The Love Bug -- New Volkswagen Causes Severe Case Of Beetle-Mania On Seattle's Streets

If Seattle's first reactions to the new Volkswagen Beetle are a reliable forecast, get ready for a craze of Macarena magnitude.

Last week, while test-driving a candy-apple red '98 New Beetle, I couldn't have attracted more attention with Elvis riding shotgun and Monica Lewinsky in the back seat.

The new Bug, built to resemble the popular Baby Boomer Beetle last sold by Volkswagen in the U.S. in 1979, goes on sale in the Seattle area later this month. Local dealerships say they already have pre-orders for 175 cars selling for a base price of $15,200.

A day of jaw-dropping reactions suggests it won't take long for the rest to clear out of showrooms. I felt a certain kinship with Michael Jordan as people gawked and pointed while I drove down Denny Way.

"It's a cartoon car!" exclaimed one admirer.

"They put the motor in the right place this time!" observed another, noting the front-end engine (the motor on the original used to be in the back).

People followed me into parking lots, pulling over to take a closer look. One guy even pulled out his Polaroid and started snapping away.

The new model is flashier than its predecessor, but most people said it has the same simple, alluring karma of the original Beetle.

Bulbous and compact, the car evokes the aura of a small spaceship. Inside, there's lots of dashboard space, plush velour seats and a vintage touch - a bud vase.

"It's definitely got that Bug creature look to it," said Roby Ranta, owner of the BugHaus repair shop in Edmonds. "I like the way they kept the simple design."

The standard New Beetle has a five-speed manual transmission; it also comes in automatic. In addition, Volkswagen says the new model has extra safety precautions, including four airbags, an extra-rigid body structure and a new seat-belt tensioning system.

While it looks like Roger Rabbit's car, the New Beetle drives more like Roger Penske's. The raucous rumblings emitted by the old Bug have been replaced by the soft hum of a fuel-injected engine.

In downtown Seattle, the New Beetle drew hordes of curious spectators crowding around for a glimpse.

Among those walking by as a crowd surrounded the car on Pike Street was John Bandringa, one of the New Beetle's original designers.

Badringa collaborated on the prototype design four years ago while working for Volkswagen in Simi Valley, Calif. He said engineers kept four words in mind while crafting the new Bug: honest, simple, reliable and original.

"Those words define every detail on the car," he said.

As Seattle Times photographer Jimi Lott and I coasted along I-5, we were passed by a shimmering green Jaguar XJ6 - not a shabby ride itself. The driver glanced over and gave us the thumbs-up.

Those looks were mysteriously absent later in the day, when I drove home in my 1985 Toyota station wagon.

For a few Beetle purists, the new model didn't feel quite right. Tina, a cashier at McDonald's, found the new Bug "a little different."

"Its nose is stubbier," she said. "By looks, it's OK, but I prefer the old ones."

Tina's skepticism hints at another looming social phenomenon: the New Beetle backlash. Eventually, the novelty will wear off. A faction of loyalists will shower disdain upon the newfangled version, pledging their devotion to the old model's trademark quirks.

But appreciation of the old Bugs needn't require a shunning of the new. The egalitarian premise behind the Beetle remains, evoking pleasant memories of simpler times. Like learning to drive a stick-shift for the first time. Or shouting to be heard on the freeway, when the old Bug's chugging engine made normal conversation impossible.

For one head-turning afternoon, the New Beetle made people smile, instantly creating a sense of camaraderie wherever it went.

Who can criticize that?

Jake Batsell's phone message number is 206-464-2595. His e-mail address is: jbatsell@seattletimes.com