A fan gets behind the wheel
There’s lots to love about the new model, an honest car with good driving dynamics
DURHAM, N.C.— Full disclosure: I have been a multiple Volkswagen owner over the years. My driveway currently sports a 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon with 400,000 kilometres — best car I have ever owned — and a 2005 Passat TDI Wagon with 370,000 km — not the best car I have ever owned, but still serviceable.
So, before beginning today’s report on the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta (starting price $20,995; on sale now), I must say that I don’t think this makes me prejudiced in favour of VWs. I prefer a word I made up: post-judiced. I am not judging them before driving them (that would be “prejudice”) but after driving and owning them (hence, “post-judice”).
Still, in full disclosure mode, all but one of my VeeDubs have been German-made. Our new Jettas will be built in Mexico.
I know that in some VW-ophiles’ eyes, that automatically disqualifies it. But everybody builds cars in Mexico and VW has been doing that longer than just about anybody else.
This is the seventh generation of Jetta, and the format hasn’t changed much in its 40-odd-year history. Think Golf with a trunk.
The new car, however, is based on VW’s near-universal MQB architecture, an amazingly versatile set of underbody components that underpin just about everything VW builds. The distance from the engine centreline to the rear of the engine compartment is about the only common dimension. Everything else — width, height, wheelbase and front and rear overhangs, hence overall length — can be adapted to the specific vehicle.
There’s nothing all that new about the concept. VW may have stretched the concept further than most with the variety of vehicles sharing various oily bits. But it reduces engineering time and cost, while the bits you see and touch are unique to each car.
Serban Boldea, director of product marketing (compact class) for VW in the U.S., noted that every line on the car’s exterior has a purpose. Aerodynamics figured strongly in the design, yielding a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.27 (lower is better).
Every interior dimension has been increased by a centimetre or two here and there, so nobody should feel too constrained. I thought it a handsome car, if not particularly remarkable. But like Jettas of old, it should age well.
Inside, more familiarity. Lots of round knobs for things like HVAC and sound system — by far, the easiest kind of control to operate while you’re driving.
Three kinds of dash are available. The base car gets nice easy-to-read round gauges. A 6.5-inch touchscreen allows integration with the three major smartphone platforms, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink. Alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail lights, heated front seats and a split-folding rear seat are standard on all trim levels — fairly heady stuff for the entry-level car.
On the mid-range Highline, you get dual-zone climate control, upgraded interior bits, Sirius satellite radio, blind-spot warning system, keyless entry system, rear-traffic alert and the centre screen expands to eight inches.
An R-Line package ($1,700) on Highline brings some cosmetic upgrades, plus a lowered sport suspension and the XDS electronically controlled limited slip differential.
The range-topping Execline also gets the trick diff, plus real leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, fog lamps, remote start, and the eight-inch centre screen gains GPS navigation.
Execline includes a 10.25-inch digital dashboard that appears to have come straight out of Audi. This can be configured a bunch of ways, including putting the SatNav map right in between the two main gauges.
Execline also has a Dr. Dre-inspired 400-watt BeatsAudio sound system with eight speakers plus a subwoofer.
I found the seats firm, comfortable and supportive without being overly restrictive. Loads of room in the back, too, with a nice chair-high seat cushion that is remarkably comfortable.
A middle rear-seat rider is even reasonably well accommodated. The trunk is huge, given the car’s modest overall dimensions, and that split-folding rear seat makes this car a proper hauler, if need be.
One thing VW has yet to get right is rear-seat headrests. They block a huge percentage of your visibility to the rear.
Only one engine will be available in Jetta at launch: the 1.4-litre turbo gasoline four developing 147 horsepower and a meaty 184 pound-feet of torque, which comes in at a nice low 1,500 r.p.m. and stays with you up to 3,500 r.p.m., at which point you surely will have upshifted.Or the car will have done that for you; VW expects some 80 per cent of buyers will go for the eight-speed automatic transmission, although a six-speed manual is standard on all trim levels in Canada.
For those who might stumble upon U.S.-based outlets describing this car (you wouldn’t do so deliberately, now would you?), note that the manual transmission is only offered on the lowest trim level in the States.
On the road, the new Jetta has a solid feel, and rides well, although North Carolina’s roads don’t suffer from the frost-induced damage that ours do. Handling is excellent and the steering is a bit on the light side. You have the option of adjusting this and other driving characteristics on models equipped with the Driving Profile Selection system, which comes with the R-Line package or in the Execline trim level.
The turbo engine doesn’t really feel like a turbo, with that torque coming in early on. Acceleration is decidedly brisk, and you can chirp the front tires pretty much at will.
Overall gearing is quite tall; common highway speeds in the 110 km/h range come in at around 2,000 r.p.m., to the benefit of both interior noise level and fuel economy. I made a point of snagging a stick-shift car for a quick boot around Durham and, frankly, was saddened that it didn’t feel better.
The shifts are long and sloppy, and clutch take-up, usually a German and VW strength, was vague at best. So, slushbox it should be. It shifts well, and actually has a slightly better highway fuel consumption number than the stick.
Be prepared for stop/start technology, though. It is standard and only available with the automatic. If it’s your first shot at this type of system, it might be a bother.
If the base price of the new Jetta seems a lot higher than the last time you looked, that’s because it is. VW used to offer a stripper model for somewhere around 15 grand. Nobody bought it, so VW decided to be more honest with pricing, and the new model is priced competitively in this segment.
And that’s what you get with the new Jetta. An honest car that offers what seems like a decent amount of equipment for the money, and good driving dynamics which, despite its Mexican manufacture, show its German roots.