The 21st Century Beetle

This time, VW surprises us again, with the 21st Century Beetle. This time, the designers took more cues from the original Beetle and incorporated them into the most aggressive Beetle yet. The original chopped roofline is back, along with the running boards under the doors. The new model is broader, longer and lower than the last incarnation, giving the new Beetle an overall more athletic stance.

Inside, the dash has been thoroughly modernized with that restrained elegance and function that VW is so excellent at delivering. While the dash is completely new, other components have been borrowed from the classic and tastefully incorporated into the interior design. The glove box is a callback to the classic, with a upwards opening door, and the rear seats are graced with the retro rubber loop as the grab handle. It all looks pretty darn cool.

The first two released models are the 2.5 liter inline 5-cylinder base, or the turbo model with 200HP 2.0 liter turbo-charged four-banger. Both are matched to VW's proprietary DSG twin-clutch auto transmission with the manual transmissions to follow soon. The TDI model will hit our Miami showroom this spring.

On the Miami roads, driving the new Beetle is a sure treat. It manages a smooth ride even over some of the rougher sections of asphalt despite its large 19-inch tires. In Sport Mode, the Beetle can deliver what a driving enthusiast is looking for - a thrilling ride and responsive handling. Bending a Beetle into corners and ripping through the straight-aways has never been so much fun.

Rugged, athletic and comfortable, there is nothing to complain about with the new Beetle. As a toughened-up version of the original, the new Beetle strikes that excellent balance of paying homage to the original icon and satisfying modern-day expectations in both handling and features.