Just in case my profile photo doesn't make it perfectly clear, I'm more than pleasantly plump. Use all the polite words you want--but ask me, and I'll tell it straight: I'm fat. I'm strong and healthy, but I'm living in a big body, one that sometimes requires more than the average amount of room.

Take cars, for instance. Although I've never not fit in a car, more and more of the newest cars have left me feeling a little too close to the steering wheel. And if that's not frustrating enough, my husband is even bigger than me.

This means that choosing a vehicle requires more than the usual tire-kicking, dealer-wrestling, engine-staring venture. Before we even begin to deal with those issues, we've got a bigger test for our potential wheels: interior room.

Imagine our surprise when we started hearing the animated whispers from our friends in the fat acceptance community in 1998. Volkswagen had just relaunched the Beetle, and large people from coast to coast were abuzz. "It's huge inside," they said.

We poo-poohed their excitement, certain that the rounded subcompact wouldn't possibly work for us. Nonetheless, we found ourselves grinning and chirping "A Beetle!" every time one zipped past us on the freeway.

When the time came to buy a new car for me this year, the Beetle was on my list, behind the Dodge Caravan. Way behind, in fact, since it was, after all, just a little bitty cute thing with a small engine. But when the Caravan turned out to be roomy in all the wrong places, we found ourselves heeding the advice of all our fat friends. After all, the car was unquestionably adorable. Would it really hurt to go look?

As it turned out, no. We visited three VW dealers, sat in several Beetles, listened to the various sob stories about manufacturer strikes, customer demands, minimal markups, and all sorts of woe. We convinced one dealer to let us drive one, and she took us out, one by one, in a used 99 Beetle. It left both of us smitten.

So much so, that we abandoned all thought of a minivan and began negotiating for that dealer's only Beetle GLS. When our talks broke down (you can read my last epinion for that sad tale) and we left the dealership without the Beetle, I was heartbroken.

That night, I gave up on the locals and put in my order on Carsdirect.com. On the next business day, I was offered five cars to choose from, made my decision, and had my new Beetle by the end of the week.

I have never been happier. And I've never had more room in a car.

It's really that big?
Until you sit in a Beetle, you can't imagine how much interior room it has. In addition to the vast expanse of the dashboard in front of you (making it impossible to see the front of the car), there's tons of arm and belly room in the front seat. My legs are long (my inseam is 34") and with the seat pushed back all the way, I can't reach the pedals.

Even with the seat pushed forward, I still find myself with tons of room between my body and the steering wheel. That's more than a feel-good bonus for me: airbag warnings tell you not to sit less than 10 inches from the steering wheel. In my Beetle, I'm well past that point, greatly reducing my risk of injury in the event of an accident.

The front seats are highly adjustable: they pump up and down, move back and forth, and have movable backs and headrests. The seats are extremely firm but not too hard--they provide great resistance and support.

Another size plus: my husband and I both ride comfortably together in the Beetle; whether he's driving or I am. Although it's my car and he rarely drives it, he has no difficulty fitting, climbing in, or getting out.

As for a few other size issues, headroom is extremely generous; my Beetle has more than 41 inches of headroom. Unfortunately, Beetles with moonroofs lose several inches of headroom for the motorized mechanism. The seatbelts are more than long enough, retract gently, and have height adjusters to compensate for different size torsos. The backseat is less than huge, but I can't imagine anyone riding back there anyway.

The Engine
There are several engine options for the Beetle; I bought the most popular engine--the 2.0 Liter 4 cylinder. Diesel and turbo options are available, but for my driving style (mostly short local trips) neither was practical. One dealer insinuated that the 2.0 wouldn't be powerful enough to haul the two of us around, but I suspect that was more a commission issue than a power issue. The Beetle's zippy 2.0 has plenty of power and pep; it revs up to high speeds without a whimper and doesn't even blink when faced with carrying both of us.

It's also incredibly well-designed. Open the hood of a 2002 Beetle, and you see a neatly covered box with a large VW emblem. On closer inspection, you see an oil dipstick, and places to add coolant, windshield washer fluid, and oil. Everything else is hidden.

Speaking of Design. . .
Unless you've been living in outer Mongolia, I don't have to tell you how charming the Beetle is. On the outside, it's certainly an attention-magnet.

The interior is just as juicy. The Beetle is just plain intuitive and spunky. The daytime running lights come on when I release the parking brake. I can set the interior lights three different ways. Right now, I have them set to go on when I unlock the car, and stay on until I start the car; when I cut the engine, they go on and stay on until I've locked the door from the outside.

The interior lights, as you've probably heard, are mostly a wonderfully translucent cobalt blue, with red and yellow accents. Dash lights are digital and analog, numbers are clear and easy to read.

My seat covers are black printed fabric; I balked at black when first choosing the car, but find that I love it now. It's not a heavy, hot fabric, but rather a tightly woven blend that stays cool, even on hot days. Interior trim is black and grey plastic, some metallic surfaces, and some areas match the outside of the vehicle. All controls are easy to reach, easy to use, and fairly self-explanatory. Like most German cars, the Beetle is utilitarian inside; but the added kicks give the car a healthy dose of personality.

Trunk and gas-release buttons are on the driver-side door; window controls are on both doors (and will finish opening or closing on their own if held for more than a second).

