When the modern Beetle was launched in this country, it came with left-hand drive, what many people thought was an unnecessarily large two-litre engine, and a premium price tag. Half a point out of three, maybe, although you had to admire the way Volkswagen came up with a modern, volume production pastiche of the most famous car in its own history. Usually, that kind of treatment is reserved for roadsters.Having had some experience, in the late 1950s, of very utilitarian German-market versions of the original design, I never fell for the Beetle the way some British enthusiasts did. The handling of the base-model cars could be pretty dodgy, and the luggage space was pathetic. If you sat in the back it was like cramming yourself into a dormer window, and on the autobahns the beat of the air-cooled engine could almost give you a migraine.The great attraction, of course, was that same unburstable engine, designed to make hour-long full-throttle autobahn cruising the natural thing. British small-car engines of the same era would have sprayed themselves in red-hot fragments over the landscape if asked to do the same.Now the modern Beetle is available with right-hand drive, there's a 1.6-litre engine option, and in that specification the car comes at a much more sensible price.It's amazing how like, and at the same time unlike, the original type it is. There's almost the same side-on silhouette, but the boot and engine compartment have swapped ends. The tiny luggage space is at the back, with a lock and handle revealed by swivelling the VW badge. There's a modern engine up front. But you still get what amounts to two-plus-two seating.To the people who buy present-day Beetles, none of the criticisms matter. The ones you see about the place are obviously almost like family pets, they're often in bright colours which don't look garish in this context, and you have to bear in mind that this is the only car on the market with a flower vase - or a bud vase, as Volkswagen calls it - as part of the standard trim. It's kooky, but it's also, somehow, in character.There's some quite pleasant modern gear in and on the car as well. Anti-lock brakes, an electronic stability programme (wouldn't that have made a difference in the '50s!), eight-spoke alloy wheels, electrically operated front windows, even heated door mirrors. You get blue-lit instruments including a tiny revcounter and an even smaller clock, both of which it's possible to overlook at first, a neat radio installation, and . . . would that be a 12-volt socket for an American-market radar detector?The Beetle has plenty of cabin space up front, and its roofline guarantees loads of headroom for the driver and adjacent passenger. And there's close to "proper" Volkswagen build quality.How does it go? I'm not sure that's really an issue. But the 1.6 goes fine, because it still has a three-figure peak horsepower and good torque for its size. It's light to drive, and the handling characteristics couldn't be more different from the old rear-engined device.This is hardly my natural kind of transport, but I breezed along quite happily in the Beetle, a car which should put all thoughts of potential road rage out of your mind. If you do need to calm down, of course, simply take the flower out of the vase, start thinking San Francisco, and wear it in your hair.Second opinion: Yes, performance from the 1.6 engine is quite adequate, but has someone fiddled with the suspension? I don't remember the two-litre version being quite so undamped up front. At times I felt I had as much directional control as if I were trying to lead a horse and cart. Visibility isn't too good, either, as it's impossible to tell where the extremities of the car might be. Altogether the new Beetle is the complete opposite of the old one, not only as regards engine location but in the fact that it is a triumph of style over content. David Finlay. Engine 1598cc, 4 cylinders Power 102bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel 36.7mpg Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.6 seconds Top speed 111mph Price £12,995 Details correct at publication date
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