Here is an exclusive review of the Jetta even before the issue is out.
The Jetta has been launched today. It will be available with a 1.6
litre petrol unit and a 1.9 litre diesel unit from the Laura.
Exteriors
Walk around to the front and you'll notice that it resembles the
VW Golf. And that is because the Golf is built on the same platform as
is the Laura as well as the Passat. The double barrel headlights, the
familiar grille all scream VW. The looks are understated and remind you
of its elder brother the Passat. And this is most evident when you see
the tail lamp cluster. The side is almost plain jane. Paint quality is
very good and this car can look better in a brighter colour. The rear
overhang is quite large and gives it very good boot space. 527 litres
to be precise.
Interiors
The base Trendline diesel that I drove came with grey and black
interiors. These don't look too lively and plastics don't feel as good
as say a Laura. But don't be fooled. Quality of most bits is still very
good and everything works well. The build quality like its sibling is
very good and the doors shut with a reassuring thunk. The dashboard is
neatly laid out and everything falls to hand easily. There are several
cubby holes around the car for knick knacks. The base Trendline comes
fairly loaded with dual zone climate control, keyless entry, eight
airbags, ABS, electrical mirrors, MP3 CD player apart from the regular
power windows, power steering, central locking, defogger etc.
Front seats have a range of manual adjustments and are very
comfortable even on long drives. The rear seat have adequate legroom,
but the seating position is a bit upright. To sum it up. It has
adequate space and is fairly comfortable, but the interiors don't feel
as luxurious as they should especially in this priceband. A sprinkle of
beige (which is available on the higher spec) would do it a world of
good.
Performance Ride & Handling
Start up the PD motor and the first thing that strikes you is the
noisy idle. It does smoothen out as you rev. But you can't deny that
this noisier than most other diesels in the market. Vibrations come
through the clutch pedal. Noise aside, this engine acquits itself quite
well. Just like the Laura, it pulls cleanly off idle and successfully
hides its horsepower deficit. But being heavier than the Laura and with
taller gearing, it is a bit slower in the 0-100kph dash and takes 12.14
seconds. But in the real world you can't really tell the difference.
The Jetta runs tyre pressures of 42psi and 35psi for the rear and
front respectively. This along with the firm suspension gives it a
harsh low speed ride. But the upside is that at highway speeds it feels
very composed smothers bad roads with ease. The steering is direct and
there is very little body roll. It follows the steering inputs quite
well. But could do with a little more feedback from the wheel.
PD engines have always been fuel efficient and this one doesn't
disappoint either. The Jetta returns 11.4kpl in the city and better
than a Laura 14.01kpl on the highway. The highway advantage is mainly
due to the taller gearing.
Overall
