So of course they picked the MINI as the winner http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=109689

 

hell yea, i couldnt even compare those two. MINI POWER!!!ß

 

I would also choose the MINI over the VW

 

My husband and I went to dinner with some friends last weekend. They offered to drive and we cracked up when they showed up in their daughter's convertible Beetle. She has gone to college in Hawaii and they brought it because it needs to be driven every now and again. DH said, well heck we might as well take the MINI, but since I'd never been in the new Beetle we rode with them. I must say, I was very impressed overall. The fit and finish were fabulous, very crisp and clean interior. The ride was smooth and quiet and I had to say I liked it alot. Not that I would want one over my MINI, like the article says, it's not a "driver's" car. It really didn't have that level of excitement and I can't imagine ever wanting to go to Driver's School or autocross in one!
Annette

 

I, surprisingly, love both cars. It may look dumb to some, but the VW is a nice convertible.

Having said that...MCc all the way

 

I too, love both cars. If MINI hadn't come out with the Cabrio, I'd probably be driving the VW vert. And being a chick, I love the pastel colors available in the VW...

Donna

 

Funk Flex: You chicken! If you really wanted traffic to this thread, you should have called it something like: Edmunds Calls the MINI Cute !

With the top up I think the Beetle convertible is visually superior to the MINI. In fact, I think it has better lines than the Beetle hardtop! I don't think the MINI's designers quite captured that beautiful MINI roofline in the ragtop. But I guess the point is to have the top down as much as possible...

It's nice that Edmunds recognized the MINI for what it is... a great driving car that just happens to be cute!

 

I like the Beetle Convertible a lot, but even I would have trouble getting past the flower vase.

Just kidding, there is a pale yellow Beetle Convertible I often see and like a lot.
It is a fact that you almost never see a guy driving a new Beetle. Except for the Geek Squad.

A couple of years ago a young guy down the steet from my house had a Turbo Beetle hardtop. Because it was black it looked pretty tough, and it was quick.

 

I agree. The VW New Beetle convirtible looks much better than its hardtop sibling. The minute they remove that goofy round roof, the car's looks completely change for the better.
The Beetle is nothing more than a Mark IV generation Golf with rounded body work. There is nothing Beetle about it except the shape and the badges. That has always been my beef with the New Beetle. If VW had done this car right back in '98, it should have had its own dedicated RWD chassis and a rear mounted engine (either air or water cooled). But that sounds too much like the way a Porsche is configured, doesn't it?

Once I had the opportunity to ride in a New Beetle hardtop and the car has very good fit and finish for a car that is completely assembled in Mexico (Puebla to be exact). The Beetle probably has more substantial interior materials than the MINI but that's about it.

I hate the ergonomics of the Beetle with its mile long dashboard, tiny instruments and funky seating arragement. Aside from the Turbo version, VW has never done anything to make this car truly appealing to enthusiasts. It is just a chick boulevadier car. Most New Beetle convertibles I see here in Miami are driven by young and middle aged women.

VW said publicy last year that they have no plans (Read: interest) in re-designing the Beetle or keeping it alive. The car is slated to die a quiet death in about a year or so when the Mark V platform is in full swing, specially here in the US with the all new Golf (The GTI hatchback is the beginning of the transition process).

The all new 2007 VW EOS (Which is a Corolletta, eh Jetta in cabrio version) will replace the VW New Beetle Cabrio at the end of the year. So if you want a new Beetle Convertible, plan to buy one very soon. VW should be offering incentives to move these slow selling cars out of VW lots. The Beetle will be dead once again and this time is for good.

 

That's kinda sad...It's their icon car.

 

You sure about that? I think you're wrong.

1. The Beetle just got a fairly substatial re-do for '06. The only bodywork that carried over are the roof, trunk, hood, and doors. The front and rear design, as well as the fenders, are all new. Why would they do this if the Beetle is dead in a year?

2. The Eos will start around $30,000. The Beetle Convertible starts at about $22,000....they dont really compete.

I think the Beetle will eventually die, but not for at least a few more years.

 

Stopped reading after the first 3 words