Volkswagen Jetta – Another Way to Drive a Golf
If you are one of those people who would like to buy a Golf, but face some fierce objections from your better half, on account of the Golf being too sporty, or too young, or that it is too much of a chick magnet, then here is a second chance for you.. Take a closer look at the Volkswagen Jetta, and you will find that it is actually a Golf with a boot added to the rear end.
Essentially, the Jetta is built on the very same platform as the Golf, with the same four-wheel independent suspension, the same engine and transmission, but is in sedan form, and built to cater for those who have a need for a boot for whatever reason, even if it is to please the wife, and satisfy her that you are buying a ‘regular’ car, and not one of those hot hatches to go tearing up and down the streets from traffic light to traffic light. At the invitation of the Volkswagen Group Malaysia, we took a Jetta for a review, and we come away happy for the experience, because it is truly a great car.
The Jetta comes with various engine configurations, including one that has the exact 2.0 litre, 200 horsepower, turbo charged engine as the Golf GTi, but the one we reviewed had the 2.0 litre FSi naturally aspirated engine, good for 150 PS and 200Nm of torque. This is the very same engine that powers the Audi A4, and we hear that the turbo charged version is also available for the Jetta, although the Volkswagen Group have yet to make any available here.
Mated to a 6-speed automatic (not the DSG gearbox in the Golf GTi, but a regular automatic gearbox), the Jetta makes zero to 100 km/hr in a claimed 9.9 seconds. In our actual tests, we got a best of 10.5 seconds, with the air-conditioner on. Top speed is claimed at 207 km/h, and we had no problem achieving that. Having six speeds is definitely an advantage, in that it does improve acceleration through a better spread of ratios, and allows a higher speed per thousand RPM in top gear, thus helping to save fuel.
You can put the gear selector into ‘S’ (Sports) mode, and enjoy a re-mapped TCU (Transmission Control Unit) that shifts up later, and changes down earlier to give you faster acceleration. Alternatively, you can invoke the ‘manual’ mode by flicking the gear selector to the left, and row the gear stick up or down the box like a sequential shift. One thing I particularly like about the manual mode is that the gears do not shift up when you hit the rev-limiter; that gives you some measure of control over the gearbox; at the same time, it will shift down when you slow down, say, for a traffic light or a corner, helping you to make the crucial decision of being in the correct gear when you exit. I also found that driving in manual mode actually helps to save fuel, which we will explain in a little more detail later.
The Jetta can be quite a fun car to drive around in, allowing one to have some measure of ‘respectability’ (read as staid, stable, rational, family-oriented, responsible, etc, etc) when one needs it, and yet allows one to grow some little horns when one gets into the mood for some spirited driving.
The handling of the Jetta is as good as the Golf, since it has the same suspension set-up, although at the extremes of adhesion, the Golf probably has a very slight edge, but for all practical intents and purposes, you can say they are the same. The Jetta is naturally a little heavier than the Golf, but not by much, and not by enough to affect the handling.
The 4-wheel independent suspension keeps the Jetta decent around corners, and I was most impressed with the ‘point and squirt’ behaviour when it is driven in anger. Lane change characteristics are exemplary, and the Jetta will hold uphold its name when pitted against many other sporty cars. On the highway, the ride is on the comfortable side of firm, and high-speed stability is excellent. The leather seats hold the occupants well, and the interior is quiet. We took a long drive from Kuala Lumpur to Gopeng, looping through the old Chenderiang road on the way, to visit an old friend who took us to explore a limestone cave in the vicinity of Gopeng. Through the ‘B’ roads, the Jetta was easy to handle, and very enjoyable to drive, if you are the type who like the winding roads. It handles the rough without any problem, and around the corners, it is quite neutral, with a little bit of understeer when pushed hard. Nothing to worry about, though, as the ASR (read as traction control) will help to keep you on track. Not that we needed it, because the basic handling was great.
If you asked me what really impressed me about the Jetta, I would say that it would be the extremely good fuel economy. It has been a long time since a two-litre car could give me 563 kilometres from a single filling, and that was precisely what I achieved with the Jetta. The fuel tank capacity is approximately 55 litres, and if I had five litres left in the tank when I refueled, that would have given me approximately 11.26 kilometres per litre, or roughly 17 sen a kilometre. Admittedly, I did not drive up to Gopeng at a very high speed, but we were keeping the needle between 120 to 140 kilometres per hour. On the way back, I hit top speed, and rowed the manual shift up and down to maintain a steady speed whilst working my way through the holiday traffic. I suspect the 6-speed automatic contributed quite a bit to the fuel economy, especially when you use ‘manual’ on the highways. When in ‘manual’ mode, the transmission stays in top gear as long as you maintain a steady throttle, and that reduces the number of downshifts, saving fuel in the process. Anyway, the 6-speed gearbox is brilliant, and I think that all cars should have one.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Volkswagen Jetta, and I think it is a great car in terms of performance, handling, comfort, and most importantly, great fuel economy. The only thing that works against it is its price, which, at RM184K (on-the-road without insurance), but then, there will always be some people out there who want something that is not commonly seen on the roads.
