VW JETTA DESPERATELY NEEDS A REDO
Performance and quality hidden by a pedestrian, dated appearance
A question for those of a certain age: Aren’t you sometimes dismayed to look in the mirror to see greying or thinning hair, bags under the eyes and laugh lines, the most visible signs that, no matter how fine or young you might be feeling at the time, you are significantly past your “best before” date? I know I am.
If so, you have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to be the Volkswagen Jetta.
In the compact sedan segment, beloved by Canadians, freshness, features and competitive pricing are key to the top rungs of the sales ladder. This is something the Asian automakers, particularly, have exploited to their advantage for decades. The sixthgeneration Jetta, which is the best-selling Volkswagen vehicle in both Canada and the U.S., first came out as a 2011 model. And it is starting to feel its years.
Beyond the fact Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Hyundai, et al, turn over their models more quickly, Volkswagen AG’s decision with the gen-six Jetta to make it larger and cheaper to build — it’s manufactured in Mexico — to make it more competitive has now helped speed the aging process.
Jetta is still the sixth-best-selling car in the compact segment in Canada, though sales have slipped significantly compared with 2015 (no doubt hastened by the loss of diesel-powered models). It’s not as though the sedan is ready for the scrap heap, but it is in need of a re-do to provide more than what the Wolfsburg edition I’m testing delivers.
The Jetta Wolfsburg is a midlevel trim, new for 2017, although it’s essentially the Comfortline with several comfort, safety and styling upgrades. They include 16-inch alloy wheels, rear-lip spoiler, blind-spot detection, driver-alert system, power driver’s seat, colour display, keyless entry, push-button start and a couple of other details.
But other than the tester’s bright Bottle Green paint, a rare yet soothing shade, the car is wrapped in a conservative sheet metal body that makes it all but anonymous in traffic.
The same can be said of the interior. Look up the definition of “form follows function” and the illustration should show the Jetta’s cabin as a prime example.
While those who decry overly complicated touch screens or other forms of control interface will be cheered by the logic behind the sedan’s dash layout, the rest of the interior is uninspired.
I’m not looking for burled walnut and nickel-plated trim bits in a $25,195 model, but I also expect better than leatherette, the nowubiquitous piano black inserts and a lot of soft-touch plastic, not to mention the tiny centre stack display. On the plus side, the seats, while flatter and not as bolstered as I prefer, were still comfortable. The bottom line, though, is that newer competition such as the Chevy Cruze and Honda Civic do a much better job in cabin decor.
That said, the Wolfsburg does come with the modern conveniences expected of its price point, including the usual power items, plus dual-zone climate control, sunroof, six-inch touch screen audio system, SiriusXM satellite radio and cooled glove box.
Despite its maturity, the Jetta redeems itself with driving dynamics that are still better than most of the compact segment, this even though the Wolfsburg was powered by the base 1.4-litre turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder (EA211 for the VW geeks out there) and not the rortier 1.8-L TSI (EA888). Giving up 20 horsepower to the 1.8, the 150-hp 1.4 nonetheless has enough urge when called on, thanks to its full 184 pound-feet of torque coming on board at a low 1,400 rpm. (Zero to 100 km/h is 9.6 seconds; 80 to 120 takes 6.1 seconds.)
Typical of VW four-cylinders, it’s a growly little unit when under load, though never annoyingly harsh. The engine was mated to a six-speed automatic, a smoothshifting box that will upshift early to improve fuel economy when big power isn’t called for, yet never low enough to lug the engine. As for fuel consumption, I averaged 9.6 litres per 100 kilometres, with about 65 per cent highway use, not particularly impressive for a compact sedan (and, no, I wasn’t driving foot to the floor). Even more so than the engine, the Jetta handles with far greater precision than should be expected of a compact sedan.
The steering weight is perfect and, at less than prudent speeds, the car takes on- and off-ramps with very little lean, while holding its intended line. Anti-roll bars at both ends help. The car also feels like it was screwed together with bridge bolts; it’s as tight as a drum.
For its size, the Jetta features a generous interior with aboveaverage rear-seat legroom. With the front seat set for my 6-foot-2 bulk, I could slide into the rear seat and have my knees just brush the front seat back — and my cranium not meet the headliner. There’s also a substantial 15.7 cubic feet (445 litres) of trunk space, plus 60/40-split folding rear seats with centre armrest and a pass-through for longer items, such as skis and hockey sticks.
VW recently announced significant changes for the 2018 Golf, particularly on the tech side and most notably what it calls a “digital cockpit.”
Like Audi’s “virtual cockpit,” a 12.5-inch display replaces the traditional gauges in the centre console, plus a new infotainment system with a 9.2-inch touch screen display. Gone are physical buttons, replaced with a tabletlike interface and gesture-based controls.
It’s all but a certainty these upgrades will find their way into the 2018 Jetta as well.
In the meantime, however, the existing model motors along, its lively personality cloaked by conventional looks.
Until it gets the refresh it needs — with VW perhaps rethinking its “cheap is good” strategy — it’s on a downward sales slope. The appeal of newer, smarter-looking competition — Honda Civic, Chevy Cruze, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra and others — makes the Jetta easier to forget.