wikedgolf
07-30-2004, 02:00 PM
VW Beetle convertible called a bit too 'hippie'
By Anita Lienert / Special to The Detroit News
David Guralnick / The Detroit News
GROSSE POINTE WOODS -- After spending two weeks testing the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible against the 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle convertible, Brenda Baker-Mbacké said picking a favorite was easy.
“Hands down, it’s the PT Cruiser convertible,†said Mbacké, 41, a Southfield social worker who is a member of the 2004 Detroit News Automotive Consumer Panel. “No contest. The PT Cruiser was stylish, much more comfortable, felt more secure and the top was much easier to handle.
“The Volkswagen was cute, but I am too old for a cute car.â€
Our 10 panelists racked up a total of 12,196 miles shuttling among 15 test vehicles in an intense, drop-top face-off between the four-passenger retro convertibles that took place between June 23 and July 6 in Metro Detroit.
The PT Cruiser convertible won over seven of the 10 panelists, who range in age from 21 to 58. For many panelists, the choice boiled down to looks.
The majority of the panelists said they were turned off by the “hippie†connotations of the Beetle with its array of psychedelic exterior colors and turned on by the classic “Bonnie-and-Clyde†proportions of the PT Cruiser, especially the sculpted fenders and simulated running boards.
The group used the convertibles for a variety of activities, from work commutes to Fourth of July picnics. Some strayed far from home, making “chocolate runs†to Hershey, Pa., or using the vehicles for romantic weekends in Niagara Falls.
http://www.detnews.com/pix/2004/07/28/0drive/dr028-convert1-0704y.jpg
Practicality was a big consideration in this comparison, too. Panelist Bob Kazanowski, the 58-year-old owner of Mason’s Bar and Grille in Livonia, praised the ability of the PT Cruiser convertible’s trunk to easily hold “40 pounds of kielbasa plus trays of stuffed cabbage.â€
Volkswagen and Chrysler provided panelists with a selection of amply equipped or top-of-the-line convertibles with an average sticker price of about $27,000.
Overall, the panelists griped that both cars tended to be too seasonal and toy-like — and would serve best as the second vehicle in a family fleet.
This attitude resulted in a certain amount of hair-splitting as panelists voted on their favorite.
“I’d choose the New Beetle if it were my second car, but I’d choose the PT Cruiser if it were my only car,†explained James M. Childs, a 29-year-old funeral director from Clawson who ultimately picked the New Beetle convertible as his favorite. “The Chrysler was better for storage space and room for four passengers.â€
Paula Osborne, 29, a Detroit attorney, said she was sold on the PT Cruiser after putting 750 miles on a GT Turbo model — priced at $28,355 — during a four-day trip to Niagara Falls.
“I enjoyed the car far more than I expected,†Osborne said. “And this is after lots of highway driving and driving in busy holiday traffic. The seats were very comfortable, even after five hours of driving. We had lots of trunk room for our luggage and shopping, and the fuel economy was great, averaging 27 miles per gallon on the highway.â€
Mya Dolan, 28, a Roseville accounting consultant, and her husband, Patrick, 30, zipped over to Niagara Falls, New York City and Hershey, Pa., in the PT Cruiser.
“When we pulled up to our hotel in New York, the valet guys could not believe all the luggage we fit in the trunk,†she said.
But Dolan gave the New Beetle the nod as her favorite.
“The VW Bug is by far much more fun to drive,†said Dolan, who drove a “sundown orange†Beetle convertible with a black top priced at $28,920. “But it’s not very practical. It would be good as a summer car, but at almost $29,000, that’s a little steep for something you’d only use in the summer.â€
While both the PT Cruiser convertible and the New Beetle convertible are built in Mexico, there was evidence of a pro-Detroit bias among some of the panelists.
It came as little surprise that 41-year-old Darrell Oliver, a Detroit resident and Chrysler hourly worker, picked the PT Cruiser convertible as his favorite, saying the Chrysler was “more vehicle†for the money.
But Heather Hewins, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mom from Clinton Township, admitted to some family pressure to choose the domestic contender.
“I parked the Beetle in front of my dad’s house in Clinton Township and got yelled at,†said Hewins, explaining that her father, Tom Favazza, is a retired United Auto Workers skilled trades representative.
