“ | You were busting some major moves in that Beetle! Almost like blasting down that Autobahn thing they've got over there! | ” |
— Chicago Announcer, winning races with the VW New Beetle
|
The Volkswagen New Beetle (or VW New Beetle) is a playable and unlocked car in Midtown Madness along with its sequel, Midtown Madness 2.
The VW New Beetle is based on the 1999 model that is a new, revived version of the Volkswagen Beetle. It is a cute-looking car with a light and compact body. It helps the car to quickly wind through heavy traffic and thus gives the user a good control. However, It has a really slow speed. It is available in yellow, blue, silver and red colors.
Overview[]
In-Game Description[]
Volkswagen New Beetle
"The nimble New Beetle ducks through narrow shortcuts and zips around heavy traffic."
"Cute, fast and able to whip through traffic with ease. But be careful of its limited durability!"
Details[]
The VW New Beetle is a standard car which is unlocked by default, in Midtown Madness 1 as well as its sequel, Midtown Madness 2. It serves as a base model for two other default VW New Beetle models, the VW New Beetle RSi and VW New Beetle Dune (which are unlockable). In HQTM Team's Classic Madness mod, it was replaced by the original Volkswagen Beetle.
As a generic car, the VW New Beetle is one of the weakest performing cars in the game. It can be competitive early on in the game, however in later races, where vehicles are faster and more powerful, the New Beetle will struggle to keep up, so switching to a faster car is strongly advisable.
The vehicle is, however, unlocked from the beginning. Winning a race with this car earns 1,000 points as a professional. Average results are very poor of this car.
History[]
The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car, introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the front wheels, with luggage storage in the rear. Many special editions have been released, such as the Malibu Barbie New Beetle. In May 2010, Volkswagen announced that production of the current body of the New Beetle would cease in 2011.
In 2011 for the 2012 model-year, a new Beetle model, the Beetle (A5), replaced the New Beetle. It is often referred to as the New Beetle as well.
Races As An Opponent[]
All races with the VW New Beetle as a computer-generated opponent:
All races with the VW New Beetle in Chicago:
Race |
Number of Cars (Amateur) |
Number of Cars (Professional) |
---|---|---|
Beginner's Luck | 4 | 0 |
Tough Turns & A Tunnel | 2 | 1 |
North River Run | 1 | 2 |
Solider Sneaker | 0 | 0 |
Freeway Flyer | 3 | 0 |
Nocturnal Navigator | 1 | 0 |
Beat The Bridges | 0 | 1 |
Crosstown Switchback | 1 | 0 |
Perimeter Perils | 0 | 0 |
Aptitude Test | 0 | 0 |
Beetle Blast-a-Thon | 7 | 7 |
Frosty Finale | 0 | 0 |
Color | Featured in Race |
---|---|
Yes | Yes |
No | No |
Race |
Number of Cars (Amateur) |
Number of Cars (Professional) |
---|---|---|
The Litter Loop | 6 | 0 |
Riverside Run | 0 | 0 |
Tunnel Turner | 1 | 0 |
Downtown Driver | 0 | 0 |
Museum Marathon | 0 | 0 |
South End Circuit | 1 | 0 |
City Central | 0 | 0 |
North End Navigator | 0 | 0 |
Old Town Twist | 0 | 0 |
Loop-De-Loop | 0 | 0 |
Color | Featured in Race |
---|---|
Yes | Yes |
No | No |
All races with the VW New Beetle in San Francisco:
Race |
Number of Cars (Amateur) |
Number of Cars (Professional) |
---|---|---|
Racing 101 | 6 | 3 |
Deck The Hall | 4 | 0 |
Golden Hour | 2 | 0 |
City Tour | 1 | 0 |
Foggy Memory | 1 | 0 |
Park & Ride | 0 | 0 |
The Hills Are Alive | 0 | 0 |
Lookout! | 0 | 0 |
Wanted! | 0 | 0 |
After Hours | 0 | 0 |
Full Speed Ahead | 0 | 0 |
Panoz Pressure | 0 | 0 |
Color | Featured in Race |
---|---|
Yes | Yes |
No | No |
Race |
Number of Cars (Amateur) |
Number of Cars (Professional) |
---|---|---|
Take It Easy | 4 | 1 |
Hang Time | 5 | 0 |
Gimme SOMA | 3 | 0 |
Wind It Up | 0 | 0 |
Midtown Mayhem | 0 | 0 |
Chinatown | 2 | 0 |
