Driven: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle

It was a relief to see the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle in person, and to see that it, in fact, lived up to its name, forsaking the cartoonish architecture of the last-gen “New” Beetle. With its flatter, longer roof, lowered stance, and upright windshield, we actually felt the instinctual urge to slug the nearest person in the arm. Some of the amassed Bugs were sporting retro wheels—and they actually looked great! Looking at the group of 2012 Beetles in the Volkswagen headquarters parking lot, we found it easy to recall some of our favorite driving experiences on the rainy, meandering coastal highway of central Oregon in our friend Luke Frels’s 1974 Beetle. Clearly, this new car was doing what it was meant to do, which is inspire an emotional response to the vehicle—a wholly welcome psychological manipulation.