Buying a diesel-engined car is something you do for very sensible reasons. It's something of a shock then, to find that arguably the most frivolous family car you can buy comes fitted with such a powerplant. Unfortunately, Volkswagen's Beetle gets only one diesel option. But still, you might just like it.

The unit in question is Wolfsburg's 1.9-litre 105bhp TDI PD unit. As anyone who's tried it over the years in Golfs, Boras (or indeed Audi A3s or A4s) will testify, this is a very strong engine, despite its lack of the latest 'common rail' diesel technology. Volkswagen have preferred to perfect the direct injection route, developing 'revolutionary' Pumpe Duse units supposed to combine high power and torque with low fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

And sure enough, the on-paper figures look rather promising. The bald statistics say rest to sixty in 12.4s on the way to 111mph, but as ever with diesels, it's much more relevant to look at the torque (read 'pulling power') figure, in this case an impressive 177Ibs ft (240 Nm). Enough to ensure that you're not constantly having to hunt up and down the gearbox to get yourself into the powerband, as was the case with diesels of old.

Fuel consumption will be uppermost in your mind of course - or else you'd be buying the 1.4, 1.6 or 2.0-litre petrol-engined Beetles. And here again, you shouldn't be disappointed. Expect over 40mpg around town, up to 64mpg on the open road and over 50mpg in normal day-to-day use. No clouds of black smoke either, thanks to an emissions figure of 149g/km.

"This is a very strong engine."

In fact, the only thing you could reasonably object to is the price - £14,895 (or £18,775 for the Cabriolet version). It's basically the same as an infinitely more practical Golf and fails to undercut the 115bhp 2.0-litre petrol Beetle, even though you only get almost the same specification as the much cheaper entry-level 1.6-litre version (with the addition of air conditioning). Still, that does include ABS, ESP (Volkswagen's Electronic Stabilisation Programme), remote central locking with an alarm, electric windows, heated mirrors and a three year warranty.

But hold on. We're back to being sensible. And if you wanted to be sensible, then you'd have bought a Golf or the equally excellent Citroen C4 HDi or Ford Focus TDCi alternatives. Modern Beetles, unlike their post-war predecessors, are of course bought as fashion accessories, as second or third cars for the weekend jaunt or the trip to the squash club. Early US buyers included Beverley Hills celebrities, a president's daughter and exclusive car rental establishments. In the UK you see them zipping about with advertising agencies' names on the doors. Or parked outside fashionable restaurants and nightclubs. And in the parking slots of exclusive gated residential estates. To therefore complain about the lack of bootspace, the missed opportunity for extra doors in the rear, or even the price is meaningless. What matters is that this car has style - and plenty of it. Don't buy one if you've a tendency towards the shy and retiring.

The car has been recently mildly facelifted but the changes haven't amounted to much. There are revised bumpers and wheelarches, with sharper edges than before, plus subtly restyled headlights and front indicators, and tail lights with white circles inside the red circles. The 'VW' emblems have also been modified at the front and rear. In addition, there's a new range of colours and alloy wheels, complemented by fresher fabrics for the interior. Chrome now adorns the air vents and surrounds the instruments, for what Volkswagen reckon is an even higher quality feel inside.

If anything, the Beetle interior is even more of a shock than the outside; full marks to the design team for doing the job properly, rather than filling it with Golf and Polo dials from the Volkswagen parts bin. Of course, there are plenty of tell-tale Volkswagen signs; the switches, the firm seats, the positive gearbox - but you don't really notice them. What you do notice are all the natty stylish touches. The big central circular instrument cluster with its huge numbers and cute little built-in rev counter. Plus, of course, the vase (yes, you read that right), ready for you to fill with flower power. More macho buyers can pretend it's a pen holder or something.

As you'd expect from the bubble-like shape, there's enough room inside to wear a top hat should the mood take you. More practically, that high roofline does make travelling in the rear reasonably palatable - though legroom is at a bit of a premium. Like all modern Volkswagens, the Beetle feels like it's hewn from stone, with the kind of build quality you'd expect from something twice as expensive. The little touches help too; the lovely blue instrument lighting which illuminates only the figures on the speedometer; the beautifully designed unique-fit stereo.

On the road, the ride is Germanically firm and the handling competent but generally uninspiring. On the safety front, there's twin side and front airbags built around a platform that's still one of the safest things this side of £30,000. Nice touches include folding rear seat that increases boot space, the height adjustable seats and the three 12V power sockets installed around the car. Options include a CD changer, leather upholstery, a sunroof, a winter pack with heated front seats and headlight washers and, for easy city driving, a four-speed automatic transmission.

In summary, the Beetle TDI makes no sense and all the sense in the world at the same time. If you can understand that, then you'll understand why you might buy one.

TOP 2 BEETLE DEALS

The results below show the top BEETLE deals on buyacar

	Volkswagen Beetle 1.9 TDi 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £251	Saving £1,472	Price £13,613
	Volkswagen Beetle 1.9 TDi 2dr Cabriolet Convertible
	ETR	Mthly £312	Saving £1,825	Price £17,180

typical 10.54% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000