Volkswagen Jetta Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Volkswagen Jetta range
Prices: £15,820-£20,265 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-15
Emissions: 122-181g/km
Performance: [1.4 TSI 158bhp] Max Speed 136mph / 0-60mph 8.5s
Fuel Consumption: [1.4 TSI 120bhp] (urban) 34mpg / (extra urban) 54.3mpg / (combined) 44.8mpg
Safety: Twin airbags / ABS / Side airbags / ESP
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4560/1760/1460

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Our Rating: 7.4 / 10

Reviving a popular badge, Volkswagen’s Jetta saloon also aims to revive the ‘Golf With A Boot’ theme. Andy Enright reports.

We’ve had Ventos and Boras in the interim, but to many, a Volkswagen Golf with a boot on the back will always be a Jetta. In fact, in many markets the Jetta name was never retired, and Volkswagen have opted to apply a global strategy, thus reviving the Jetta name in the UK. But whereas the old Jetta was a rather basic, no nonsense sort of car, the latest version sees it spear considerably upmarket.

You’re probably aware of the issue with small cars with boots attached to their posteriors. They may sell well in the US, but over here, we get deeply suspicious of anything less than the size of a Mondeo that doesn’t have a hatchback. That’s why the original Jetta and its Bora and Vento successors never exceeded 20 per cent of Golf sales when measured on a like for like basis. Volkswagen realised that something rather different needed to be done. Rather than the boot, the headlamps and the grille being the sole points of differentiation between Golf and Jetta, the company have gone about making this Jetta something quite different. Think of it as less a Golf with a boot and more a downsized Passat and Volkswagen think you’ll be more likely to place an order.

It’s a market niche that is enjoying some modest growth. Volvo recognised it and developed the S40 to capture sales of people who want a car that’s a cut above the usual Ford Focus/Vauxhall Astra norm but which is priced below the entry level for BMW and Audi saloons. Size isn’t an issue, but badge equity most certainly is. That’s why Volvo and now Volkswagen are here. Saab have missed a trick in not launching a smaller car based on Vauxhall Astra mechanicals to claim a slice of the pie, but something tells me the top brass in Wolfsburg won’t be shedding any tears over General Motors’ ability to take their eyes off the prize.

Viewed in profile, it’s easy to establish the Jetta’s genetics. The wheelbase looks a little short for a car of its length, giving it some rather old fashioned long overhangs. Nevertheless, from virtually every other angle one has to contend that it’s a very neat bit of styling. The rear end in particular is almost impossible to discern at a fleeting glance from that of the Passat, sharing its LED rear lights and beautifully integrated bumper assembly.

The chromed grille at the front also gives the Jetta a little more overtaking presence than the Golf and the differences don’t stop there. Given that Volkswagen is pitching the Jetta as a slightly upscale alternative to its hatchback cousin, it also benefits from additional standard equipment. The range consists of just three variants – S, SE and Sport – yet all models get air conditioning, alloy wheels, a six-speaker CD stereo, trip computer and electric windows all round. The other option is the economical BlueMotion edition which uses weight saving and aerodynamic modifications to improve efficiency. Somewhat perversely, the biggest threat to Jetta sales could come from the Passat. Volkswagen have pitched Passat prices rather aggressively and given that the Jetta carries a premium of around £1,000 over its Golf equivalent, the two booted cars could be uncomfortably close bedfellows in terms of price.

The Jetta does without the poverty-spec non-turbo 1.4-litre engines that kick off the Golf line up, the opening point instead being the 1.4-litre turbocharged TSI unit with either 120bhp or 158bhp. Topping the petrol line-up is the 2.0-litre unit with 197bhp. The diesel range starts off with a 1.9 TDI 103bhp unit. Then there is the Jetta Bluemotion which features the 1.9 TDI 103bhp unit with DPF (diesel particulate filter), a 2.0-litre common-rail engine with 138bhp and finally a 168bhp 2.0-litre common-rail unit with six-speed transmission. The rather unlovely 103 1.9-litre is best ignored, unless you’re attracted by the environmentally friendly BlueMotion version with its 122g/km emissions and 61.4mpg combined economy figure. Many buyers feel that the more modern 2.0-litre 138bhp unit is worth the extra expense.

One criticism levelled at the two previous generation Bora models was that although the cars offered a ride and refinement package that was hard to beat, they never really offered the sort of infectious handling that many rivals could boast. The fifth gen