Long Term Test: 2012 Orbea Orca Bronze post #4

My poor Orbea has been sitting largely untouched for the last several months. Following some injuries sustained at the end of September, in conjunction with the colder weather and the craziness of my current home life, I simply have not had as much time to ride as I would like. To make matters worse, I also have not had the opportunity to give it a proper tune-up while it has sat out of service. Of course, once things settle down again, I intend to get back on the bike and get out there to meet the seemingly impossible task for me of riding 1,000 miles in a single year.

Still, in the meantime, even though I am not riding it, at least I get to enjoy looking at it. The Orca may not be the most wild design out there, but compared to the simplicity of the rest of my bikes, it is genuinely a great looking piece of art to hang up and be appreciated.

Long Term Test: 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited Wrap-up

Update #6 (wrap-up)
Mileage: 44,650

A little earlier than expected, the Hyundai Sonata makes a departure from our long-term fleet. The one feature, or lack thereof, that did it in was memory seats. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in cars with electrically adjustable seats and with as many as four different drivers who driver the car with some semblance of regularity, it is important to make it easy for drivers to quickly find and adjust the seats and mirrors to their liking. Of course, aside from this one shortcoming, the car has actually proven to be quite the solid mid-size all-purpose car for the suburban needs of the modern family. However, it was also not totally a problem-free stay in our garage.

Long Term Test: 2012 Orbea Orca Bronze post #3

Third update
Current mileage: 604.3

Lately, my riding has focused on a lot of speed and climbing work. I have started participating in a local criterium to try to gain some racing experience and a temporary relocation to my in-law's place to house sit for them while they were away on travel means a lot of opportunity to focus on hills.

In the criterium, it is hard not to get equipment envy. There are a lot of people sporting some serious equipment and a few sponsored teams come out to use the ride as a part of their training regimen. The actual racing is not that exciting as the same handful of riders seem to always be in or near the top of the heap. However, from an educational perspective, it is helpful to not only understand more about bunch start racing, but also better understand my body's limitations at the moment and the limitations of my equipment. On the equipment front, the Orca has proven slightly outmatched, although not necessarily because of the frame, but rather more because of the other hardware attached to the frame. Most people riding in this crit have clearly been doing it for a long while and are sporting aero wheels or, at the very least, much more expensive wheel sets than the Axioms that are on my bike. Still, since this was intended to be a learning experience for me, I do not feel the least bit concerned about where I place and am just happy to have the opportunity to take part.

As for riding the hills, the Orca has both positives and negatives compared with the K2 that it replaced. If nothing else, the carbon fiber bike makes it significantly lighter. The complete bike weighs around 18.5 pounds, which is nearly 7 lbs lighter than the aluminum frame bike that it replaced. That makes going up even steep hills feel significantly less strenuous. However, the one drawback compared to that old aluminum frame bike is the fact that the K2 had a triple crank set and the Orca has a compact double. That extra set of gears, should not make that much of a difference, but there are definitely times when a few extra ratios would be helpful to have. Still, having pushed it hard the last few weeks on the hills, I am definitely able to appreciate the greater stiffness that carbon fiber offers and the smoother shifting of the Ultegra components.

Hopefully there will be a lot more riding to be done this summer.

Long Term Test: 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited post #5

Fifth update
Current mileage: 39,578

The Sonata just narrowly escaped being replaced. My in-laws, who daily drive the car, has seriously begun looking for possible replacements, spurred by one of those things that I consider an automotive pet peeve. The Sonata, like many of its competitors of the same generation, offers electric seat adjustment, but no seat memory. It seems like a minor thing, but when multiple drivers of different heights and body shapes share a single car, the driving positions can be equally dramatically different.

With manual seat adjustment, shifting between two driving positions is surprisingly easy because one can simply count the detentes in the various adjusters. That does not work quite so well with electric seats because there is an infinite range of adjustability between the two extremes. Also, it is often the case that electric seat adjusters offer substantially greater numbers it adjustments. That means tweaking the seat to fund just the right seating position to be truly comfortable can take quite a bit of finesse and patience. Without seat memory systems, it can become a hassle to relocate that exact position that was perfect. I know it sounds trivial, but as someone who has done solidly 8 hours behind the wheel without a stop, I can honestly attest to the virtues of a truly find-tuned seat position.

And so, because of this single shortcoming, the Sonata found itself on the chopping block. The car, which has been otherwise reliable and comfortable, was to be retired because the seats lacked a much desired, but not needed position. Funny how such a trivial detail can have such a major impact on a large financial decision.