On her written ballot, she picked the PT Cruiser, but in a later phone conversation said, “I wouldn’t buy either one. We travel too much and the trunks were a pain. So was getting my little one (age 3) in and out of the back seats. And I really didn’t like the Volkswagen. I felt labeled in the VW — like a hippie.â€
Emotions and image, not horsepower or torque, were clearly at the heart of many choices.
Katie Chambers, a 45-year-old mother of three from Grosse Ile and the owner of a manufacturing business, cast her vote for the New Beetle convertible, after driving a “mellow yellow†version priced at $28,720.
“It made me feel a lot younger!†Chambers wrote in her test-drive diary. “People reacted to this car. Do VW Beetle convertible drivers have more fun? I think so.â€
Conversely, Chambers said she “felt old†in the PT Cruiser.
“Like I’m trying to fit in an era before my time,†she explained.
The most “rational†panelist proved to be 21-year-old Jiyan Karlo Cadiz, a Michigan State University senior majoring in engineering.
He picked the PT Cruiser convertible, noting it had “lots of torque, no turbo lag, a smooth five-speed and good handling.â€
He drove a GT Turbo version of the car, with a 220-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and raved about being able to “smoke the competition.â€
“The week that I had it, I blew away two Mustang GT convertibles, kept up with a brand new CTS-V Cadillac and tangoed with a Porsche Boxster S,†he wrote in his diary.
Cadiz also had nice things to say about the New Beetle convertible.
“It still looks and feels just as good as most anything the American car companies can throw at it, if not better,†he said.
Panelist Michelle Arrington, 36, an administrative secretary at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, used the two vehicles for everyday tasks, going to work, church and taking the New Beetle to the salon to get her hair braided.
She said she had some difficulty installing the windbreaker — which helps to keep the noise down and hair in place — on the New Beetle. She noted she had a little trouble reaching items in the rear of the trunk of the PT Cruiser.
When it came time to cast her vote, Arrington picked the PT Cruiser convertible.
She seemed to sum up the panel’s feelings best.
“I picked the PT Cruiser convertible,†she said. because you just felt good driving it and being seen in it.â€
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosconsumer/0407/28/g01-224870.htm
By Anita Lienert / Special to The Detroit News
David Guralnick / The Detroit News
GROSSE POINTE WOODS -- After spending two weeks testing the 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible against the 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle convertible, Brenda Baker-Mbacké said picking a favorite was easy.
“Hands down, it’s the PT Cruiser convertible,†said Mbacké, 41, a Southfield social worker who is a member of the 2004 Detroit News Automotive Consumer Panel. “No contest. The PT Cruiser was stylish, much more comfortable, felt more secure and the top was much easier to handle.
“The Volkswagen was cute, but I am too old for a cute car.â€
Our 10 panelists racked up a total of 12,196 miles shuttling among 15 test vehicles in an intense, drop-top face-off between the four-passenger retro convertibles that took place between June 23 and July 6 in Metro Detroit.
The PT Cruiser convertible won over seven of the 10 panelists, who range in age from 21 to 58. For many panelists, the choice boiled down to looks.
The majority of the panelists said they were turned off by the “hippie†connotations of the Beetle with its array of psychedelic exterior colors and turned on by the classic “Bonnie-and-Clyde†proportions of the PT Cruiser, especially the sculpted fenders and simulated running boards.
The group used the convertibles for a variety of activities, from work commutes to Fourth of July picnics. Some strayed far from home, making “chocolate runs†to Hershey, Pa., or using the vehicles for romantic weekends in Niagara Falls.
http://www.detnews.com/pix/2004/07/28/0drive/dr028-convert1-0704y.jpg
Practicality was a big consideration in this comparison, too. Panelist Bob Kazanowski, the 58-year-old owner of Mason’s Bar and Grille in Livonia, praised the ability of the PT Cruiser convertible’s trunk to easily hold “40 pounds of kielbasa plus trays of stuffed cabbage.â€
Volkswagen and Chrysler provided panelists with a selection of amply equipped or top-of-the-line convertibles with an average sticker price of about $27,000.
Overall, the panelists griped that both cars tended to be too seasonal and toy-like — and would serve best as the second vehicle in a family fleet.
