Test drive Volkswagen Jetta
Who is the Jetta inferior to the market, how it differs from the Golf, and with whom it actually competes in Russia ...
Jetta is the case when everything is right, convenient and sorted out on the shelves. The opinions of AvtoTachki employees this time were unified as never before, but the sedan did not cause any particular emotions in anyone. However, we could not pass by one of the bestsellers of the market. The austere solid appearance and excellent ride quality are selling themselves even now, when the segment is losing market share, giving way to more compact and affordable cars.
When I get into any Volkswagen car, it’s like I’m getting home. New Passat, last Superb, Golf V or Bora of 2001 - you will get used to the interior, changing from one car to another, in exactly a minute. During this time, you will adjust the mirrors, the chair and find the engine start button.
On the other hand, the Jetta is not interesting to hijackers, its maintenance costs adequate money, and they will not ask for a six-figure amount for insurance. And yet I would not buy one for myself: it is too utilitarian, and driving pleasure alone is not enough.
Technique
While the seventh VW Golf uses the modular MQB platform, the current sixth-generation Jetta is built on the chassis of the previous Golf, which in turn is the fruit of an upgrade to the fifth-generation platform, codenamed PQ5. Moreover, if the fifth Golf on the PQ5 chassis was equipped with a rear multi-link suspension, then the Jetta has a simpler and cheaper semi-independent beam at the rear.
Turbo engines of the TSI series began to appear on the fifth generation sedan, and on the current Jetta they form the basis of the range. You can choose from petrol engines with a volume of 1,2, 1,4 and 2,0 liters with a capacity of 105 to 210 hp, or diesel engines of the TDI series. In Russia, the Jetta is offered only with 1,4 TSI petrol engines (122 and 150 hp), as well as with the old aspirated 1,6 MPI with 85 and 105 horsepower. Aspirated engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 6-range automatic transmission, turbo engines are aggregated with a 6-speed "mechanics" or DSG preselective gearbox with seven steps.
If a child of 4-5 years old is asked to draw a car, he will depict something abstract-three-volume, something like a VW Jetta. It's just a car - no frills Das Auto. In another car, you risk not getting inside, getting lost among the pillars and not finding the doorknob among the bizarre curves of the body, but not in the Jetta.
Packages and prices
The base Jetta Conceptline, which costs $ 10, is an 533-horsepower 85 engine, manual transmission and a modest set without air conditioning, audio system and seat heating. Air conditioning and sound system appear in Conceptline Plus. In this configuration, you can buy a 1,6-horsepower sedan, and even with an automatic transmission (from $ 105).
Jetta does not stand out from the gray mass of Volkswagen in nothing. It looks the same as everyone else: straightforward, boring and a little outdated. But this approach is damn good to me, because there is no need to fear that the design will quickly tire, or that the next Jetta will be too progressive. I am also impressed by the way the Jetta plays with straight forms: from any angle it seems larger than it really is. "Is this a new Passat?" - a neighbor in the parking lot, looking at the polished Jetta before filming, only confirmed my guesses.
Almost all VW vehicles with TSI engines are very dynamic for their class. Jetta does not break traditions: a 150-horsepower supercharged "four" with a volume of 1,4 liters accelerates the sedan to "hundreds" in just 8,6 seconds. On the M10 highway with four passengers, the Jetta still picks up speed cheerfully and does not give up in long overtakes. Not the last merit in this "robot" DSG7, which effectively selects the desired gear and quickly moves to a higher stage, one has only to return to its lane.
Volkswagen in the top-end configuration is a demonstration of the capabilities of the concern, but not a "people's car". In technical terms, the version with a turbocharged engine and a "robot" is far from the most reliable: the engine is demanding on the quality of the oil, it does not have such a large resource as the aspirated VW, and the DSG will probably need to replace the clutch by 60 thousand mileage, especially if regularly operate the car in the metropolis.
On the other hand, the Jetta is not interesting to hijackers, its maintenance costs adequate money, and they will not ask for a six-figure amount for insurance. And yet I would not buy one for myself: it is too utilitarian, and driving pleasure alone is not enough.
Inside, everything is in place - without looking, you reach out and find the handles, buttons and levers you need. No one here is trying to explain anything with any particular idea. The dials are as simple and informative as possible, and it is difficult to get confused in the multimedia system menu. There are no surprises on the technical side - a robotic gearbox with two clutches is not news for mass cars for a long time, the turbo engine produces honest 150 "horses" or even a little more. But the car drives surprisingly sharply, and this is akin to seasoning for a familiar dish.
“Jetta” could be sent to the Weights and Measures Chamber as a segment reference. Is that the sedan is harsh and noisy, and for the golf class Jetta is still large. But this is rather a plus for the car - the trunk is huge, the second row is very spacious. However, for all its advantages, the Jetta seemed to be lost between the Polo Sedan and the Passat. It is more expensive and larger than the first, but has not grown to the second and is inferior to the Passat in its image and in what makes up premium - in finishing materials.
The Trendline version (from $ 11) additionally includes a winter package, side airbags and curtain airbags. In this configuration, you can already buy a turbocharged Jetta 734 TSI costing from $ 1,4 12. The Comfortline trim (from $ 802) differs in the presence of more comfortable seats, improved trim, foglights and air conditioning, but is not offered with an 13-horsepower engine. But in the range there is a 082-horsepower engine paired with a DSG gearbox ($ 85).
