2011 Jetta review

[jnrdavo]

Volkswagen's redesigned 2011 Jetta sedan has now arrived, and at the top end, it's full of amenities and surprises.




The redesigned 2011 Volkswagen Jetta comes in four trim levels, including this uplevel SEL version with 17-inch alloy wheels and a 170-horsepower, five-cylinder engine.


One of the surprises is the Jetta's affordability, especially considering that Volkswagen's own research showed that Americans consider the company's cars to be too expensive.

The 2011 model range begins at $15,995 (plus $750 freight), and tops out at $24,195 for the diesel-powered TDI model with all the extras, including touch-screen navigation, keyless access with pushbutton start, fog lights, chrome grille and window trim, and a driver's seat lumbar adjustment.

Base price for the diesel model is a reasonable $22,995 with a six-speed manual gearbox. It's reasonable because this vehicle is comparable to the popular Toyota Prius hybrid in price, yet without a gasoline-electric hybrid drive system it still achieves EPA fuel-economy ratings of up to 42 mpg on the highway - compared with 48 mpg for the Prius.

The Jetta diesel even beats the highway mileage ratings of several hybrids, including the Ford Fusion, which is 36 mpg. (The city rating of the Jetta TDI, though, is 30 mpg, compared with 41 for the Fusion and 51 for the Prius.)

At the top of the gasoline-powered model list is the SEL, our test vehicle, whose base price is $21,395 with a five-speed manual gearbox, and tops out at $23,395 with the six-speed automatic transmission, sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless access/pushbutton start, in-dash navigation system, trim computer, and other amenities.

The under-$16,000 price brings the base S model with the five-speed manual, and that price is down from $17,735 for the base 2010 S model. The difference, though, is that the 2010 base model came with a 170-horsepower five-cylinder engine, while the 2011 model has a 2.0-liter, 115-horsepower four-cylinder. That engine was not offered in the 2010 model.

But the lower starting price puts the Jetta more in line with its key competitors, including the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, as well as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Ford Focus and Nissan Sentra, among others in a crowded field. Most begin at or just under $16,000.

To get the 170-horsepower engine in the 2011 model, you'll have to move up to the SE version, which begins at $18,195 with the five-speed manual.

Making its vehicles more affordable will be one key to Volkswagen achieving its plan of doubling U.S. sales by the end of model year 2012, from last year's total of just under 214,000. The German automaker also has a goal of annual U.S. sales of 800,000 by 2018, and is building a factory in Chattanooga, Tenn., to help it reach that point.

The Tennessee plant, scheduled to open early next year, will produce a new midsize sedan for the U.S. market that will be priced lower than the Passat, which will be discontinued. In recent years, the Passat has been premium-priced in comparison with most others in its class, such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu.

The Jetta, Golf and New Beetle are made in North America as well, at a plant near Puebla, Mexico.

As for the new Jetta, only a sedan model is available now. The 2010 lineup also included a wagon version, but no information has been provided about when or whether the redesigned Jetta line will eventually include a wagon.

VW has said the new Jetta will be offered with a hybrid drive system, although no price, release date or fuel-economy estimates have been announced yet.

The 2.5-liter gasoline five-cylinder engine is standard on the SE and SEL models, while the 2.0-liter four is available only on the S model. Manual transmissions are standard on all, but automatics will be available, including the double-clutch six-speed DSG gearbox, which the company says is one of the most-efficient automatics in the world.

The 2.0-liter clean-diesel engine has 140 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque, which helps push the car from zero to 60 mph in just 8.7 seconds with either the manual or automatic transmission, Volkswagen says. SE and SEL models with the five-cylinder gas engine can reach 60 mph in 8.2 seconds with the manual, and 8.5 with the automatic.

Volkswagen has completely redesigned the Jetta inside and out, making it 3.5 inches longer than the 2010 model. That allows for 2.6 inches more legroom for rear-seat passengers, giving it best-in-class rear passenger space - about the same as that of the current Ford Taurus large sedan.

Although it's marketed against compact sedans, the new Jetta is larger and roomier than most of its competitors, making it closer to midsize. The 2011 model has the space of a midsize sedan, but costs about the same as the compacts. It's 182.7 inches long, compared with just 178.7 inches for the Corolla and 175.5 inches for the Civic.

It's almost as long as the new Suzuki Kizashi, which is marketed as a midsize sedan. The Camry, though, is nearly five inches longer, and the Accord almost nine inches.

The Jetta's revised exterior features the new "design DNA" of Volkswagen, the company said, which "has resulted in clear, precise lines and athletically muscular surfaces, which lend a timeless elegance" to the car.

But it is rather bland, I must say. My tester, with a white exterior, looked quite generic as far as affordable sedans go, except for the very nice 17-inch alloy wheels.

The real surprise when you get behind the wheel of the 2011 Jetta, however - especially with the five-cylinder engine - is just how well this car handles.

First, there is the steering, which is power-assisted, but just enough to keep from making driving a chore. The Jetta still has the firm, precise steering response of a sport sedan or even a sports car. Point the Jetta exactly where you want it to go, and it will go there, no questions asked. It is perhaps the most fun car to drive that I've found in this price class.

The five-cylinder engine is no slouch, either, and seems more like it's turbocharged than normally aspirated. The first time I kicked the pedal to the floor on an uphill ramp onto a freeway, I was convinced the car had a turbo engine. I was doing 75 mph before I got off the ramp.

But that's the nature of Volkswagen these days. The company still puts German engineering in all of its vehicles, and they're just a delight to drive. Among the Japanese automakers, you'll find that with most Nissan, Mazda and Subaru vehicles, but usually not many others.

With the five-cylinder and the manual gearbox, EPA ratings are 23 mpg city/33 highway; with the automatic, 24/31. Four-cylinder gasoline models are rated at 24/34 with the manual, and 23/32 with the automatic. The diesel is 30 city/42 highway (manual or automatic).Among the styling cues on the new Jetta are a high-gloss black grille, which extends into trapezoid-shaped headlights; a painted bumper; a tray-shaped front spoiler; and a V-shaped hood.

[source: star-telegram.com]

[Eddy]

Hoyhoy.

Gee a VW Camry.

[Aussie Volks Guy]

looks very "plain" just like a Camry

[shai]

hey guys,

does anyone know when the new 2011 jetta will be released in Australia?

im sure this will lead to the current model being reduced dramatically....

im waiting to either get the new one or the old one just before they release.

thanks

[Aussie Volks Guy]

Spoke to my dealer today - they have no firm date on RHD production (or where its going to be made - Jetta is Mexican production) - they should know more in April.