2012 Volkswagen Beetle

As a child, one of my favorite car games was Herby Derby Slug Bug. Not to toot my own horn, but I was awesome at spotting Beetles from afar. I got a thrill out of turning the tables and slugging my two brothers, who otherwise always ganged up on me. (Ugh, boys!)

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The completely redesigned, four-seat 2012 VW Beetle is just as eye-catching as the original we all grew up seeking for Slug Bug, but with a slightly more modern, grown-up edge to it.

Like the Beetle's base trim level, which starts at $18,995, the Beetle 2.5L I drove had a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine. It can also be had with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that requires premium gas. At just over $25,000 as equipped, my test car wasn't cheap, but it came stocked with plenty of features. A huge optional panoramic moonroof completely opens up the Beetle's interior, while standard keyless access and push-button start opens up (and starts) the car without the hassle of digging through your purse to find keys. Front-wheel drive, optional heated front seats and heated windshield-washer nozzles convert this fun-in-the-sun Beetle into a lean, mean, Rocky Mountain snow machine.

Driving the Beetle is pure, unadulterated fun. It's smooth and zippy, but it feels a little cheaper than its sticker price. You'll notice this mainly in the tinny feel of the doors and the poorly filtered road noise. Wind noise, at least, is kept to a minimum. Braking in the Beetle is quick and responsive, without crossing that nasty line into being harsh or grabby.

EXTERIOR

Over the years, the VW Beetle has earned a reputation of being a "chick" car. (Maybe an abundance of teenage girls driving pastel-colored Beetles with daisy-shaped parking lights has contributed to this.) The Beetle I drove, however — in Tornado Red with Titan Black imitation leather interior — attracted ogling men of all ages during my test drive. Maybe it was the way the exterior color is so thoughtfully carried throughout the interior, with matching dash and door panels that caught their eye? Maybe it was the striking carbon fiber pattern in the imitation leather?

The admiration came from across the board: Young 20-somethings gawked over the Beetle parked in a Starbucks parking lot, and a 60-ish family man stopped me while walking into a restaurant to tell me he was "lusting after" my Beetle.

Volkswagen seems to have done its job; the Beetle's post-pubescent design was intended to attract a larger audience. (See it compared with the previous generation, last sold as the 2010 New Beetle.)

The more mature look includes a slimming out of the Beetle's baby-fat bubble butt, as if it's just completed an entire P90X session. It looks like a cougar-esque hippie Beetle had a love child with a strapping young Porsche — very Demi and Ashton (the early years). In my opinion, it works. As with the youth of today, the new Beetle is much more gender-neutral (Martha Stewart is so out, while Mr. Kate is totally tomorrow).

As much as I enjoyed the new Beetle, though, my husband absolutely hated it. He said it was like driving around inside a giant estrogen molecule the whole week. With all the whining and complaining he did about it, I'm starting to think there's something to his theory.