VW Jetta: Review and Gallery!

So what 4 door family saloon can be bought for just £14,635? Well there’s… not a lot actually. Except the new VW Jetta. The standard model comes with an 1.6 litre 116 BHP engine which is not bad. But when I went to order my grandfather’s new car, I ordered the 2.0 litre with an automatic gearbox.



After 4 months of waiting, the Jetta finally arrived last weekend, and we were deeply impressed. The new model that replaces the ageing Bora, has really grown in size, and is definitely more of a family friendly car. The new grill looks stunning, however it would have been nice if VW could have given the Jetta it’s own headlights rather just copy the Golf from the front, and Passat from the back. Nevertheless, the look is good, and is certainly an improvement from old one. It definitely achieves VW’s aim, which is to target cars such as the Toyota Avensis, Renault Laguna and Ford Mondeo; leaving the Passat to target the likes of the Volvo S40 and perhaps BMW 3 Series.



The Jetta is definitely a family car, the inside has many cubby holes, and the fantastic build quality is bought over from the Passat. The interior has been lifted from the Golf, which is no bad thing. It seems VW have thought about the ergonomics’ quite well, as small features such as the cup holder’s storing a bottle opener really do set it apart from the stiff competition. Rear passengers receive a good amount of legroom, and the driver can easily adjust their seat to a comfortable setting. The steering wheel is well positioned, and the dash is quite simple and clear.



The thing that strikes me most is the amount of boat space. I’ve always believed that the Passat had a good size boot, but when I first realised that the new Jetta has 42 litres more luggage space than the Passat, I was really overwhelmed. The total being 527 litres, what more the luggage compartment includes a steel spare wheel underneath!



On the road the 2.0-litre FSi does well to get to 60, just taking 9 seconds. The engine feels quite punchy, and from inside the drive is quiet. The handling was good, but perhaps slightly unresponsive at times. The 148 BHP unit managed to achieve over 30 MPG which was pleasing, and best of all it only produces 197g/km of CO2, so not bad for the next company car.



So the new Jetta represents great value for money, being cheaper than the equivalent Golf. Standard features on the S include automatic light and rain sensors, air conditioning and CD player. We opted for the SE which added cruise control, a better CD player, bigger alloys, comfort seats and more chrome stripes on the exterior. The Sport trim adds 17" alloys with sports suspension. We also ordered xenon headlamps, the phone preparation kit, leather seats and metallic paint. The xenon’s are great at night, and the phone kit enable very clear phone calls with very little interference.



Therefore to conclude, the Jetta is a vast improvement over the Bora. It’s clear that VW are appealing for the more upmarket users. They’ve made no mistake using parts from the fantastic Golf and classy Passat as it sets a great pedigree.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, VW Jetta

Click here to see more information about VW's Jetta.
A special thanks to Carl at VW for all his help!

VW Jetta: Review and Gallery!

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