Other interior features include a drop-down glasses case, sunshade mirrors that light up when the covers are pushed open, a large glove box, storage in the locking armrest, and triple cupholders that swivel from side-to-side. Power outlets are located on the bottom of the dash and in the trunk. The upper console includes a digital clock and outside temperature monitor.

The rear-seat folds flat (once the headrests are popped out) to hold extra cargo; the trunk is surprisingly large, though.

The Beetle comes standard with a six speaker stereo; it's got a cassette player and all the bells and whistles. Only two upgrades are possible: an 8 speaker Monsoon system for $287, or a CD-changer which mounts in the trunk. I'm more than happy with the standard system. It rocks.

What about safety?
My stereo rocks, indeed, and I'm not the least bit worried about someone snatching it out of my precious Beetle. Why? Because the Beetle stereo comes equipped with a magic code. Rip out the stereo or cut its power, and the stereo will not work until you enter the code.

Not that I'm concerned. The Beetle GLS also comes standard with a passive alarm system. It's easily armed with the spiffy electronic remote key; click the lock button and the Beetle blinks its lights and utters a quiet beep to let you know it's secure. Forget to lock it? The Beetle locks itself if no one touches it for more than a minute. Unlock the trunk with the remote, and it locks itself as soon as you close it.

In fact, that remote key has all sorts of built-in treats for the Beetle owner. It's equipped with a smart panic button; press it and the car flashes its lights and honks until you press it again. There are three other buttons on the remote: one to open, one to open the trunk, and one to lock the entire vehicle. Plus, the key itself folds into the remote and pops into place sort of like a mini-switchblade. I wouldn't even try to carry it on an airplane right now.

Other key perks: the keys can be used to open and close the windows from outside the vehicle, and to test the integrity of the alarm system. My Beetle arrived with two remote electronic keys, plus one garden-variety Valet key, and a key-code strip to take to the dealer in case I lose all the keys.

As for other safety features, I know I've already mentioned the front airbags; they're in place to protect both the driver and passenger. But they're smarter than most airbags: they check to be certain that the seatbelt is fastened; if it's not, they deploy at a different rate in order to provide more protection. The Beetle GLS also has side-impact airbags.

If the airbags aren't enough security, the car has a steel cage, and the engine is placed to crush on impact. Same thing with the telescoping steering wheel. In the awful event of a crash, if you're properly belted, you're not going to end up with wheel bruises.

The Beetle comes standard with ABS brakes; I cannot emphasize how important it is to practice stopping with these before you need them. I'm of the old school: my instinct tells me to pump the brakes in order to stop faster, especially when I'm skidding. With ABS brakes, you've got to stomp on the brake and hold it down.

Exterior lights are plentiful, well placed, and extremely bright. A number of Beetle enthusiasts seem to enjoy replacing the standard light options with upgraded systems; I am more than fine with the basics.

Should something awful happen, the Beetle has a full-sized spare in the trunk, with all the necessary tools. Should it happen when I'm dressed for a meeting, the Beetle comes with two years of free roadside service.

In fact, all regular service is complimentary during the first 24 months. The warranty is generous and comparable to most other new cars on the market.

What about options?
The Beetle comes in three trim levels: the GL is the basic model; the GLS has all the fancy bells and whistles like power windows, cruise, tilt, etc; the GLX has all the features of the GLS plus turbo, leather, moonroof, and fancier wheels.

The GLS was more than enough car for me; it had surprisingly few options. I added automatic transmission (about $800 over the standard five-speed); and a Northeast emissions package for $99. My only options were the Monsoon stereo upgrade, a leather package which also required a luxury package (wheels, moonroof), or heated front seats. The GLS is available with a turbo engine, but more than one dealer told me that combination is impossible to find.

Look at all the pretty colors
Volkswagen introduces several new, limited edition colors each year: the options for 2002 are Snap Orange or Mojave Beige. I've seen neither. Now and then, they add a new color to the long-term lineup. That happened this year with Platinum Grey, a deep metallic tone that my brother describes as "the perfect sauted mushroom."

Platinum Grey was my choice, despite the fact I never actually saw it before I ordered the car. It is gorgeous and elegant. It's unlike any other Beetle I've ever seen.

Other exterior color options include Marlin (Navy) Blue, Lagoon (bright cobalt) Blue, Green metallic, two shades of yellow (one lemonish, one taxi yellow); white, silver, red, and black.

Interior color options are black, grey, or cream; seats are available in cloth, leatherette (say vinyl, please) and leather, if you're willing to spring for the moonroof/wheel package.

Anything Else I Should Know?
The Beetle gets terrific gas mileage. I'm doing about 26 city and 30 highway, which is even better than the sticker suggestion of 23 city and 29 highway. Numbers are even better for the five-speed; the diesel does an impressive 45+ miles per gallon.

But more than all that sensible stuff, the Beetle is simply fun to drive. I bought my Beetle just a few days after the World Trade Center disappeared from the New York City skyline. People here were still wary and unsteady when I drove it home. But for nearly every mile of that 30 mile trip, someone honked and waved. Kids pointed. Adults grinned. My own mouth was stretched from ear to ear. It is a joy-device, this Beetle. It is a roomy, powerful, happy little car. Go see for yourself.


Amount Paid (US$): 18000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: GLS Automatic