A BRIEF GLIMPSE OF NEXT-GEN JETTA
What we’ve learned after a brief jaunt with soon-to-be-unveiled sedan
OMARICOPA, Ariz. K, it’s not Area 51, but Volkswagen’s Arizona Proving Grounds outside Phoenix is secretive enough, and a far enough hike out into the desert that civilization has not yet encroached on the 1,600-acre facility — though it is getting closer.
As the first auto journalists to set foot inside since the grounds opened 25 years ago, we have been given the opportunity to check out and drive VW’s new, seventh-generation, 2019 Jetta. Well, sort of. This is more of a sneak peek. The two cars available are completely camouflaged test vehicles; the official debut of the compact sedan isn’t until next month’s Detroit auto show. Not only are the long-overdue cars disguised in an optical art-patterned skin, but the dashboard is also covered; only the steering wheel and shift lever are left unmasked.
Though details are limited — as is the test drive — here’s what we know, plus what we are able to figure out.
The 2019 Jetta is powered by the current 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, which puts out around 150 horsepower. Exact horsepower and torque figures for the new car will be available as soon as the engine gets retested. Both cars were fitted with eight-speed automatics, but production versions will also be available with a six-speed manual. Since the engine shut down while we sat idling, an automatic stop/start system is clearly a feature.
The new Jetta is built on VW Group’s MQB platform, which covers a range of products from compact cars to the three-row Atlas sport ute. Having previously driven the new Tiguan and Atlas, the platform is solid and properly stiff. Owing to the MQB platform, Thomas Tetzlaff, VW Canada’s manager of public relations, notes that the latest driver-assistant technologies, such as lane-keep assist, blind-spot warning and adaptive cruise control, will be available.
The 2019 Jetta is incrementally larger in all key dimensions compared with the current 2017 model (there is no 2018 Jetta). Length is up 43.5 millimetres to 4701.5, wheelbase is increased by 33 mm to 2685, and the new car is also 20 mm wider and five taller. More subjectively, the profile of the sedan appears to be slightly more coupe-like than the current model.
From what is known about the 2018 Golf ’s new infotainment system, the Jetta will likely see a larger and crisper, 6.5-inch touch-screen display, replacing the five-inch screens in the current model. Higher trim levels will likely feature standard eightinch touch screens. The new Volkswagen Digital Cockpit, allowing drivers to customize the vehicle information on the dashboards, might be seen on the GLI trim level.
Now to the dynamic part of the sneak peak. All driving was done on several test areas within the confines of the proving grounds: the handling loop, the 7.5-kilometre high-banked oval (schnellbahn in German) and the water-soaked slalom course.
The handling course, with off-camber corners and decreasing-radius turns, revealed nicely weighted steering, the Jetta needing only a light touch to negotiate the loop. The slalom course provided more of a workout, but the tester didn’t trip up. Even with the surface wetted down, there was no detectable understeer. There was some body roll, however; the Jetta is a family sedan after all, not a sports car, though front and rear anti-roll bars keep the lean angle moderate. Hammering the brakes resulted in quick, controlled stops.
One of the engineers said the new car has a larger brake master cylinder as well as larger caliper pistons.
The schnellbahn provided the biggest surprise of the morning test runs, not to mention a few giggles. With four adults on board — figure on something around 700 pounds of middle-aged beef — we roll onto the circuit. After a lap familiarizing myself with both the car and the oval’s 30-degree banking, I move up to the high-speed lane and am given the OK to punch it (because the speedometer is covered, the test engineer aboard used a GPS tracker to monitor speed). One hundred and ten miles an hour, 115, 120, (slight pause) 125, and the final readout of 127 (204.4 km/h). Impressive! Wind noise, though obviously present, isn’t particularly loud. The car is rock steady, the ride no more dramatic than a typical run along the 401.
Though consumers continue to flock to crossovers and SUVs at an unprecedented pace, compact sedans still sell in large numbers, and the Jetta is Volkswagen’s best-selling car in North America. As such, its importance in the market — and to VW’s corporate coffers — is not to be diminished.
“Our intention with this new Jetta is to offer it very well equipped right out of the box,” Tetzlaff says. “And we hope that the new look and new interior will leave a very positive impression on our customers.”
Details on what is available on what trim levels will come at a later date. Tetzlaff allows there will be three trim levels when the Jetta is launched, and the GLI version will follow much later in the year, possibly not until early 2019. It will have a different, more powerful drivetrain. The Canadian debut of the 2019 Jetta will be at the Montreal auto show, a week after its Detroit reveal next month.