The previous generation received four stars in Euro NCAP testing and the new generation has, as you’d hope, improved on that. It received the maximum five star rating. Every Beetle gets anti-lock brakes, brake assistance, electronic stability control and trailer towing assistance. Front occupants also get front airbags and combined side and head airbags.

The vehicle’s hazard lights are also activated under heavy braking, warning traffic of your decreasing speed. Volkswagen states that the car’s body is one of the most rigid in its class, further improving its safety as well as its ride quality and refinement.

One of the criticisms of the previous generation was a severe lack of practicality. A small and hard-to-access boot made carrying larger objects difficult. Volkswagen has addressed this by increasing the available boot space by 44%, to 310 litres, up from the 209 litres found in the previous Beetle. This means that it now has a boot that’s just 40 litres smaller than the Golf yet bigger than competition like Citroen’s DS3.

The rear seats fold down, increasing load space to 905 litres. The new boot also has a much wider opening making it easier to lift luggage in and out. Inside the car there’s a multitude of useful features like elasticated front door pockets that stretch to hold oversized items, a 12v charging socket, a small glove box in the top of the dash, a larger glove box underneath and two cup holders.

Owners also get a small recessed tray in front of the gear-lever for storing mobile phones or change. Models without the additional gauges also get a tray on top of the dashboard for holding loose items. Enthusiasts, however, may be disappointed to find that the Beetle is no longer available with the vase on the dashboard – not even as an option.