Presidio! | 0 | 0 |
Square Dancing | 0 | 0 |
Circuit Breaker | 0 | 0 |
Floor It! | 0 | 0 |
Color | Featured in Race |
---|---|
Yes | Yes |
No | No |
All races with the Cadillac Eldorado in London:
Race |
Number of Cars (Amateur) |
Number of Cars (Professional) |
---|---|---|
Top Of The Morning | 0 | 0 |
Bridge Bash | 0 | 4 |
Through The Park | 0 | 0 |
V & A Visit | 0 | 0 |
South Bank Brawl | 0 | 0 |
River Thames Run | 3 | 0 |
Circuit Within | 0 | 0 |
Check This! | 0 | 0 |
Splish Splash | 0 | 0 |
Cut It Short | 0 | 0 |
Dizzy Driving | 0 | 0 |
Foggy, Foggy Night | 0 | 0 |
Color | Featured in Race |
---|---|
Yes | Yes |
No | No |
Race |
Number of Cars (Amateur) |
Number of Cars (Professional) |
|
---|---|---|---|
Mini Race | 0 | 0 | |
Round Westminster | 0 | 0 | |
View From Two Bridges | 0 | 0 | |
Parks But No Parking | 0 | 0 | |
City Circuit | 0 | 0 | |
Underground | 0 | 0 | |
London Run | 0 | 0 | |
Gimme Some Royalties | 0 | 0 | |
Soho Mojo | 0 | 0 | |
Zany Zigzag | 0 | 0 |
Color | Featured in Race |
---|---|
Yes | Yes |
No | No |
Stats[]
- Top Speed: 116 mph
- Horsepower: 115 bhp
- Mass: 2,833 lbs
- Durability: Low
Colors[]
Yellow |
Blue |
Silver |
Red |
Light Green (made available in MM2 through use of MM2 Revisited V6; 4th open beta onwards and made available in MM1 through use of MM1 Revisited V3 Patch) |
NialBlack's Mod[]
Ocean Blue (made available for MM2 Colors Pack) |
White (made available for MM2 Colors Pack) |
Pink (made available for MM2 Colors Pack) |
Celestial (made available for MM2 Colors Pack) |
Purple (made available for MM2 Colors Pack) |
Lime Green (made available for MM2 Colors Pack) |
Trivia[]
- The only problem with this car is its lack of speed. The car is relatively slow, and among 10 cars in the game, speedwise, its rank would be 7th (before City Bus, Freightliner Century, and Ford F-350).
- The Beetle comes with a straight-4 engine. The engine layout differs from most of the cars in the game. Most cars use a V-8 engine, which affects its center of gravity and the Beetle's balance in the game. The straight-four engine is water-cooled and the fewest cylinders offered in the game.
- This car is the relaunched and an inspired version of the original Beetle in the 20th century. It sold over 15 million in Germany and three million in Brazil. [1]
- Silver, blue, and red New Beetles don't have wing mirrors, only yellow New Beetles do. However, this is no longer the case in MM2 Revisited V6 (open beta 4 onwards), where its new model now has 3D mirrors on all paintjobs.
- The New Beetle has new engine sound effects in Midtown Madness 2. However, the old engine sound effect can be reused by modding the game.
- This was the only European car to be featured in the original Midtown Madness. Nevertheless, it is a North American specification New Beetle as evidenced by the square number plate groove on the rear bumper and the dual reverse lights.
- If one looks closely at the rear wheels when steering, they turn a little bit. This also can be noticed with the 1998 Audi TT Coupe, the New Beetle RSi and the New Beetle Dune.
- It is based on the GL model due to the absence of front fog lights, despite its showcase picture displaying the GLS or GLX model which has fog lights.
Sounds[]
All sounds for the VW New Beetle heard in-game:
Playable Vehicle Sounds[]
Sound | Information | Audio File |
---|---|---|
Demonstration (On vehicle selection screen) | When the vehicle is selected in the vehicle screen, this engine sound is heard. | |
Idle | Vehicle Idle, motionless | |
Driving | Driving the Beetle | Low Rev (MM1): MM2: Low Rev 2 (unused): |
Horn | Horn sound |
Opponent Sounds[]
- The engine sounds of the playable version differ from the AI version. The AI version strangely has the engine sound of the Panoz Roadster. However, this is not the case in Midtown Madness 2, where it does use the correct sounds for the AI version.
