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Saturday, April 02, 2011
Jetta loses some ofits premium aura
By Ken Walston
Of the Journal
With its conservatively bland but attractive styling, generously sized cabin and its engaging over-the-road performance, the new, lower-priced Jetta is proving to be a sales success.
But compared with recent Volkswagen interiors, brace yourself for a letdown from the Jetta's low-rent materials. In earlier versions, the high-quality cabin lent the car a premium feel — at a price. Sacrificed to the bean counters are the former model's soft-touch surfaces: In their stead are cheap-feeling and -looking hard plastics.
Despite this, the new Jetta is a more accommodating sedan. The front seats in our SEL tester — leatherette-clad sport-style buckets included in the optional Sport package — are perfectly supportive with just the right amount of firmness and bolstering.
The rear seat is downright commodious, with generous room for legs and shoulders.
Despite the cutting of corners, the top-of-the-line SEL model is graced with a basketful of bells and whistles with such niceties as heated seats and keyless ignition/entry, a trip computer/navigation system and manual front-seat lumbar adjustment.
On the performance front, are 17-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes (upgraded from drum) and fog lamps. And in addition to the front buckets, the SEL's Sport package adds a sunroof, a sport-tuned suspension and sport-style pedals.
Thanks to those suspension upgrades, the Jetta does feel downright sporty in the handling department. The ride finds a fine balance between Euro-firm and compliant and the disc brakes are powerful and easily modulated.
The inline five-cylinder engine, although not the most pleasant-sounding powerplant, is relatively smooth, delivering decent acceleration and good fuel economy. The six-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, but there's an occasional slight hesitation in throttle response.
The new Jetta's lower price does seem to offer more for less — mostly cabin and trunk space. But there is also less for less, as the car's premium aura is lost.
2011 Volkswagen Jetta SEL Sport
VEHICLE TYPE: Four-door, five-passenger compact sedan
BASE PRICE: $24,095
PRICE AS TESTED: $24,865 (incl. delivery fees)
POWERTRAIN: 2.5-liter, DOHC, inline-5; 170 horsepower; 177 lb.-ft. torque; six-speed automatic transmission; front-wheel drive
WHEELBASE/LENGTH: 104.4"/182.2"
CURB WEIGHT: 3,082 pounds
EPA FUEL RATING: 24 mpg city/31 highway (regular grade)
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