Fortunately for the Sonata, its record allowed for cooler heads to prevail and it was eventually decided that a replacement was unnecessary at the moment, though I suspect this stay off execution will be short-lived. It is only a matter of time before some other reason crops up that places the Sonata's tenure in jeopardy. Such is the fickle nature of the automotive consumer these days.

* * * *

As the final article to run here on East-West Brothers Garage for 2015, we hope you have enjoyed our content from this past year and wish you a Happy New Year. For 2016, we are looking at scaling back our publication schedule to focus on the depth and quality of content and hope you will continue to offer us your feedback.

Long Term Test: 2012 Orbea Orca Bronze post #2

Second update

Current mileage: 365.6 

I launch away from the stop sign, sprinting hard to race up the short hill. Standing on the pedals, every stroke translating into more speed as I try to beat the cars to the light at the top. The road levels off just before the red light comes into view and I squeeze the brakes gently to bring the bike to a stop. Looking back, I can't help but smile as the first car only just pops into view after I catch my breath.

The Orca continues to prove itself a perfect complement to where I am in my evolution as a rider. It is far and away the lightest bike I have ever ridden, coming in at a scant 18.6 lbs, and that translates into fantastic acceleration. The smoother shifting of the Ultegra components means quicker transitions in cadence and allows me to manage my energy consumption much better as I no longer cringe at the thought of shifting and dealing with the jolt and stutter that I used to get from the components on my old K2. Handling feels fantastic as the bike turns in much more willingly than I ever remember the K2 being and with less weight to move around, I am able to toss it around at will and be confident that I am in complete control. Best of all, despite being stiffer all around, the bike actually delivers a more compliant ride than the aluminum frame it replaced. The layup of the carbon in the seat stays and the use of a carbon seat post seems to damp the ride much better than the aluminum K2.

Of course, one clear thing to keep in mind is that this is a significantly more expensive bike than the one it replaced. It was nearly four times the cost in price paid and over four times the MSRP. It is not hard to see where the extra expense went as the bike is just all around a better ride. While I have not gone out riding nearly as much as I had hoped I would this year, every ride on it proves to me that it was worth every single penny.

As the miles rack up, I expect the bike to reveal ever more of its character to me and to become ever more enjoyable to ride.

Long Term Test: 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited post #4

Fourth update
Current mileage: 33,578

It had been a little while since I had gotten much seat time in the Sonata, so a quick jaunt up the Express Lane into the heart of downtown LA gave me a chance to reacquaint myself with the car. On the freeway, the car remains a smooth and steady cruiser with a great ride even on the notoriously uneven and grooved concrete that makes up much of the 110 Express Lane. The issue of the squeaking sunroof had been addressed and the car sounded more solid once again. Speaking of sound, I must admit that I am not a huge fan of the Infinity audio system that is in our long-term car. There is plenty of bass and if you are listening to lower quality recordings it is wholly adequate. However, even after plenty of fiddling around with the settings, the higher frequencies continue to sound slightly muddled and lack a crispness needed to cut through the overpowering bass notes. It probably does not help that the sound stage provided by the Sonata's cabin is hardly ideal given how much road and wind noise manage to seep in. It is certainly one of the noisier cabins I can remember being in, especially since it is nearly impossible to have a conversation with another passenger without needing to raise your voice at least a decibel or two.

As far as fuel economy goes, I will continue to belabor the point that I am wholly disappointed with the Sonata's thirst for fuel. It obviously does not help that where the car is housed is one of the hillier areas of Southern California, but just how far below the EPA ratings the car is performing is almost embarrassing. Right now, a romp to just about anywhere and back nets an average fuel economy somewhere around the high teens. That is around what our long-term MDX is turning in and that is a three-row SUV with a serious weight penalty on the Sonata. Worst of all, even when driven as smoothly as possible with near constant and vigilant use of the cruise control, I have yet to turn in a run that managed to top 30 mpg at any point. Staying out of the boost is not hard to do, but even driving it in full Eco mode and channeling the patience of Gandhi, I never even manage to get close to the EPA ratings. Heck, I am barely able to match the EPA numbers going down a hill. I am not sure if this is a problem with our specific car or if the problem is this bad across the board, but I certainly hope this is something that Hyundai has spent a lot of time and effort addressing in the latest version of the car.

