Overview & Reviews

The New Beetle gets a styling refresh for 2006. New front and rear bumpers, headlights and taillamps highlight the exterior changes. Inside, the cabin receives a new console, redesigned instrument cluster, revised sun visors and additional chrome trim. Under hood, last year's gasoline engine choices are dropped in favor of the 150-horsepower, 2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine first seen in the redesigned Jetta. Stability control is now standard.

• Cute yet classic styling, long list of standard features, diesel engine option.

• Aged design, tight rear-seat accommodations, limited cargo room.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 113.00

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  Diesels require expensive maintaince - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By tool cat - March 28 - 6:21 pm

  I found out after the purchase that this TDI engine requires special oil that must meet the VW spec #505.01 which is very hard to find. Also the lower engine plastic guard must be removed every time just to change the oil. The filter is easily accessible. This engine (PD/BEW) has had some trouble with the camshafts. Which is why the special oil. Also the cam belt must be changed according to the schedule or you risk the engine blowing up do to the belt braking. Most other vehicle now use a cam chain instead of the toothed belt. It has plenty of power with the turbo kicking in. Mileage has been 40 - 43.5 mpg

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  I Cant Hear You - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Doc - September 1 - 4:26 pm

  The poor Beetle suffers. Its gas mileage has been less than I expected, lots. Wind noise? Try wind tunnel! What about the power top, eh? You have to manual twist your wrist off! Trunk? Forget it because the top gets in the way. Leg room in back, not if I drive. Take my car, please! Next time Ill get a Honda, Saab, or the Nissan Z.

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  Do not buy a Beetle! - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By emily - March 19 - 5:03 am

  I bought this car used in Oct.2007 and within a week of buying it, it was in the shop. I have to go to the shop at least once a month, they know me by name now. First I had to replace my radio then my headlights kept burning out and its just easier for them to change them. Then my backseat came all the way off when I tried to fold it down. My engine light has come on twice now. Im taking it back in Monday because something is wrong with my transmission, I cant use the triptronic feature and all my gear lights stay on. It died on me for about 1 minute while doing 80 mph on the highway. I definitely wont keep this car past the warranty, probably wont make it another year anyway!

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  Unhappy with Quality - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By UnHappy in WI - November 8 - 6:26 pm

  Have had nothing but problems with my VW Beetle since driving it off the dealer lot. It took four trips to the service center to find out why my car ran out of gas with a 1/3 of a tank showing on gauge. It had problems starting car when temperature went below 30 degrees and a bad instrument cluster. It is very noisy with the top up. It rattles and pops where the top fastens down - VW service says this is normal. Also, I get very poor gas mileage, 19-21mpg. The engine stalls at any speed and the transmission slips. Service has not been able to find the problem yet. I have lost all trust in this cars dependablity. It does have excellent power and is fun to drive, when its not in the shop.

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  Problems after 30 miles of use - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By Chad - July 6 - 1:43 am

  I picked my 2006 Beetle Convertible up a few days ago. The very next morning it was making a clicking noise under the dash and stalling. It did this six times in two days. I had to get it towed to the dealer and that was a nightmare which I wont go into. They didnt have any VW loaners so they gave me over to Enterprise rent-a-car and gave me an $11,000 Kia Rio as a rental. I am beyond frustrated. This should not be happening to a brand new car.

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  Avoid like the Plague - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By harold - June 23 - 10:00 am

  You may think its cute, but dont let that exterior fool you, this thing is an engineering nightmare. 2 headlights burn out quickly in under 2 years, rear brake light in 1 year, ALL four windows get stuck or regulartor breaks, 5 visits to fix the convertible stop getting stuck, lots of issues with convertible cords breaking and snapping.

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  I wanted to love it! - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By patriciagilson - May 21 - 2:37 pm

  I bought this car and it was my dream car. I was really sad when teh leather seats started to rip, when I am a gentle driver and dont weigh a lot or do anything to wear them down. The headlights die, no joke, every six months and are expensive and a pain in the booty to fix yourself. The airbag light is on, the gas cap light goes on and off for no reason while I drive. I am at 100k miles and my check engine light came on. I took it to an auto part store to diagnose it and it ran FIFTEEN codes. my o2 senor and lots of misfires and leaks and when I chenged my oil it came out lumpy, even though i change it on time EVERY time. To be fair it has never broke down on me, but parts are expensive.

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  Worst car i have ever owned! - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By KM - July 13 - 3:30 pm

  This car has been nothing but a nightmare! I bought it brand new and within 5,000 i started having problems. First, my coolant system went out and it took the dealer almost 2 weeks to fix it. I have had issues with my power windows, and both have been replaced 2x. My car spend 75 days (in a row) at the dealership due to my top not going down and getting stuck. My car has a loss of power when going over 60 mph, and vw said they "couldnt replicate the problem" but it keeps happening. Now my headlights broke and my radio randomly turns off...i cant wait to get rid of this car! I will never buy a vw again, they wont fix anything right and the dealership doesnt even call me back anymore

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  Buy a Different VW - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By VeeDub_Gal - September 25 - 1:16 pm

  I bought the New Beetle to get away from sedans for a while as I had a 01 Taurus (big mistake) and an 03 Camry previously. The Beetle was all a sedan wasnt (unfortunately that also included being practical, easy to drive, and roomy). I kept my Beetle for six months and have since seen the error of my ways and bought an 06 Passat (which I highly recommend).

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  55,000 miles and the car wont start! - 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle
  By beetle_owner - September 19 - 4:17 pm

  This is the cutest most fun to drive car ever....when it works. Oh...are you thinking about taking the car to a mechanic outside of the dealership to have it worked on for cheaper? Dont even think about it...many mechanics either wont want to touch your beetle or they will not be able to fix it since its an electrical nightmare thats built like a puzzle! And how is it that a chord has broken on the top? That happened at about 40,000 miles. One more thing...if something breaks, like the radio...you have to get it fixed right away before it starts affecting other electrical things in the car...sigh...selling it asap once it comes out the shop (been there a month already).