A clear winner

The name may remain unchanged, but Volkswagen’s new Jetta is nothing like the car before it. Volkswagen went to great extents when they revealed the new car that stunned New Yorkers in Times Square. This included specially brought in sand, grass and deckchairs. The all-new Jetta is a car with which VW hopes to do well in America. While the earlier car represented a quick and easy swipe at the compact saloon car market, this new Jetta takes VW’s commitment to a different level altogether. No more merely adding a boot to the Golf for VW; this is serious stuff, a completely new car.

Style file

While we are unlikely to see the car in India till early 2011, we can tell you that it has the potential to shake up the segment. A mere glance can tell you that. To begin with, it looks much more like a slightly shrunken Passat than a grown-up Jetta. VW designers chose to lower, widen and lengthen the car, both visually and dimensionally, to give it the profile of an upmarket saloon car.

There are long flowing lines along the flanks, a crisply folded shoulder line adds definition, and wide wheel arches provide a confident stance. And the tight skinning and control of the sheet metal continues all the way around the rear, where the Audi A4-like lights are housed in a perfectly proportioned boot. But the best part is the nose, especially its sharp bonnet, detailed headlamps and traditional VW grille in black.

There is absolutely no hint of the Golf either, as none of the body panels are common. Though the Jetta is loosely based on the Golf platform, there are bits and pieces here that come from the larger Passat, itself a variant of the Golf. So while the front MacPherson strut suspension comes from the new Golf, the rear suspension is non-independent. VW has tried very hard to bring their new game to the opposition by reducing the price of the Jetta down to that of its competitors, and the rear suspension is one of the casualties of cost cutting. However, it remains to be seen whether VW goes back to an independent rear suspension for European markets.

Inside story

There’s much more space for passengers as the car now has a wheelbase that is a full 70mm longer than its predecessor. The interiors though are nowhere near as radical as that of the exterior. The design is as VW as you can get and stuff like the steering wheel, door pad and air-con vents seem to be lifted straight out of VW’s inventory. But there’s nothing wrong with them for they are superbly built, have fantastic functionality and feel built to last too. But they lack excitement and are not very different in design from even the Polo. Space comfort and utility, however, are top class.

The large front seats are very supportive, the car is sold with six airbags and chrome highlights and the two-tone interior do help brighten up the cabin. What’s commendable is the space and legroom in the rear. Only marginally tighter than a Passat, there’s acres of legroom and seat comfort is top notch in the new Jetta.

Driver's deal

Powered by a normally aspirated 115bhp 2.0-litre petrol, the base model in the US will retail for a very attractive $16,000 (Rs 7.4 lakh). However, this motor is unlikely to make it to India initially. What will be among the first lot will be the 140bhp 2.0-litre TDI. A 175bhp five-cylinder petrol and a 2.0-litre 200bhp TSi are also among the range for now. VW engineers also hint that the 1.2 TSi will be launched eventually in Europe, and there is a possibility of that motor coming to India too.

Final verdict

VW knows it has a winner on its hands with the new Jetta. The car looks like it could cost twice as much as it does. It is comfortable, well equipped and fantastically built. Here’s another VW really worth waiting for.

Spec check

New Volkswagen Jetta

• L/W/H: 4640/1540/1780mm

• Wheelbase: 2648mm

• Ground clearance: NA

• Kerb weight: NA

• Engine: 4-cyls in-line, 2.0-litre common-rail-direct-injection diesel/ 5-cyls in-line, 2.5-litre petrol/4-cyls in-line, 2.0-litre turbo-petrol

• Power: 140bhp/175bhp/200bhp

• Torque: 32.6kgm/NA/NA

• Gearbox: 6-speed DSG/NA/ 6-speed DSG


The Personal Telegraph