Long Term Test: 2012 Orbea Orca Bronze

Introduction
Current mileage: 117.8

As with any Craigslist purchase, I am  more than a little cautious, especially given how eager the seller is. We trade text messages back and forth at a furious pace -- me fishing for more details about the bike and him fishing for a sale. We each manage to get what we are seeking and he extends the offer to bring the bike to me to see in person. I pick a public location just in case and head to bank to pick up a large stack of bills.

My first look at the bike is that it is rather unassuming, the dark color scheme not particularly standing out and bearing more than a passing resemblance to the colors of my K2. But I lift it off the sellers bike rack and the difference is immediately noticeable. This is my first ever ride of a carbon fiber bike. I have been lusting after them for a long time, but never had the justification to even try one until now and I can now fully appreciate why people rave about them. The lightness is downright astounding. Even without it being properly adjusted for me and on cheap plastic platform pedals, I can already feel the dramatic difference. The ride quality is stiff without being harsh, rather similar to the ride of my vintage steel frame Shogun, but the torsional rigidity is off the charts. I stand up and hammer on the pedals for a bit and the bike immediately shoots across the parking lot without so much as a whiff of hesitation. Each request for a shift is answered with a smooth transition from the Ultegra derailleurs and the brakes bring the bike to a strong and drama free stop.

I am in love...

The big stack of cash is handed over to the seller and the Orca is placed into the back of my car.

Long Term Test: 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition post #4

Fourth update
Mileage: 20,760

Not long after East Brother returned to the west coast, I proposed and experiment: trade cars for a week to see how we would get along with each other's cars. I figured this would be an interesting experiment to try considering the only similarities between my S2000 and his TSX SE are that they were both built by Honda in Japan, and have a six-speed manual transmission. Besides those two similarities, the Honda S2000 and Acura TSX are two completely different machines, built for different purposes.

I went into this experiment knowing things would be very different, so I figured nothing was going to surprise me. Just as expected, there was more space, the cabin was quieter, and the suspension was more compliant. In typical Honda fashion, the transmission was excellent, with a fantastic solid feeling from the shift lever. The lighter clutch took a little to get used to, but again, it was something I expected. So far, it sounds like everything I had expected from transitioning from a two seat roadster to a sedan.

Long Term Test: 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition post #3

Third update
Current miles: 12,575

A few days after my two-year anniversary of ownership, I had the TSX running full steam down I-93 towards NYC for the New York International Auto Show. Heading down, the weather was threatening, but not once did the skies actually open up and offer any rain. While there, the TSX suffered the indignities of vehicles parked in one of many of Manhattan's parking lots - that is to say a few tiny, but noticeable scrapes on the bumpers from valets who refuse to be more careful. After NYAIS, the return drive was significantly smoother, with only one delay caused by a rather horrific looking accident on I-93 in Connecticut. Despite the 75 mph I kept setting the cruise control to, the TSX managed an admirable 32.0 mpg according to the car's trip computer. If we take into account the slight tendency of the car to overstate based on my hand calculations, that still amounts to around 30 mpg, which is just a hair better than the car's EPA rating. In fact, despite a fair amount of city driving, the TSX has pretty much hit the EPA's combined rating squarely on the nose, averaging right at 24 mpg. An impressive feat in this day and age where many manufacturers struggle to deliver cars that meet their EPA ratings.

Aside from the NYC trip, the TSX has seen a particularly harsh Boston winter and survived admirably, although not entirely without casualty. The second service, performed just days before my New York trip, resulted in the replacement of the car's battery, which I was told was failing. Luckily, Acura's warranty had me covered so I paid nothing out of pocket for a fresh new battery to be installed.

The TSX continues to soldier on, though it has developed a few rather annoying rattles that crop up only on the rough winter-beaten roads here in the Boston area. Despite this, the car continues to offer up an entertaining drive and has taken us to Maine for skiing as well as another jaunt to Newport, RI. Between longer trips, the car sees little action and as the weather warms up, my tendency is to continue to favor my two wheeled options. Nonetheless, the TSX proves itself a willing travel companion that has been relatively inexpensive to keep running trouble-free.