Finally, prices for a Highline car with alloy wheels, sports seats, bi-xenon headlights and parking sensors range from $ 14 for the 284 engine and manual gearbox to $ 1,6. for a 16-horsepower 420 TSI with DSG. The list of options includes several equipment and trim packages, two navigation systems to choose from, a rearview camera, blind spot monitoring radars and even an atmospheric lighting system.
These cars are from two different worlds. The tightly knit Jetta, with its low stance, austere cabin and perfect handling, is the exact opposite of my Citroen C5, with air suspension and complete detachment from the driver. But it is not at all difficult for me to transfer from my personal room of psychological relief to the government office. You get tired of the C5 because it blocks the road and sets the pace. The nimble Jetta is one with you, perfectly obeys and does not allow itself any liberties such as suspension dangling over the road or thinking about when and how many gears to shift down, and whether it is worth returning to the higher one at all.
History
Formally, the Jetta has always been a sedan based on the Golf hatchback, but Volkswagen singled out the model stylistically and positioned it as a stand-alone model. At different times in different markets, the Jetta wore different names (for example, Vento, Bora or Lavida), and in some countries it was completely different from the European versions not only in appearance and a set of units, but also in the platform used. It was only in Europe that the Jetta generations, albeit with some delay, were replaced after the Golf.
Of course, in accordance with the dimensions and class, it would be more correct to compare my C5 with the VW Passat, but over the past year the latter has risen in price so significantly that the question of replacing your car with a car of the same class is no longer worth it. And Jetta, in fact, is just as spacious, has a large trunk and no less powerful power unit, at least in the top version. Short list of options? I don’t need an air suspension, a simple driver’s back massage, too, I can do without electric seats. The basic needs of the modern driver Jetta satisfies in full, and the convenience and ease of use can hardly be found in the price lists. So for me personally, the Jetta has become a full-fledged competitor to the VW Passat.
One thing worries: the Jetta will not catch up with the current Golf in any way. This is not to say that this somehow affects the driving qualities, but the venerable age of the car is felt both in the body structure, and in the style of the cabin, even if it is updated, and in the principles of onboard electronics management. It seems that you take a new car, sit inside and catch yourself on the fact that somewhere you have already seen all this. And you want something completely new - something that you will get used to for some time. I remember that it took me a lot of time to study Citroen C5.
The first Jetta appeared in 1979, when the Golf MK1 was on sale for five years, and in addition to the four-door body, the car was offered as a two-door. The second Jetta of the 1984 model came out two years after the current Golf and, in addition to the standard ones, was offered in the all-wheel drive version of the Syncro with a viscous coupling in the rear wheel drive. On the basis of the second Jetta in China, cheap sedans for the local market are still being produced.
In 1992, the third generation Jetta entered the market under the Vento name. The two-door body was no longer produced, but a powerful 174-horsepower sedan with an exotic 6-cylinder VR6 engine appeared in the range, which could not be called either in-line or V-shaped. The fourth Jetta of the 1998 model in Europe was already called Bora. For the first time, a 1,8-liter turbo engine, a direct injection engine, and another strange VR5 engine appeared on the car. The all-wheel drive versions were equipped with a Haldex clutch and had a different rear suspension.
The fifth Golf was introduced in early 2005 and has regained the Jetta name in most markets. The rear suspension, like the Golf, was multi-link. And it was from this generation that the Jetta began to be equipped with gasoline turbo engines of the TSI series and preselective DSG boxes. Three years later, this model received a Russian registration at the Volkswagen plant near Kaluga. The current 2010 Jetta is built on the same chassis. Last year's update cannot be called a generational change, and the sedan is still considered a sixth generation car. The Jetta on the new unit base is not yet ready, although the seventh Golf on the MQB platform will soon wait for its successor.
Four years ago, I was driving a Jetta for the first time, which I managed to get from a dealer as a replacement car. On the same day, I had a one-day trip with a total length of 500 kilometers. A classic Volkswagen interior with well-defined details, a sharp steering wheel, comfortable seats, excellent dynamics on the track and a moderately stiff suspension - hours flew by unnoticed on the way.
And so I meet Jetta again, but instead of many hours of traveling along the highway, we are waiting for city streets, traffic jams and a lack of parking spaces. And I get to know the Jetta from a completely different perspective. If on the track the sharpness of the acceleration and the barely noticeable hitch at the start do not matter, then in the city you have to carefully dose the effort on the accelerator pedals. The responsive brake pedal demands the same delicacy. The Jetta driver will be invigorated by these mini overloads with sharp accelerations and no less sharp braking, and for passengers it is a dubious pleasure.
The current model doesn't have that many upgrades. Manufacturers seemed to be cautious: they added LED fluorescent lamps, a chrome grille, and slightly updated the interior. No surprises with powertrains - a turbocharged 1,4 petrol engine paired with a six-speed DSG gearbox.
The exterior of the sedan clearly lacks some bright solutions. It's the same story with the equipment. For example, the rear view camera could be better. There are simple body shapes and adequate visibility, but when parking, I still lacked a high-quality picture - the Jetta was oversized, and I had to be extremely careful so as not to hit a low post or a fence with the trunk.
The Jetta is one of those cars that you can't say anything bad about. It is a comfortable, practical car with decent handling and familiar German character. Although this may not be enough for a spoiled modern buyer, the market will offer many competitors with bolder and more modern solutions in design and equipment set.
