New Volkswagen Jetta : First Drive

Every once in a while there comes a car that seems near perfect for its time. Only problem is, that time doesn’t stand still and that perfect car doesn’t seem so perfect anymore. The Volkswagen Jetta that was launched in 2009 may have been in the fifth of its generations but at the time it was everything that one would want in an executive sedan – strong diesel engine, great space, fun to drive and of course the option of getting it with that fabulous dual clutch auto’box. It did have its own shortcomings too though, the biggest of which was that VW at the time was relatively a newer brand to the Indian masses and the Jetta was competing with big names like the well established Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla as well as its own cousin – the Skoda Laura. That’s all in the past now and the guys at Volkswagen’s marketing team have done a great job of bring the VW badge to the common knowledge of the Indian populace with cars like the Polo and the Vento. A little over two years since the Jetta was launched then, it’s time for the car’s sixth generation to roll in and not only has VW fixed everything that was lacking in the older car, but they’ve actually gone a step further.

 

First things first, and before you think the new Volkwagen Jetta is just a rehash of the older one, it isn’t. This is a completely new car and is in fact longer than the older Jetta by all of 90 mm. Now that’s quite some length in car dimension terms and what that means is that the new Jetta is roomier on the inside. It in fact comes with seats that are not only plusher, but a whole lot more comfortable as well. Since inside the car is where owners will be spending most of their time in, the Jetta now also makes up for certain deficacies on the equipment front that it had earlier. Most noteable among this is obviously the new touch-screen multimedia interface that also found itself in the Skoda Laura – extended families do have their own perks after all. Not only that, the Jetta’s audio system also now incorporates what has become business as usual for any car worth its salt.

Yes there is finally an AUX port on the centre console and a dedicated iPod setup in the glovebox! Choose the top-of-the-range Highline model and you will even get a driver’s seat that is completely adjustable electrically – even for height. Couple that with a spacious cabin, well-appointed interiors and a neatly laid out typically Volkswagen dash and the new Jetta is a good place to be driving in indeed. There is also cruise control, electrically adjustable and foldable wing mirrors and chrome touches that are not too intrusive, but exist just enough to make their presence felt.

It’s when you look at the new Volkswagen Jetta from the outside though that there are bound to be mixed reactions. While the new Jetta’s proportions are spot on and you know instantly that this is a bigger car, one can’t help but notice the similarities between this and the Vento. In fact, Volkswagen’s corporate design theme has ensured that head on, and with no references for size in the vicinity the Jetta looks exactly like its smaller stablemate. It’s only when you look closer and observe the minute details that you figure out how the Jetta is classier and worth every penny that you spend over a Vento. The same situation exists with the Jetta’s profile but when you swing to the back, you know that this part of the car looks nothing like the smaller sedan – but again bares resemblance to another car from the Group. So VW owns Audi and that makes the A4 a not-so-distant cousin to the Jetta. Ties within the two cars’ DNA shows up when you soak in the horizontal tail lamps that look so Audi-esque! All in all though the Jetta is a great car to look at and if classy wasn’t a word done to death in this segment of cars, superiorly sporty is another word that would best describe the Jetta’s styling.

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Look deeper beyond the expanse of the Jetta’s hood and the next thing you know is that you’re itching to go take a spin. Earlier this year, the German manufacturer also launched the all-new Passat and with it came a fabulous 2-litre diesel engine pumping out 140 PS of power. Now imagine the same powerplant in a smaller and lighter car and you know for sure that if the Passat was quick, this one’s going to be better. And that is exactly what the new Volkswagen Jetta is. Depending on how lazy you are or how much you enjoy being in control of your gear shifts, the Jetta’s 2-litre engine is mated to either a 6-speed DSG auto’box with paddle shifters or a 6-speed manual transmission. Now we all know how good a dual clutch automatic can be and in fact it was the better option with the previous car but quite frankly we enjoyed the manual version better in the newer car. 

Taking nothing away from the DSG though, the gear lever on the manual version is butter smooth with positive shifts and a short throw through the gates. Both ‘boxes allow full use of the Jetta’s awesome 320 Nm of torque and it’s a great feeling to go pedal to the metal on a straight stretch of open tarmac. Sadly, there is no petrol version yet, but hopefully when and if it does debut in the coming months, the gasoline fueled unit will be of a higher capacity than the 1.6 litre unit that came fitted in the previous car. The new Volkswagen Jetta also carries on and betters VWs trait of getting the suspension setup right – this car not only feels stiff enough to corner totally in control but is also soft enough to iron out all kinds of vagaries that Indian terrain may throw at you. Combine that with acronyms like ABS, ESP and the likes and you have a car that you will have fun driving around in without a worry in the world. Needless to say, airbags are standard but how many of them you get in the car depends on which of the three trim levels you choose!

The price tag for the new Volkswagen Jetta starts at Rs 14.12 lakh and goes all the way up to Rs 17.86 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the Highline variant with the DSG gearbox and that may seem on the slightly higher side initially but considering that this is a German car and is built like a tank, it sure seems worth every digit on that sticker. Sure, many may complain (including yours truly) that the Jetta looks exactly the same as the Vento, but this car’s beauty isn’t just skin deep. And while we await the car for a complete instrumented road test, go ahead and take a test drive at your local VW dealer. You’re sure to be impressed!