Long Term Test: 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited post #2

Second Update
Current mileage: 21,245

I had an opportunity to spend some more time with the Sonata, this time on some more extended trips. The longer periods behind the wheel reveal a real weakness in the Sonata's overall design: it's steering feel. Since we were with family, both my wife and I shared driving duties at various times. At one point, my father-in-law commented to my wife that she needed to try to be smoother when she was behind the wheel. Just the prior evening, I had driven all of us to Irvine for a Cirque du Soleil performance and my wife noted a few points where she thought I was beginning to nod off. However, the reality was that the Sonata's rather dull and lifeless steering means that the driver is forced to concentrate extremely hard to drive the car smoothly. Even the slightest moment of lapsed concentration can result in slightly jerky motions, especially when one is used to driving cars that have much more responsive steering.

Another area that was starting to suffer after over 20,000 miles on the road was the structural rigidity of the car. While not terribly noticeable on smooth roads, it became increasingly obvious on rutted roads or when hustling the car through fast corners that the cars structure was not as strong as it had been when originally purchased. The rattles and squeaks emanating from all throughout the interior also spoke to the deteriorating vehicle structure. It is disappointing that in only two-years, the Sonata has started to exhibit issues that should not appear in a well-built car until at least 4 to 5 years in. I have driven rental cars with more miles that had fewer squeaks and rattles.

Still, there is much to like about the Sonata. Its rather cavernous interior, enormous trunk, and well-equipped interior make it a genuine value in the segment when it comes to family hauling duties. As far as maintenance, it has required nothing aside from scheduled visits and has been extremely reliable. That turbo-charged motor delivers strong mid-range performance, but the transmission gets caught off-guard at points and occasionally lags to shift when acceleration is called for. Luckily, the gorgeous exterior continues to turn heads and is still one of my personal favorite mid-size family sedans after the recently introduced Mazda6.

Click here to read post #1.

Long Term Test: 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition post #2

Second update
Current miles: 9,452

After 18 months with the TSX, the car is still a joy to drive and has been dead reliable mechanically. Since I put very few miles on the car during most weeks, the majority of my driving is now coming in the form of longer road trips, usually for all too brief vacation stays on weekends to various places around New England. Combine that with the fact that during the warmer months trips tend to take place on my motorcycle, it is not hard to see why even after 18 months, I have not yet hit the 10k mark.

The nice thing is that these longer trips really allow me too enjoy what I appreciate most about the TSX: the driving experience. From behind the wheel, the steering feels well-weighted, accurate, and is reasonably communicative for an electronic power steering setup. I do still miss the ultra-communicative steering of the two first-generation TSXs that I owned, but considering that there are fewer and fewer cars with traditional hydraulic power steering these days, this arrangement is one of the better ones. Of course, the 6-speed manual is one of the best in the business and offers crisp engagement, slick action, and short throws. Clutch engagement could stand to be a bit more pronounced, but on whole, it is great to be able to enjoy shifting for yourself. Suspension tuning is actually quite good, proving properly stiff for sporty driving, but compliant enough to be comfortable on long trips. Understeer is present, but not so pronounced that it interferes with driving on a regular basis, only rearing its ugly head when pushing the car hard or when the road surface is slick.

Test Ride: 2012 BMW R1200GS

Image courtesy of Motoquest.com

Adventure bikes are not usually my thing. The weight does not bother me so much as the rather high center of gravity relative to a sport, or even a standard, bike. However, during my most recent trip back to the West Coast, I had the occasion to slip away from work for a day and take the gold standard of the adventure bike class, BMW's venerable R1200GS, for a full day test ride. I used the opportunity to cover a road that is popular with all sorts of riders, Southern California's famed Ortega Highway, but also spent plenty of time on it traversing the crowded suburban sprawl of LA as well as slicing through traffic as I split lanes between cars on the parking lot that is the 405 freeway during rush hour. MotoQuest, which provided the bike for the review, was extremely helpful and made sure that I had plenty of time to get acquainted and appreciate the genius that is this motorcycle.

Test Drives: Subcompact Showdown

Over the past few weeks, my fiancee and I have looked at a few subcompact hatchbacks. You can read the individual reviews for those by clicking on the following links:

2013 Honda Fit Sport
2013 Mazda2 Sport
2012 Ford Fiesta SES
2013 Chevrolet Sonic LT
2014 Nissan Versa Note SV

The subcompact car has made quite a boom in the last few years. With ever rising gas prices making it impractical to plod around town in a giant SUV, many car buyers looking for their first car want something that offers the space of an SUV, but the efficiency of a small car. Subcompact hatchbacks are designed to offer the best of both worlds, with cargo space that rivals some small SUVs, and small, fuel efficient engines. Of the five we tested though, which one offers the best bang for the buck? Read on to find out!

