Here comes the fun: VW's Beetle Cabriolet

SINGAPORE — Is your idea of a dream apartment one with a giant patio or roof terrace that lets you lie under the sun, until your skin turns into something a roast-pork seller would admire?

Then this car is the right companion to that apartment. The Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet is the drop-top version of the cheery, retro coupe that is instantly recognisable from a thousand paces.

It gets by on power from a small, turbocharged engine, and might not appear to be the sort of car a driving fan would waste drool on. It needs 11.7 seconds to get to 100kmh, and its handling is only reasonably sharp.

Yet if the Beetle’s happy face fails to get you to smile, the driving experience is bound to sweeten the most sour of pusses.

FOLD FOR FRESH AIR

The roof folds in just 9.5 seconds, and as with any open-top car, doing so transforms the drive in a number of ways. The wind rustles your hair, all the sensations of travel and movement are intensified, and you begin to feel far more immersed in your surroundings.

Drive past a prata shop, for example, and your nose, mouth and stomach will all react in a way they never would if you had been sealed inside a regular car.

Needless to say, life is not a highway of roses (or prata shops), so at some stage, you will find yourself in a spot where an open top becomes a distinct disadvantage. Say, trailing behind a garbage truck or under the flight path of some pigeons with indigestion.

In that case, the roof needs 11 seconds to have you covered, which is something it can do as you bumble along at up to 50kmh.

With the roof overhead, the Cabriolet feels no less cramped than the regular Beetle, either. There is a decent amount of headroom, even in the rear.

CRAMPED CONFINES

It is the lack of legroom and upright seating that will have passengers back there grumbling. The boot gives up space to the roof- folding mechanism too, leaving just 225 litres for your luggage.

Yet, it would be folly to expect a car like this to do the work of a bullock. It can carry less than the average family sedan, although it costs a bit more. Still, I can think of cars that cost twice as much, yet do less to make you smile.

No mere car can make you truly happy, of course, but the Beetle Cabriolet can certainly inject a bit of sunshine into your life. Leow Ju-Len

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet 1.2 TSI

Engine: 1,197cc, turbo in-line four, 105hp, 175Nm

Performance: 178kmh, 0-100kmh: 11.7s, 5.9L/100km, 139g/km CO2

Price: S$131,400 with COE

Available: Now

PROS: Roof works speedily, cheerful looks make you smile

CONS: Not a lot of car for the money