Volkswagen Beetle 1.2 TSI DSG

Engine: 1,197cccc, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol

Power: 105bhp and 129lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds and 111mph

Economy: 47.9mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 137g/km

Price: £19,370

REPLACING an icon is never going to be an easy task.

You need only ask a Manchester United fan how life after Sir Alex is going or a BBC exec what they’ll do when Sir Bruce Forsyth hangs up his dancing shoes on Strictly to know that a successful formula is damned tough to replicate.

When it came to replacing the original peoples car  Volkswagens Beetle  it’s clear that there had been a deal of trepidation.

The original car was in production in some shape or form from 1938 to 2006 with barely a panel crease altered.

In 1998 a new Beetle was introduced, however, and 13 years later a further modern iteration hit the streets.

Despite being underpinned by the chassis from the super-successful Golf hatchback and having a following generated by 21.5 million sales of the original car, the new front-engined and front-wheel-drive Beetles fail to be the familiar sight on UK roads that the modern reimaginings of the Mini and Fiat 500 are.

Two years after my first drive in the latest Beetle, I got behind the wheel of the ranges most modest-engined derivative.

Sneer at Volkswagens 1.2 litre TSI engine at your peril.

It may pack a modest 105bhp and 129lb-ft, but it feels flexible and free-revving in all but the most vigorous applications and strikes a decent balance between petrol engine drivability and the frugality of the £1,800 more expensive turbodiesel alternative.

For most people buying into the style-driven Beetle, more potent 160bhp and 210bhp turbocharged petrol engines will represent an unnecessary extra outlay.

Tested here with Volkswagens quick-shifting seven-speed, dual-clutch DSG gearbox the entry-level 1.2 TSI delivers 47.9mpg claimed average fuel economy and 137g/km CO2 emissions  identical to the six-speed manual.

A nought to 62mph 10.9 seconds and 111mph top speed are realistic performance claims.

My test car came in the most popular Beetle trim. Just one level up from the basic Beetle, design spec commands a 2,405 price premium that takes the total cost to an expensive-looking £19,370 with the added £1,460 of that trick gearbox. That’s Mini Cooper S and Fiat 500 Abarth money and the Beetle is not the performance-oriented range-topper that they are.

The Design spec Beetle majors on chic detailing.

Body coloured door handles, 17 inch alloys and cornering headlights all feature on the exterior, while exterior-coloured dashboard and door panels, a touchscreen DAB stereo and a stylish three-spoke, multi-function steering wheel all add up to an interior which is perhaps not as extrovert as retro rivals but strikes a compelling balance between new and old.

Build quality is up there with the best and the retro touches add colour and a touch of style where many Volkswagen products, though impressive in terms of quality, can be a little subdued.

A natty flip-up upper glove compartment and cargo nets dotted about the place hark back to the original Beetle and provide useful stowage in an interior which is not short of space, but then the latest Beetle is a relatively big car.

At 427cm long and 181cm wide it is shorter but wider than a Golf and a healthy 56cm longer and 13cm wider than a Mini.

What it does means is reasonable rear seat accommodation for two and a decent 310-litre boot.

This makes the Beetle far more practical than the Mini or 500 but for those comparing the retro trio the added scale may work against it, especially given that the extremities of its bulging front and rear wings are not quite visible from the driver’s seat.

While reservations about the cars size might make for nervy manoeuvres in tight spaces  I’d recommend the optional parking sensors  driving in more regular circumstances is an effortless affair.

The ride is pliant and although the damping can fidget a little more than that of the latest Golf, only repeated stutter bumps or severe potholes that make this trait apparent.

In general the Beetles gait is relaxed, with grip and outright poise not overwhelmingly sporty but good thanks to the cars large footprint.

The gearbox shifts with immediate precision. Without thumping power to cope with it does not tie itself up from a standstill as some Volkswagen and Audi offerings can as they struggle to decide just how much urgency you want to pull away with.

Only when pushing on hard, or on a road with regular steep inclines, do regular downshifts belie the engines limited power, but the gearbox performs seamlessly.

In creating the latest Beetle, Volkswagen have produced a retro tribute to its past which employs all the technology and impressive quality of its current line-up.

Better looking than its immediate predecessor, it is a car that is only held back from being a stonking direct rival to the Mini and Fiat 500 by its greater cost and a sheer physical scale that could deter some buyers.

Ultimately, the Beetle has become a cool and quirky niche product for the German automotive giant that still owes its very existence to the original Bug.