Boston.com's view

When it first came back to life five years ago, the Volkswagen New Beetle faced a two-part question that was fairly simple: Could it maintain its distinct and beloved insect profile and at the same time incorporate the snappy performance of modern technology?

Would it float like a Beetle and sting like a Bee?

The answer was a qualified yes, as sales rose to 80,000 per year in 1999 and 2000. Last year, however, sales dropped to about 60,000 as the New Beetle wasn’t so new anymore. Volkswagen looked at the demographics of its buyers, and listened to a cry for a convertible version, and this year is responding with two new versions of the Beetle.

A convertible comes later this year and, in a straightforward appeal to male buyers, the new Turbo S model has just arrived at dealerships. This 180-horsepower pocket rocket is pointed at the demographic gap that showed that 60 percent of Beetle buyers were women. Further, men who bought the New Beetle tended to do so more for nostalgia than any sense of performance and not many of those were young.

With the Turbo S, Volkswagen is gambling it can sell an extra 5,000 Beetles a year, mostly to young guys looking for performance. In this case, they are doing it more with what’s inside the car – engine and interior – than any drastic change to the outside.

The enthusiasts will pick up on subtle outside changes that include integrated fog lamps, a front spoiler, 17-inch alloy wheels and dual chrome exhausts. Most people will know this is a peppier Bug only because of the snaky “S” insignia on the rear.

Drivers will know instantly that this is a far quicker, more powerful car than the earlier 1.8 turbo.

Its 180-horsepower rating is a 20 percent improvement over the earlier turbo (and is Audi-TT-esque), but most impressive to me was its torque, 173 lbs.-ft. Now that’s not a thundering torque number, but what was impressive was that it appeared to hold steady from about 2,000 rpms to more than 5,000 rpms. That meant the car would rocket forward in a pass that started in third gear and, even dropping down to 2,000 rpms in fifth, it would climb steadily and swiftly right back up to high speeds.

That meant rapid entrances down highway ramps, easy passing in commuter traffic, and lots of fun on winding back roads. It raised eyebrows as it mingled with hot Hondas, Acuras, and even Audis on the highway. This is, after all, a car that is electronically limited to a top speed of 130 miles per hour. The six-speed manual transmission – the only option in the Turbo S, was wonderful in its wide range of gearing possiblities, clean and crisp, the only tranny that should go in a car such as this.

Only in rapid acceleration from a stop did I find a problem – torque steer. But that’s part of the compromise you have to make in melding horsepower and front-wheel-drive.

Another compromise on the Turbo S was obvious in the suspension. It was stiffer than earlier Beetles, but not stif f enough for true performance enthusiasts. That may not be a problem since most folks who buy the Turbo S will be happy with the highway handling and comfort, even if it does mean a bit of softness on tight curves on smaller roads. Tweakers will fool with this suspension, which is fully independent and includes struts, control arms, stabilizer bar, and coil spring struts up front and, in the rear, a torsion beam axle with sway bar and trailing arms.

Standard on the Turbo S – and standard gear abounds – is an Electronic Stabilization Program that compares what the driver may be trying to do with the car with what the car is actually doing. It uses yaw and steering sensors to detect when the car is getting away from the driver. Then, it employs individual wheel braking, engine torque, and transmission adjustments to get the car back on course.

The folks at Volkswagen like to say that having ESP is like having a professional rally driver in the car with you. I’m not sure I’d go t t far, since ESP takes over well before the edge at which a pro driver would take the car out of a drifting slide. What it does do, however, is keep drivers who want to get near the edge, but may not have those skills, from getting into real trouble.

I don’t think that any manufacturer puts better interiors in cars in the $16,000-$27,000 range than Volkswagen. The Turbo S continues that trend.

This is one sporty, luxurious, leathery interior. And it is quite roomy for four passengers.

The wonderfully bolstered front bucket seats have gray leather bases with black leather bolsters and trim black leather wraps the steering wheel, the brake grip, and the shift boot. For a sporty touch, brushed alloy, with TT-like dimples, is found at the shift knob, glove box handle, steering wheel spokes, and even the door lock pegs. Stainless steel pedals with grip holes add to the sporty look. And finishing it off is an aggressive white on black gauge layout that takes the place of the warm, indigo blue of the tamer Beetle.

On the test model, the only option was a $300 six-disc CD changer. There isn’t much need for options since the standard equipment list is impressive. It includes ESP, leather sport seats, automatic spoiler, integrated fog lamps, ABS, power windows, cruise control, power glass sunroof, heated windshield washers, an eight-speaker Monsoon sound system, antitheft alarm, dual power outlets for phones or other electronic gear, and, for enhanced safety, front and side impact air bags.

Of course, there remains one other option. What do you put in the dash-mounted vase, the one that in the initial reincarnation of the Beetle contained a daisy? This vase has brushed alloy trim, no home for a daisy. I’m thinking Venus’s-flytrap.

2002 Volkswagen New Beetle Turbo S

Base price: $23,400

Price as tested: $24,400

Horsepower: 180

Torque: 173 lb.-ft.

Wheelbase: 98.7 inches

Overall length: 161.1 inches

Width: 67.9 inches

Height: 59.0 inches

Curb weight: 3,005 lbs. Seating: 4 passengers

Fuel economy: 27 miles per gallon

SOURCE: Volkswagen North America; fuel economy from Globe testing.

Nice touch

The way the front bucket seats fold crisply and jump up and forward when you push the easily grasped handle on the side of the seat back. Gives quick and roomy access to rear seat.

Annoyance

The automatic deployment of the rear spoiler. In earlier incarnations, it didn’t come up until 93 miles per hour. Hard to strut your stuff legally. Now, it pops up at around 45 and goes back down at 10. That’s lots of unnecessary clunking. And showing off your spoiler at 45 seems pretentious. Talkin’ the talk before you’ve walked any walk.