot of people actually want those things. I'm will to bet, that if a car with manual crank windows and such, would be on the market in today. People are going to clown on it like no tomorrow. Which is a shame. If people want cheap cars, they should accept that true cheap cars don't have electric windows, electric (and sometimes heated) mirrors, rear defrosters, perking sensors, And stuff like that.

[@AndrasBuzas1908]

​​@@The_One_Over_Thereelectric windows aren't that much more expensive.. I've driven many economy japanese cars with electric windows. The rest you list however is more expensive

[@The_One_Over_There]

​@@AndrasBuzas1908 I know electric windows aren't much more expensive, But a little more expensive still comes down to more expensive regardless if it's a lot or not. So a true cheap car. Like a really, really cheap car. Wouldn't even have that.

[@user-ss3ud7pp7f]

I had one of these too a 2015 with the straight five cylinder and a stick shift little bit slow but a lot of fun to drive. I always wondered if the turbo 1.8 was worth it.

[@mattalki]

My wife drives a 2014 Beetle TDI with a 6-speed manual. We got it for cheap after the dieselgate scandal. It actually looks and drives nice! The one you drove looks great, aside from the seat covers (they would drive me NUTS). Also, they don't look like they have cutouts for the side airbags in the seats, so they might be a bit dangerous in a collision.

[@Filipe1020]

I would love to own the sportier version of this Beetle, it looks great.

[@Kamikazekims]

i love the current retro craze ! the new bronco, the new charger, the Ioniq 5 and the upcoming N vision 74, Honda E, VW ID BUZZ, Songsan Dolphin SS, the New Nissan Z and hardbody editon of the frontier, Ora good cat. i can go on and on !

[@elliot3751]

Always loved the Beetle and especially this generation of the Beetle. When I was in the car market last year I was looking for a convertible one but it’s insane how expensive they were. Saw one that I loved but could not justify paying $39K for a vehicle for 90K miles.

[@engineer_alv]

what a ripoff. Glad you didn't take the bait. That car should've been under $20K but last year used car prices were at its peak, so I kind of get it...

[@davinp]

My 2018 Corolla also has heated mirrors, but there is no button to turn it on/off. It is turned on/off when turn the defroster on

[@Kacpa2]

Prices of cars are relativel same as in 2000s when factoring the inflation. Thing is they COULD be cheaper. Also not all of them are 50k. PLenty of cars in 25-30ish thousand dollars which is half of that effectively and they are much better what 30k got you in 2000s despite 30k of 2005 money being worth far less.

[@_dmfd]

3:54 I swear, VAG is the only manufactuer across all their brands that look at dead buttons as an design element 😅

[@Billn1971]

I almost bought this for a 2nd vehicle. Instead I put the money into a extra nice suv, with more cargo space. It's worked out better so far.

[@bwofficial1776]

A fun little car, and the design aged a lot better than its predecessor the New Beetle. Carmakers should make less practical cars sometimes to add an element of fun. This is worse than a Golf in terms of usefulness but it's charming and that's all it needs to be.

[@louiswoodhill3627]

These days, even nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

[@dhhjsjzjzjjhsjsjh]

The 2.5l is probably more reliable? Which one would you pick between this and the other one you reviewed?

[@azbrez]

I put 170k miles on my '15 Beetle Classic convertible and I loved everything but the cost of parts. =) I do miss it. I look forward to them bringing back the beetle as an EV one day. The seats, the rims, the driving dynamics, all for a reasonable price.. it did me well!

[@steveyoung9750]

That was fun. I hope you gave Ryan a VW BUG hug for letting you feature it here ! 😊

[@toyotaprius79]

The business logic applied to the New Beetle is exactly why the VW ID BUZZ is failing.

[@SecretlySeven]

Drop that rear down about an inch and that would be a very pretty car.

[@adamsonsgameriachannel2024]

04:10 BIG FRIGGIN BOTTLE FAIL!!!

[@davinp]

Are those seats cloth or leather? Other manufactures like Toyota offer heated seats only for leather seats

[@RyneBaird]

I am the owner of this car they are cloth

[@davidp2888]

"You can barely find a Corolla at that price point." A stripped down Corolla at that.

[@robertvance1873]

When they changed the location to the front, They Ruined the Coolness of the Original.

[@gaufrid1956]

Cute and retro Zack. It's a pity it's from a criminal company. I guess you understand what I mean. Dieselgate.

[@NoName-ik2du]

$21,000...doesn't sound like a good price for this car, especially in 2015. For example, you can buy a brand new Chevy Trax *today* for $20K (less than this Beetle was new, and that's not even considering inflation). The Chevy Spark (a vehicle in the same class as the Beetle that was discontinued just two years ago) started at $15K. Seems to me the Beetle forgot it was an economy car.

[@Dankcatvacs]

I like my cushy ride in my loyale

[@DaniTheNachoPirate]

A 992, with ps2 graphics.