2016 Beetle vs 1963 Beetle: The Modern vs Classic Volkswagen shootout

They say great things stem out of two things: sheer desperation or sheer passion. The Beetle’s story has similar beginnings. One man, Adolf Hitler’s desperation to take over Europe and then the world, and another man, Ferdinand Porsche’s passion to make the best automobile for the German masses. Of course, the story behind the inception of the Beetle and it’s shady beginnings have been told time and again so we wont go into details here. But as we all know, the Beetle, originally called just the ‘Volkswagen’ or ‘People’s car’ but known to different people the world over by a horde of different names, has gone on to become the most recognizable automotive form in history.

The Beetle’s association in India too has been long and fruitful. With the first official Volkswagen authorized importers setting shop in Goa by the mid to late 1950s, the Beetle was a roaring success with crowds all over the country who wanted something slightly different than the run of the mill Fiat 1100 and the Hindustan Ambassadors. Fast forward to 2008, Volkswagen officially brought the new Beetle to India for the first time much to the delight of the growing V-Dub fanbase in India and despite its exorbitant price tag, the fashionable little car found quite a few buyers in India. And then just last year in 2015, the newest Beetle made its long overdue debut in India. So does the new car still have what it takes to go straight up against its grand pappy?

So lets start with introductions. The classic Beetle you see here belongs to the father and son trio, Sangram Shirke, Santaji Shirke and Dhanaji Shirke who are also known to be huge V-Dub enthusiasts and collectors. Made in the mother plant at Wolfsburg, this particular car made its way to Kenya and was then imported to India. The Shirke family has had it for about 10 years now and as you can see here have kept it in great and pretty much original condition with the exceptions of a few tiny modern additions. As known by Beetle-people, the Shirke’s car has an American spec bumper with the larger guards and the tubular over-riders, the large and distinctive hub caps and is an early rectangular-window (as it is known in VW circles) car.

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A few minutes with the classic Beetle and the new Beetle side by side and the design similarities are obvious. The overall shape is pretty much similar with its swooping lines that can be traced all the way from the front to the rear in one stroke. The round headlamps and round tail lamps too can be equated and even though the new Beetle is much MUCH larger than its grandfather here, there is still an unmistakable connect in the two. We also like how the Volkswagen design team has incorporated things like the Porsche inspired spoiler that found its way to several older Beetles around the world and now is a part of standard equipment. But, even today, when you put the two together at the same time and at the same place, the older Beetle still has the outright charm to woo almost any and every person. In short, yes, it is most certainly a cuter car!

A lot has changed in the new Beetle when you compare it to the older one from the inside. And yet, put the two cars next to each other, and there are still glimpses of inspiration. Of course, the single large speedometer gauge and small square fuel gauge on the side inset into the art deco dashboard console has made way for a more current instrument cluster but the essence of design still exists similar to a new Mini or a Fiat 500 for example.

The new car also gets a really good centrally mounted infotainment touchscreen that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is a real joy to use! Thankfully, the daft flower vase attachment which was passed down from the classic Beetle to the last generation one has been omitted in the new Beetle which means your singular sunflower will have to stay at home!

Unlike the Fiat 500 and the Mini which has spawned a whole bunch of body styles in order to appeal to a wider range of audiences, you can only buy the Beetle in the two door coupe or two door cabriolet (with only the former available in India). This means that just like in the older Beetle, your children, friends or extra supermodels will have to fold the front seats and make their way into the slightly cramped up rear. And although there isn’t enough space in the rear to get into trouble, the new Beetle is a LOT more comfortable than the one from the 60s.

All said and done, the quality on both the cars, although more than 50 years apart, is top notch! From the sound of the door closing to the feel on the steering wheel, everything feels great to hold and really solid.

The ’63 Beetle that we have here today runs a 1.2-litre petrol air-cooled engine that makes 40PS of peak power. The engine is mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox, which has synchromesh on all forward gears unlike its predecessors. Of course, the older Beetle is a rear wheel drive, which was easy as the engine too is in the back.

The new Beetle gets a 1.4-litre turbocharged 4-cyliner petrol engine which is water cooled and front mounted and gets 150PS of peak power and 250Nm of peak torque. In India, the Beetle only gets the fantastic 7-speed DSG gearbox with paddle shifters and as with all new Beetles, a front wheel drive layout. Let me get something out of the way then: the last generation that we got in India Beetle was as good to drive as a glorified sponge. This new one, is a big leap ahead both in terms of the engine, the gearbox and just the general way it puts it’s power down.

But forget the power. Forget the smoothness and forget the gearbox. Does the new Beetle move your soul when you drive it the way the classic one does? Well, sort of. Although the distinctive air-cooled engine note of the Beetle has long captivated people globally, the new one does match up in terms of being a good overall car to drive. Yes, it might not be as much fun as an Abarth 500 or a Mini Cooper S, but then the Beetle is not the kind of car you would like to go balls-out in. And the same applies when it comes to handling. The older Beetle, with its rear engine is known to be a little tricky and even the one we have here with its front swing arm suspension still feels medieval as compared to the current one.

Before I conclude this, let me be honest. I have never been a Beetle fan. The design, with it’s rear engine and its die-hard fan following have never appealed to me. But, as a car, I respect it immensely for what it has done for the motoring world. The last generation Beetle did nothing to change my opinion and even less to my feeling of respect towards the brand and the product. The new one does.

Yes, I do think that it is priced at an absolutely ridiculous Rs 30.25 lakh price point which makes it as far from the ‘people’s car’ as it possibly can, but, as a car that appeals to people as a fashion accessory more than it does as a mere mode of transport, I see why it makes sense.

Would I advice someone to get one? Well, I am not sure yet which is why we here at ZigWheels.com have a mega comparison lined up soon. But would I take this over a genuine classic Beetle? Well, if I would not have the slightest inclination towards classic motoring, the modern Beetle would be my obvious choice. But, since I do and since the classic Beetle still has something of a presence and soul about it that overpowers the new one by a 1:100, I would still opt for one over the new car.