*Starting with this comparison, standings will be determined with a point system. Each category will have a maximum of five points, with 1st place receiving five points, 2nd receiving four points, 3rd receiving three, 4th receiving two, and 5th receiving one.  

Test Drive: 2012 Ford Fiesta SES

Update: See how the Fiesta performed against the competition in our Subcompact Showdown.

MSRP: $17,500
As Tested Price: $19,390

As mentioned in my review of the Ford Focus ST and the Ford Focus SE, I was not exactly the biggest fan of Ford's products. After testing the Focus ST and spending a few days with the Focus SE, my image of Ford had changed quite dramatically. Ford has made leaps and bounds in the quality of their vehicles, and I no longer feel like I am sitting in a tin can that could fall apart at any time. Naturally, as my fiancee and I went in to test the Ford Fiesta SES, I had fairly high hopes that this car would be able to match the two Focus variants in quality. Does the Fiesta live up to the new expectation that I have of Ford's vehicles?

Test Drive: 2012 Honda Civic Si Sedan

I may be a little late to the 2012 Honda Civic Si "hate parade," but I mention the 2012 Civic Si quite a number of times in our review of the 2013 Acura ILX, so it only seems fair to give the Civic Si Sedan a proper shakedown as well.

In late 2011, Honda introduced the 9th generation Civic for the 2012 model year. The new 9th generation Civic comes with a revised interior and exterior, and for the Si model, a new motor as well. The Si comes equipped with the K24Z7 2.4 liter, DOHC i-VTEC inline-4, making 201 hp and 170 lb./ft. For those of you that know your Honda engine codes, yes, this is the same motor that is equipped in Acura's all new for 2013 ILX 2.4 and is the base motor for the Acura TSX. Besides the electronic features that come standard on all Civics, other standard features for the Si include a 6 speed manual transmission (the only transmission choice), limited slip differential, 17 inch alloy wheels, performance all-season tires, cloth interior with Si exclusive red stitching and Si badges. The only available options for the Si are summer tires and a Honda Link navigation system.

Long Term Test: 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition post #1

Update: Click here to read post #2.

The day our beloved 1999 Mazda Miata MX-5 10th Anniversary Edition was stricken ill was a dark day for my wife and me. From the day they b
rought it home, that car had been the pride and joy of my wife's parents and she had set her sights on it becoming the first car that she would own, which did eventually happen in 2006. When we relocated from the suburbs into the city, we consolidated down into a single car, and the Miata was the car we kept. As you can imagine, there were many years of sentimental value attached to the little blue convertible.

So when it came time to find a replacement, we had a long list of requirements and a lot of compromises to make. We knew we needed something more practical than the Miata (a criteria which just about any car would satisfy) and be able to carry our friends and luggage and potentially a pet. That meant that something with 4 seats would be required, at a minimum. My wife, who is very environmentally minded, wanted a car that put up decent fuel economy numbers. I wanted a manual transmission, which narrowed the available options to a tiny handful of cars. Fun to drive, comfortable, relatively maintenance free, and moderately well equipped with modern necessities such as Bluetooth hands-free calling were all a given. Pricing needed to be reasonable as we were losing an income for a couple of years and knew we wanted to keep our expenses under control.

Test Drive: 2012 Chrysler 300

The Chrysler 300 has always inspired mixed feelings from me. When it was first introduced, the pill-box shape and slightly retro-charm of the overall profile felt sort of cool and unique, while the re-introduction of a Hemi branded motor inspired thoughts of tire-smoking hilarity. However, the garbage interior combined with the sheer number of rappers and posers driving around in the things sporting the fake chrome Bently style grilles and ginormous blingy wheels quickly quashed any desire to be seen within 10-feet of one. Yet, post acquisition by Fiat, the revised Chrylser 300 has managed to somehow shake off its reputation and has been subtly re-imagined as a proper gentleman's sedan. The changes throughout the car, inside and out, offer an opportunity for this once maligned bling-mobile to shed the image and once again enter the ranks of respectable businessman's sedans.

Editorial: Rental cars and the improving automotive industry

My job involves quite a bit of travel, resulting in my spending a fair amount of quality time with a wide variety of rental cars. In many ways, I always felt that the rental car industry is a pretty good indicator of the state of the entire automotive industry in the United States - as the automotive industry improves quality standards across the board, the change would be reflected in the rental cars that are available to the public. In recent years, I had begun come to terms that rentals cars had demonstrated a remarkable improvement with even the poorest quality cars showing a marked increase in drivability, material quality, and overall feel.

