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Bet on Jetta

Powerful and priced right Jetta diesel fulfils its basic objectives

The Jetta looks, for all the world, like a baby Passat, but it is built on a set of mechanical components we are really familiar with — the Skoda Laura platform. Critical question — does this work in its VW avatar?

In reality, the Jetta is mini-Passat and Skoda Laura in a new incarnation. All three cars are built on the same platform. VW’s technical genius can be gauged from the fact that the much larger Passat is also built on an extended version of the same platform.

Those familiar with the VW Golf will see that the nose of the car has practically been left unchanged. The bonnet is tight-fitting, the oval headlamp pods with double-barrel headlamps are mounted high up, the V-shaped grille has been bathed in chrome and what looks like rub strips are chromed over too.

In contrast to the tight-fitting nose, the passenger cell and boot look huge and along with the extended rear overhang — of the boot over the rear wheels — give the Jetta an unusual profile. VW has reduced the visual mass by using a blackened lower portion. With its gorgeous Passat-like tail-lights, subtle wheel arches and taut boot, the rear three-quarters is actually the best-looking part of this car. Because the Jetta is targeted at the U.S. market, the boot measures an unreal 527 litres.

For Indian road conditions, the Jetta’s suspension has been raised by 10mm and the springs used are also different, to help them deal with our roads better. ABS is standard but ESP is not.

Get into the Jetta, ‘thunk’ the doors shut, select a gear and drive off, and you instantly get a feeling of solidity. Everything you touch functions with robustness, there is nothing superfluous about the design lest it detracts from the solid build. Straight lines and rounded edges are the order of the day. The handbrake feels over-engineered, the chrome-ringed gearlever is perfectly crafted and even the manner in which the felt-lined glovebox closes, snug as a submarine hatch, feels special. There are neat touches like the draught-free vent at the top of the central console, large door pockets and the chrome-ringed dials that glow blue in the dark. Some of the plastics, like the digital air temperature display and the central screen are shared with Skoda’s Laura, but otherwise the cars bear little resemblance to each other on the inside.

However, like other VW products the Jetta’s interiors, especially the dashboard, fail to build a sense of occasion. They function superbly for the most part and are highly appreciated over the years, but the staid design and the profusion of grey on this car won’t lather you up. Other disappointing bits include an elbow box with almost no storage space, (the rear vents are channelled through it), a high dashboard and a lack of steering wheel controls on this version.

Front seat comfort is excellent. The seats have the right amount of cushioning and help maintain your posture on long drives. Rotary dials that allow precise adjustment of the angle of the backrest, a fully-adjustable steering and seat height adjust (driver’s side only), make it easy to find the perfect driving position quite easily. Legroom at the rear is decent too. There is enough space even if you are seated behind a six-footer, and there’s decent support for your back too. However, the seat base lacks depth so thigh support is inadequate.

The 1.9 diesel motor under the hood of the Jetta is a familiar bit of kit. It is a direct injection diesel motor that uses VW’s Pumpe Düse (PD) injection system and makes 103.5bhp and a very useful 25.5kgm of torque. Straightline performance is pretty impressive because of the high torque of the motor and its free-revving, responsive nature. In Jetta, 0-100 takes 12.14 seconds and 140kph after 25.8 seconds have elapsed. Like the Laura, the Jetta too is good in traffic. There is a slight lag from the turbo, but the engine responds well from as low as 1200rpm, the motor pulling well from 2000-3500rpm. You can slot it in third gear for the most part; it pulls cleanly from 30kph in that gear, and the precise gearbox with its rifle-bolt action makes it easy to swap it for second if the need arises.

Overtaking on the highway is also a breeze, as you can use all that torque to good effect. Start-up is more ‘light truck’ than ‘modern passenger car’ and though the motor smoothens out once you spin the diesel faster, it does sound a tad gruff. The rattle at idle and slight buzz as well as vibrations through the clutch pedal are things that take some getting used to.

Despite the raised suspension and the need to make the suspension pliant enough for our roads, the Jetta does an outstanding job. Ground clearance is so good you can almost take the car off-road, like we did. You’ll seldom be wary of bottoming out the suspension and on the flipside ride quality is pretty impressive too. Though the ride is mildly jarring at low speeds, this disappears once speeds climb. Now the car swallows rough patches and broken sections of road with ease, the 205/55 tyres just right for the job, and you rarely need to change course when you spot a rough patch.

Grip and handling are also very impressive. There is very little body roll, the car tracks dead straight when braking, there is no pitching of the nose and there is sufficient steering feel to make this car a good drive. Turn-in is reasonably sharp and the steering system is very accurate and free of play, meaning you can enjoy yourself. The best part is that the Jetta has a nice balance when cornered and this, along with the well-weighted brakes, means you enjoy a good amount of confidence behind the wheel.

As expected, the Jetta proved to be reasonably efficient. The combination of the responsive PD motor and intelligent gearing mean you don’t need to floor the throttle and it travels 11.4 kilometres on a litre of diesel in the city. Whereas this is not as impressive as that of the Laura which has even shorter gearing, the tables are turned out on the highway where the taller gearing gives it greater efficiency than even the Skoda.

The Jetta’s motor is efficient, reasonably powerful and very responsive, the suspension can take our roughest roads in its stride, it drives like a thoroughbred and it has the build quality of a tank. It’s not the most refined diesel on sale, far from it. It could do with a little more visual excitement and more power from the engine would also be welcome. Still, it fulfils all of its basic objectives and is superbly engineered to boot. And crucially, VW has taken pains to price it right. This Jetta retails for Rs 14.22 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). That should do the job.

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