This attitude resulted in a certain amount of hair-splitting as panelists voted on their favorite.
“I’d choose the New Beetle if it were my second car, but I’d choose the PT Cruiser if it were my only car,†explained James M. Childs, a 29-year-old funeral director from Clawson who ultimately picked the New Beetle convertible as his favorite. “The Chrysler was better for storage space and room for four passengers.â€
Paula Osborne, 29, a Detroit attorney, said she was sold on the PT Cruiser after putting 750 miles on a GT Turbo model — priced at $28,355 — during a four-day trip to Niagara Falls.
“I enjoyed the car far more than I expected,†Osborne said. “And this is after lots of highway driving and driving in busy holiday traffic. The seats were very comfortable, even after five hours of driving. We had lots of trunk room for our luggage and shopping, and the fuel economy was great, averaging 27 miles per gallon on the highway.â€
Mya Dolan, 28, a Roseville accounting consultant, and her husband, Patrick, 30, zipped over to Niagara Falls, New York City and Hershey, Pa., in the PT Cruiser.
“When we pulled up to our hotel in New York, the valet guys could not believe all the luggage we fit in the trunk,†she said.
But Dolan gave the New Beetle the nod as her favorite.
“The VW Bug is by far much more fun to drive,†said Dolan, who drove a “sundown orange†Beetle convertible with a black top priced at $28,920. “But it’s not very practical. It would be good as a summer car, but at almost $29,000, that’s a little steep for something you’d only use in the summer.â€
While both the PT Cruiser convertible and the New Beetle convertible are built in Mexico, there was evidence of a pro-Detroit bias among some of the panelists.
It came as little surprise that 41-year-old Darrell Oliver, a Detroit resident and Chrysler hourly worker, picked the PT Cruiser convertible as his favorite, saying the Chrysler was “more vehicle†for the money.
But Heather Hewins, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mom from Clinton Township, admitted to some family pressure to choose the domestic contender.
“I parked the Beetle in front of my dad’s house in Clinton Township and got yelled at,†said Hewins, explaining that her father, Tom Favazza, is a retired United Auto Workers skilled trades representative.
On her written ballot, she picked the PT Cruiser, but in a later phone conversation said, “I wouldn’t buy either one. We travel too much and the trunks were a pain. So was getting my little one (age 3) in and out of the back seats. And I really didn’t like the Volkswagen. I felt labeled in the VW — like a hippie.â€
Emotions and image, not horsepower or torque, were clearly at the heart of many choices.
Katie Chambers, a 45-year-old mother of three from Grosse Ile and the owner of a manufacturing business, cast her vote for the New Beetle convertible, after driving a “mellow yellow†version priced at $28,720.
“It made me feel a lot younger!†Chambers wrote in her test-drive diary. “People reacted to this car. Do VW Beetle convertible drivers have more fun? I think so.â€
Conversely, Chambers said she “felt old†in the PT Cruiser.
“Like I’m trying to fit in an era before my time,†she explained.
The most “rational†panelist proved to be 21-year-old Jiyan Karlo Cadiz, a Michigan State University senior majoring in engineering.
He picked the PT Cruiser convertible, noting it had “lots of torque, no turbo lag, a smooth five-speed and good handling.â€
He drove a GT Turbo version of the car, with a 220-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and raved about being able to “smoke the competition.â€
“The week that I had it, I blew away two Mustang GT convertibles, kept up with a brand new CTS-V Cadillac and tangoed with a Porsche Boxster S,†he wrote in his diary.
Cadiz also had nice things to say about the New Beetle convertible.
“It still looks and feels just as good as most anything the American car companies can throw at it, if not better,†he said.
Panelist Michelle Arrington, 36, an administrative secretary at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, used the two vehicles for everyday tasks, going to work, church and taking the New Beetle to the salon to get her hair braided.
She said she had some difficulty installing the windbreaker — which helps to keep the noise down and hair in place — on the New Beetle. She noted she had a little trouble reaching items in the rear of the trunk of the PT Cruiser.
When it came time to cast her vote, Arrington picked the PT Cruiser convertible.
She seemed to sum up the panel’s feelings best.
“I picked the PT Cruiser convertible,†she said. because you just felt good driving it and being seen in it.â€
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosconsumer/0407/28/g01-224870.htm