2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition essentials: I'll be back

What is it: The oft-told story goes something like this: Adolf Hitler requested an inexpensive family car for the masses. Ferdinand Porsche dusted off a couple small, rear-engine, rear-drive coupe prototypes he’d been tinkering with, and one eventually became the “People’s Car,” launched at the 1939 Berlin auto show. VW sold the car here from 1949 to 1979, reviving it in 1998 as a Golf with a funky body. Sales peaked the next year at 83,434.

In September, 2018, VW announced it was killing the Beetle this July. The company has said that as it focuses more on EVs, there are no immediate plans to replace the Beetle, though we’ve heard the occasional rumor some sort of I.D Neo variation could come out as an electric Beetle.

Key Competitors: Mini Cooper, Fiat 500, Kia Forte

Base Price: $26,890 As-Tested Price: $26,890

Full review: 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition first drive

Highlights: This final (at least for now), 2019-model-year Beetle comes in four trim levels — S, SE, Final Edition SE, and Final Edition SEL. All trims have a 2.0-liter turbo-four (174 hp, 184 lb-ft), a six-speed automatic and standard blind-spot monitor and rear-traffic alert. My test car is the Final Edition SEL, loaded to the point that it has no options — the difference between base and as-tested price is the destination charge.

Our Opinion: We love VW’s Golf around here, and since it’s based on the sixth generation of that car, this latest Beetle can’t be a bad driver, right? Correct: It’s not an objectively bad car.

For starters, the interior looks good, especially with the SEL trim. Its offerings include standard stitched leather seats and a few more chrome bits. Driving Golf-ish isn’t a bad way to go through life, and that’s what the Beetle does. Last year, VW goosed the turbo-four’s displacement from 1.8 to 2.0 liters and its 174 hp feels about right. The car is definitely not overpowered, but the 184 lb-ft feels like plenty for scooting the Beetle around drama-free. The engine and gearbox work well together, and sliding the gear selector into manual mode makes the powertrain feel a bit more sporty (sadly there is no manual transmission available), as does keeping the tach north of 3,500 rpm. The brakes are fine, unremarkable.

It’s pothole season in Detroit, but the Beetle handles the lousy pavement well, with the suspension and rock-solid chassis shrugging off most of it while keeping body roll in check. In the case of imminent disaster, the Beetle has oodles of driver-assistance goodies including standard blind-spot monitors and rear-traffic alert. Steering is OK in the Volkswagen way, not super sharp but not lazy either. Sound does penetrate the cabin both from the wind and road.

Beetle sales have been declining for quite a while, so it’s probably fitting this is the Final Edition. I’m betting it isn’t, though. I don’t think VW will be able to resist the temptation to put a Beetle-esque body on its scalable EV platform. Book it.

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