OK, I promised myself I wouldn't get involved in this discussion, but... no willpower, I guess.

I just don't see what the big deal with this car is.

In a word: Nostalgia.

A lot of people remember the old VW Bugs with fondness (it's amazing how faded 30-year-old memories can be better than the way things actually were!) That old Bug was an icon for its time, and yes, while the New Bug doesn't look exactly the same as the Old Bug, it is so evocative of the Old Bug that recognition is instantaneous and universal.

As far as the qualities of the New Bug, it is a perfectly adequate, maybe a bit above average but certainly not an extraordinary car by today's standards. After all, it is just a VW Golf with funny looking sheet metal on it. (I say "just" a Golf, but a Golf in its own right is quite a good car.)

It's the nostalgia factor that elevates the New Bug to near-cult status. It's a good little car, fun to drive, and it is a passport to memories of what many people perceive as a better time.

tanstaafl



"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"