I have always had this love-hate relationship with water-pumper Volkswagens. Perhaps the reason can be traced back to when I worked in the parts department of a VW-Porsche dealer when the Dasher made its debut in the early '70s. If there ever was a car that showed me the hate, the Dasher was it. Now we jump cut forward to 2006 to find a Stephen Colbert clone in lederhosen on the box-spinning-daze-of-their-lives tales of new Jetta owners. The Jetta Report website is a brilliant spoof on polling in America and illustrates perfectly the struggle going on with the Jetta and within the Volkswagen Group (VAG) itself. Do we build cool Euro boxes that have a soul and a killer gearbox, or head for Red Square in freighters like the Phaeton? I can just imagine a smiling Khruschev waving to the crowds in a May Day parade. VW is still in search of the answer.
Is the Jetta a Camry in Euro-trash clothing? How are sales doing in the heartland where F-250 truck sales are the norm? Are the brats of Napster on board? All of this depends on your view of the landscape. When the new Jetta was shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the collective groans in the press crowd were evident. A blender concoction of a hundred million styles that added up to a character loss of a branding that had a dedicated following. Was VW management serious that mainstream America was going to dump their Camrys and head to Puebla-I mean Wolfsburg? Even if the new Jetta was worthy, the dealer and service network was not highly rated and that is a huge selling point to the mainstream. As pointed out by previous staffers, the new Jetta is somewhat pricier than the domestic and Asian competition. Is it worth the extra presidents and elder statesmen?
Yes.My time in our long-termer has been road trips, runs to Sears Point, Laguna Seca, out of state, and blue highways. My initial response to the new Jetta was a high expectation of disappointment. I don't like the direction that current styling has gone in terms of proportions. Audi is a perfect visual example; the new A4 is the size of a past A6 and so on. The new Jetta risks the identity that has become so well established by embracing cues from the Asian competition. However, much of that thinking retreated once I got in and hit the road. The interior and dash layout continues the lineage as practiced in the VW house of design-I may not like the bottle, but the wine had a familiar taste. As shown on the current Jetta Report ads, the cars pictured have the ensemble of options courtesy of the Driver's Gear program. Somehow I cannot imagine a basic Jetta being offered as a rent-a-car alternative to, say, an Altima. Translation: The Jetta needs this stuff, and more to the point, a Jetta driver does too. Choice of exterior colors matters greatly as to the Jetta's road presence. A wussy color and the standard wheel/tire package will tend to make the car part of the rolling landscape. VW's owners have usually had a lot more passion about their rides than those who buy similarly priced cars that are used just for transportation. The new-gen Jetta is no exception and a look around the L.A. area of who is driving what confirms this. Most of the Jettas I have seen have 17- or 18-inch wheels and color choice is not icebox white or desert dust.
The 2.0 turbo is perfectly matched to a six-speed gearbox that is the best production unit this side of an Xtrac. There is no strain while hitting triple-digit figures on the open road during those brief moments of illegal lust. The cabin is solid, the speakers adequate, and the climate control works. The downside is that the ride has been compromised when compared to previous models. The soft suspension may be required for the masses when comparison shopping, but the softness should be confined to the automatic example. The six-speed needs a real sport option to help release the true beast within.
Personally, I'm glad to see that VW has junked its mainstream aspirations (if the Jetta Report is any indication) and has gone back to the roots of what a Jetta can be.
The good news...
*Motor and six-speed gearbox
*Overall balance of road manners
*Electronics that make sense and are easy to use
On the other hand...
*Not sold on the exterior styling
*Options can bring the Jetta to almost $30K
*Scary dealer network for service and warranty