Image courtesy of Newcars.com

Then, a few weeks ago, I picked up a rental car at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky airport that left me a bit dumbfounded. The car in question was a 2012 Nissan Sentra in about as base a trim level as was possible. I have driven a number of competitors to the Sentra in recent years and nearly every one of them has been a relatively pleasant experience, feeling well sorted if price appropriate. Nissan, however, clearly did not get the memo. I simply have not had such a miserable experience in a rental car in a very long time; so long that I had completely forgotten just how bad a crappy car can be.

Editorial: Are Future Generations of the Volkswagen Beetle Forever Doomed to be Chick Cars?

On the way to work Wednesday morning, I happened to pass by a new, 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. When I looked over, I noticed the driver was a woman. I started to think back to all the other Beetles I have seen over the years, and I noticed a trend. Nearly every New Beetle and "A5" Beetle I have seen to date has been driven by a woman, while the original Beetle has a well diverse mix of drivers. Noticing this trend got me thinking whether every Beetle introduced after the New Beetle would be forever doomed to be a "chick car."

I was not around when the original Volkswagen Beetle was introduced back in the late 1930s. Heck, I was not even around for a good majority of the original Beetle's incredibly long life cycle, but the Volkswagen Beetle soldiered on until 2003, when the last Beetle rolled off the factory and in to the sunset. Throughout its life, the original Volkswagen Beetle has always attracted a very diverse crowd of people. Men, women, senior citizens, young teenagers, and people from all walks of life could be seen driving some form of the original Volkswagen Beetle. In 1997, despite the fact that the original Beetle was still on sale in some markets, Volkswagen introduced the New Beetle in an attempt to inject new life into the aging moniker.

The New Beetle was a fairly big departure from the original Beetle. Overall, the car was more round and bubbly than the original. Volkswagen's paint pallet for the New Beetle included bright reds, yellows and even a neon green color. Car buyers and the automotive press immediately identified the car as being "cute." Over the course of the New Beetle's life cycle, I noticed that nearly nine out of every ten New Beetles I've seen on the road are driven by women. Everyone I knew that ever owned a New Beetle was a woman (with the lone exception of one guy who later traded his Beetle for a 8th generation Honda Civic Si coupe). The car's inherent cuteness seemed to attract droves of women to Volkswagen showrooms, all there to see the cute little "bug." At some point during the New Beetle's life cycle, Volkswagen even introduced flower shaped hub caps, and a flower holder for the cabin. With all these cutesy little additions, it is no wonder the majority of New Beetle buyers were women. At the very least, Volkswagen was pleasing its unintended target audience.

With the New Beetle's production ended in 2010, Volkswagen soon introduced another new Beetle. On April 11, 2011, the 2012 Volkswagen "A5" Beetle, simply known again as just the Beetle, made its debut. Realizing that they needed to draw in a larger audience like with the original Beetle, Volkswagen's redesigned 2012 Beetle takes cues from the original Beetle of yore, mimicking the flatter roof line and overall shape while taking things in a more retro but modern direction. On the marketing front, Volkswagen attempted to market the car as more masculine, showing print and television ads of men driving and enjoying the Beetle. Admittedly, the 2012 Beetle does have more performance chops than the previous models with a revised Turbo model.

The Turbo model shares the Golf GTI's 2.0 liter, turbo in-line 4, an optional DSG transmission, and a sportier suspension tune. But despite Volkswagen's efforts, it seems to me that mostly women are still drawn to the car. Of the six or seven "A5" Beetles I have seen scooting around the road (including the one I saw this day driving to work), all of them, even the Turbo models I have spotted, were driven by women in their late 20s to early 30s. Even when Volkswagen had the car on display at the Los Angeles International Auto Show this past November, most of the interested parties looking at the car were women. Upon seeing the car, my girlfriend had commented on how cute it looked. It seems the previous Beetle's "cute" curse had carried over to the new one.

The "A5" Beetle has been on the market now for only a little under two years now, so it might still be a bit premature to pin the car as a "chick car." If my current observations about the previous Beetle and the current one are any indication though, the current Beetle is going to be forever doomed as a "chick car" as well. Considering the life cycle of the two previous Beetles, it is going to be quite a while before Volkswagen designs another Beetle. Perhaps next time, they will get closer to their goal of making it more masculine. Then again, maybe it just does not matter.