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2012 Volkswagen Jetta Trendline +
April 2012
By: Anthony Murdoch
IT's hard to believe that the sixth generation Volkswagen Jetta has has been on sale for nearly two years, but as a testament to its exterior design which is very good, it hardly shows its age. When it debuted, it was lambasted for a low-rent interior, rear drum brakes on base-models, using an antiquated engine, and dumping the multi-link rear suspension. How does the new Jetta stack up? Is it any good?
Having driven many versions of the previous generation Jetta/Golf, my first impressions with this car were quite low actually. The interior, although very functional in design, is not of the same calibre of the previous Jetta, let alone the current Golf. One thing that really irks me in here is the gauge cluster. I am not a fan of digital gauges, and the digital fuel gauge really is a cheap looking thing. Why not just have normal analog gauges which look way more classy?
The seating position is decent, however I found the seats themselves to be a little on the soft side, something I feel for a VW at least, is not in line with its brand ideals. While the plastics may be hard, most of the grain is decent, and the fit of all the parts is actually very good.
Moving on to how the car feels on the road, my test car was equipped with the 2.0 litre, inline four-cylinder, mated to the six-speed automatic gearbox. VW says that this engine has been massaged to be quieter and more refined. I have to say, that this was the biggest surprise I found with the new Jetta. When mated to the excellent and smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission, the old 2.0 litre engine actually feels very gusty and is quiet. The fact that on paper it puts out a measly 115 horsepower, and 125 b.-ft or torque, does not really reflect how the car feels on the road. Around town, it never feels under powered. When pushed hard to redlline, you can feel and hear a coarseness, but VW has done a very good job isolating the noise. Although this engine is an old design, it is a very robust unit that has proven to be very durable and near bullet-proof. Other than changing the timing belt and water pump, these engines should provide years of trouble-free service, although when it comes to fuel-economy, they are not the greatest. I averaged around 10/litres per 100 kilometres. This is not great, but actually not bad considering I was not driving soft.
On the road the cabin is quiet and the car feels very refined in its driving dynamics. The damping on the base car is a little on the soft side, but the car does retain a sporty driving feel. Really, the independent rear suspension is not missed, at least until you get very aggressive in the corners. For most drivers though, they will never even notice. Overall, the car feels well composed and I would feels more refined overall compared to the previous Jetta. The car brakes very well, and although this base model has rear drum brakes, you will never really notice nor care. Drum brakes may be old technology, but consider that they are very reliable and heck, the base model Civic, Corolla, and Focus, have them as well.
The new Jetta has a lot more rear legroom, something which is greatly welcomed. I found that sitting in the back was comfortable, and compared to the previous Jetta, this car feels large!
The Jetta VI has been selling extremely well. This is due to the fact that it costs a lot less than the previous model. I think it also is because the car looks better and as a package, is more in line what the average buyer wants. My tester rang in just under $20,000, tax included. A base Jetta Trendline can be had for just under $16,000, although this does not include freight and PDI.
For the VW purest, the only real choice to go for is the GLI, which has a soft-touch interior, and multi-link rear suspension. As a VW purest myself, I am at a crossroads with this car. Yes, it does have great styling, and the price is great. However, it feels less like a VW and more like a Corolla. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but for me at least, I want my VW to look, feel, and drive like a VW. It really is a coin toss.
By: Anthony Murdoch
IT's hard to believe that the sixth generation Volkswagen Jetta has has been on sale for nearly two years, but as a testament to its exterior design which is very good, it hardly shows its age. When it debuted, it was lambasted for a low-rent interior, rear drum brakes on base-models, using an antiquated engine, and dumping the multi-link rear suspension. How does the new Jetta stack up? Is it any good?
Having driven many versions of the previous generation Jetta/Golf, my first impressions with this car were quite low actually. The interior, although very functional in design, is not of the same calibre of the previous Jetta, let alone the current Golf. One thing that really irks me in here is the gauge cluster. I am not a fan of digital gauges, and the digital fuel gauge really is a cheap looking thing. Why not just have normal analog gauges which look way more classy?
The seating position is decent, however I found the seats themselves to be a little on the soft side, something I feel for a VW at least, is not in line with its brand ideals. While the plastics may be hard, most of the grain is decent, and the fit of all the parts is actually very good.
Moving on to how the car feels on the road, my test car was equipped with the 2.0 litre, inline four-cylinder, mated to the six-speed automatic gearbox. VW says that this engine has been massaged to be quieter and more refined. I have to say, that this was the biggest surprise I found with the new Jetta. When mated to the excellent and smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission, the old 2.0 litre engine actually feels very gusty and is quiet. The fact that on paper it puts out a measly 115 horsepower, and 125 b.-ft or torque, does not really reflect how the car feels on the road. Around town, it never feels under powered. When pushed hard to redlline, you can feel and hear a coarseness, but VW has done a very good job isolating the noise. Although this engine is an old design, it is a very robust unit that has proven to be very durable and near bullet-proof. Other than changing the timing belt and water pump, these engines should provide years of trouble-free service, although when it comes to fuel-economy, they are not the greatest. I averaged around 10/litres per 100 kilometres. This is not great, but actually not bad considering I was not driving soft.
On the road the cabin is quiet and the car feels very refined in its driving dynamics. The damping on the base car is a little on the soft side, but the car does retain a sporty driving feel. Really, the independent rear suspension is not missed, at least until you get very aggressive in the corners. For most drivers though, they will never even notice. Overall, the car feels well composed and I would feels more refined overall compared to the previous Jetta. The car brakes very well, and although this base model has rear drum brakes, you will never really notice nor care. Drum brakes may be old technology, but consider that they are very reliable and heck, the base model Civic, Corolla, and Focus, have them as well.
The new Jetta has a lot more rear legroom, something which is greatly welcomed. I found that sitting in the back was comfortable, and compared to the previous Jetta, this car feels large!
The Jetta VI has been selling extremely well. This is due to the fact that it costs a lot less than the previous model. I think it also is because the car looks better and as a package, is more in line what the average buyer wants. My tester rang in just under $20,000, tax included. A base Jetta Trendline can be had for just under $16,000, although this does not include freight and PDI.
For the VW purest, the only real choice to go for is the GLI, which has a soft-touch interior, and multi-link rear suspension. As a VW purest myself, I am at a crossroads with this car. Yes, it does have great styling, and the price is great. However, it feels less like a VW and more like a Corolla. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but for me at least, I want my VW to look, feel, and drive like a VW. It really is a coin toss.
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