Quotes[]
All in-game commentary related to the VW New Beetle:
All Chicago quotes that apply to the VW New Beetle, provided by the announcer:
Quote | Heard When | Audio File |
---|---|---|
You were busting some major moves in that Beetle! Almost like blasting down that Autobahn thing they've got over there! | Finishing in 1st place with Volkswagen Beetle |
Quote | Heard When | Audio File |
---|---|---|
Hey, what's Volkswagen's latest motto? "Drivers still wanted?'' | Losing in 2nd place or later with Volkswagen Beetle | |
I bet I know exactly what you're thinking, it's gonna bug ya on 'till you beat em' in the Beetle! | Losing in 2nd place or later with Volkswagen Beetle | |
Hey, based on what I saw, I don't anticipate VW changing its ad campaign from "Drivers Wanted" 'cause it sure don't look like they found any yet! | Losing in 2nd place or later with Volkswagen Beetle | |
Seeing this kind of thing, I'd say my pals over at Volkswagen — they're gonna stick with the "Drivers Wanted" ad! | Losing in 2nd place or later with Volkswagen Beetle | |
The Volkswagen Beetle, hey, that's one cute little car! I mean, hey, it even looks good going slow! | Losing in 2nd palce or later with Volkswagen Beetle |
All San Francisco quotes that apply to the VW New Beetle, provided by various announcers:
Quote | Heard When | Spoken By | Audio File |
---|---|---|---|
I see our driver pulling up in a good-looking New Beetle! Wave to the camera! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | US Sportscaster (San Francisco) | |
The new VW Beetle is a good car for weavin' through traffic! Straight up! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
That New Beetle is a fun little ride! Get your groove on and show me what you can do! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
Uh, throw some Grateful Dead in the CD player of your New Beetle! Let's hit the road! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
I will trade you my '79 VW van, for your 2001 VW Beetle! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
The New Beetle is small, but that makes for easy shortcuts in parallel parking! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Woman (San Francisco) |
Quote | Heard When | Spoken By | Audio File |
---|---|---|---|
We've got Fahrvergnügen written all over that last race! | Winning race with the VW New Beetle in first place | US Sportscaster (San Francisco) | |
See? It might not be big, but it's what's under the hood that matters! Good work! | Winning a race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
Nice shootin', tex! Way to ride that New Beetle! | Winning a race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
Great job! It is really far out to see a Beetle going so fast! | Winning a race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
Whoa! Those New Beetles sure have a lot more power than the old ones! | Winning a race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
Do you make that New Beetle look good or does it make you look good? It's a chicken and egg question, really! | Winning a race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Woman (San Francisco) | |
Talk about Beetle mania! | Winning a race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Woman (San Francisco) |
Quote | Heard When | Spoken By | Audio File |
---|---|---|---|
We have a Beetle battle in our hands, and I'd like to see that driver pull up first! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | US Sportscaster (San Francisco) | |
That little car makes a sidewalk into a four-lane highway. Use it to your advantage next time! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
Don't worry, I wasn't watching! Race again and win, and I'll pretend this one didn't happen! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
A moment of silence for my ol' VW bus, maybe you can win this race in its honor! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
You are in a New VW Beetle! You should've come in first! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
Don't underestimate the power of that little VW, if you can handle it, I mean! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Woman (San Francisco) | |
"Drivers Wanted", who know how to move that Beetle a little faster to the finish line! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | US Sportscaster (San Francisco) | |
Just 'cause you're small doesn't mean you have to take that! Get back out there, and show them who's boss! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
You know Fahrvergnügen, will you? You were far from winning! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Urban Guy (San Francisco) | |
You know, it pains me to see a Beetle lose! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
My old magic bus could've done better than that! You better try again, dude! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Hippie (San Francisco) | |
Hey, anyone listening out there? Yeah, "Drivers Still Wanted!" | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Woman (San Francisco) |
All London quotes that apply to the VW New Beetle, provided by various announcers:
Quote | Heard When | Spoken By | Audio File |
---|---|---|---|
Front wheel drive, four cylinders, and a little dashboard bars, this New Beetle is one, cute racing machine! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | UK Sportscaster (London) | |
Don't worry, what you lack in speed, you'll make up for in character driving that little cute New Beetle! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Scottsman (London) | |
I really love the Beatles man, I do mean the car you're driving, not just the lights from Liverpool! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Mister (London) | |
I do love the Volkswagen Beetle, it's the best thing we've had from Germany since George the First! | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Woman (London) | |
Yeah, the Beetle is nice and all! A bit yuppy for me, you work down the docklands or something? | Starting a race with the VW New Beetle | Punk Girl (London) |
Quote | Heard When | Spoken By | Audio File |
---|---|---|---|
Quickness defeats power! The four-cylinder Volkswagen New Beetle has triumphed over the competition! | Winning race with the VW New Beetle in first place | UK Sportscaster (London) | |
Incredible handling of that little Volkswagen! Drivers no longer wanted! Ha! Driver found! | Winning race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Scottsman (London) | |
Nicely done! That VW Beetle was a bit of a dark horse in that race, I think! | Winning race with the VW New Beetle in first place | Mister (London) |
Quote | Heard When | Spoken By | Audio File |
---|---|---|---|
A disappointing middle-of-the road finish for the quick VW New Beetle! Better luck next time! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | UK Sportscaster (London) | |
Not a bad show, in all-in-all! But I think you could do better in that little Beetle! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Scottsman (London) | |
That was a real B-side performance in that Beetle this time! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Mister (London) | |
Apparently drivers are still wanted for the Volkswagen New Beetle, a rather poor result that time out! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | UK Sportscaster (London) | |
It's a race, not a showroom for that VW Beetle! Drive that car! | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Scottsman (London) | |
Poor finish in the Beetle then, Volkswagen may still be looking for drivers, eh? | Losing a race with the VW New Beetle in second place or below | Mister (London) |
Gallery[]
References[]