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Volkswagen’s New Beetle makes you smile.

This chipmunk-cheeked two-door tugs at your emotions and strikes a resonant chord with young and old alike, from teenagers to the Woodstock generation. Post-hippie flower children will love it for the way it rekindles memories of the 1960s and 1970s (how many haven’t owned or driven at least one Beetle); teenagers will be bowled over by its cuteness.

But don’t misunderstand the New Beetle. It is more than a retro remake of a cultural icon that generated total sales of more than 21 million vehicles over the course of its lifetime. It is a car, in the words of Jens Neumann, chairman of Volkswagen’s North American Region, “that transcends classes and social status. It cuts across traditional lines . . . it is for everyone who accepts our invitation to feel a little bit better by driving a car that prompts a smile.”

It is also a magnet to draw buyers to VW showrooms and put Volkswagen back in the lexicon of folks searching for a new car.

Prices start at $15,700 including freight, a far cry from the $800 price of the first Volkswagen that came here in 1949.

VW plans to build 50,000 cars at its plant in Mexico during the first full year of production and most will come here first. Demand is sure to outstrip supply. Europe will get cars late this year. Eventually, VW hopes to sell about 100,000 a year worldwide.

Last week Volkswagen offered automotive journalists brief drives in countryside surrounding Atlanta. Lined up on artificial turf inside an equestrian center built for the Olympics, the 55 red, yellow, blue and silver cars for our use looked like brightly colored eggs in an Easter basket.

The New Beetle is as different from the old one as water is to wine. Whereas the original was air-cooled, rear-engined, rear-wheel drive, the new one is water-cooled, front-engined and front-wheel-drive. The original was basic transportation personified, and for years it did not even have a gas gauge. The new one comes standard with air conditioning, central locking, anti-theft alarm, four-wheel disc brakes, front and side airbags and a six-speaker AM/FM stereo. Oh, yes, and a bud vase, too, for those who like to keep a fresh daisy on their dash.

Built on the same platform as the new Golf, available in Germany but not here yet, the New Beetle uses a 2.0-liter, 115-horsepower, four-cylinder engine. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, an automatic optional. For those concerned with the optimum in fuel economy (41 mpg city, 48 mpg highway), a 1.9-liter, turbocharged, direct-injection (TDI) diesel engine is available. This high-tech powerplant is expected in less than 10 percent of cars sold in North America, although I would suspect it to be much more popular in Europe.

Performance nuts will want to wait until later this year when the 1.8-liter, turbocharged engine with 150 horsepower is available. This rascal is reputed to be capable of tearing to 60 m ph in 7 seconds.

I sampled both five-speed and automatic versions. Whipping the five-speed through its paces was fun, especially on rural two-lane roads. The fat, round shift knob encourages you to use it often, and the engine sounds throaty without being coarse.

What amazed me most was how much I liked the automatic. Its acceleration was marginally slower than the stick, but somehow the whole vehicle felt more refined and quiet, almost like a baby luxury sedan.

Mechanically, the New Beetle has a level of sophistication never hinted at by the original. The chassis is poised in all but the craziest driving. We never once spilled a drop of water from the bud vase built into the dash.

Out on the interstate it hustles along with ease. Around 70 mph there was moderate wind whistle around the front of the doors, but it varied from car to car. I will reserve judgement on this until we can drive a regular production model.

The cabin is positively spacious u front. My six-foot, four-inch driving partner could have worn a cowboy hat without bumping the roof. Legroom, too, was generous. Tip the front seat forward and climb in back, however, and the reverse is true. Adults shorter than five-foot eight inches will find rear headroom snug but tolerable. In other words, the back seat is intended for occasional use by kids, pets or short friends.

The arching roofline creates a very deep dashboard, much like that of a small minivan, and the view out front is much the same. Forward vision, however panoramic, is moderately interrupted by wide-based windshield pillars.

Back where the engine used to be on the old model you will find a 12-cubic-foot trunk. This is a hatchback, and the cargo hold is most generous with the back seat folded down. Dropping the seat to create this space means removing the headrests, tipping the bottom cushion forward and sliding the front seats up a little as well.

The rest of the cabin has a high-tech, Braun-shaver look that is most appealing, from the large instrument pod that contains a speedometer, gas gauge and tachometer, to the rubberized texture found on the dash and shift knob. The radio, air outlets and heater knobs sit in a rounded center section of the dash within easy reach.

Front seats were firm and well-contoured, but drivers well over six feet may find their shape problematic for long stints at the wheel. Sizable map pockets adorn each door panel. There are three cupholders up front, two power outlets (one on the console between the seats) and no ashtray, although the dealer can install one. A center armrest is missing.

It is heartening to see the New Beetle evolve from concept to reality in four years. VW is far from a one-model company. Both a new Jetta and a new Golf are in the pipeline. The New Beetle joins the Passat as an example of totally new products with first-rate quality. Volkswagen, and its luxury division, Audi, seem to be in the process of redefining themselves through innovative and stylish products. The New Beetle is but one critical piece of that pie, but it may become the biggest slice.

Price

The base price is $15,700, including freight. Prices of options are as follows: automatic transmission, $875; sport package (alloy wheels, fog lights), $410; convenience package (power windows, cruise control), $470; anti-lock brakes, $300; heated seats, $150.

Approximate sticker prices for the cars I drove ranged from $16,880 for the five-speed to $17,775 for the automatic.

Warranty

The standard warranty is for two years or 24,000 miles, shorter than most. All scheduled maintenance, however, is free during that period, and the powertrain warranty is for ten years or 100,000 miles.

There is no At A Glance box because this was not a test drive of a regular production vehicle.

SPECIFICATIONS:

ENGINE: 2.0-liter, 4-cyl.

TRANSMISSION: Five-speed

WHEELBASE: 98.9 inches

CURB WEIGHT: 2,712 lbs.

BASE PRICE: $15,700

PRICE AS DRIVEN: $16,880

MPG RATING: 23 city, 29 hwy.