Volkswagen was born when Adolf Hitler asked all-time great automobile designer Ferdinand Porsche to come up with a 'people's car'. Though one would not have expected an affordable car, considering the kind of people associated with the project, the objective was nevertheless to make a car for the masses.
The result was a car that was affordable to the masses of Germany. But then, since the standard of living of the middle class Germans is nothing less than what is luxury for their Indian peers, the German people's car became a luxury car in India.
Volkswagen Group enjoys a complete presence of its products in India today. All its products including the Polo, Jetta, Passat, Touareg, super luxury Phaeton and other brands of the group such as Skoda and Audi are also available in India. Sticking to its tradition of making timely changes to its line of product, Volkswagen has launched its mid-segment car Jetta with updates.
Design and Styling
The new Jetta looks more luxurious. Though its dimensions remain the same, it looks bigger, thanks to the new-design grills upfront and the new headlamps that tastefully merge into the new look. One may even mistake the Jetta for a Passat as the daytime running lamps, xenon headlamps and the new bumper give it a look of the latter.
There have been changes at the rear end as well. Boot lid-integrated spoilers and the newly designed lamps are the updates made to the rear of the car. Turn signals are mounted on the wing mirrors. The clear-lens headlamp has rain sensors.
Standing on 16-inch alloys and just 200 mm shorter than the Passat, the Jetta is indeed a big car and both its exterior and interiors are bigger than those of other cars in the same segment.
The German-touch is evident in interior styling. Controls are well placed and that gives a spacious feel to both the driver and the co-passengers. Seats are made of high-quality Vienna leather while the plastics are in a beige-and-black theme and are also of good quality. The box-like corners have given way to flowing curves in the new Jetta.
The front seats have electronically controlled heaters and the automatic air conditioning has dual control settings with the help of which different temperature levels can be maintained for the front and rear passengers. The RCD 500 music system has ten speakers and six CD changers, making it a German engineering wonder. Audio system controls are steering mounted and the Jetta has a paddle shift control too for changing gears when the vehicle is manual mode.
The seats are extremely comfortable, especially those at the rear with plenty of legroom. Apart from door pockets and door pads, storage space is available under the front seats and arm rests too. The door pockets can hold a one-litre water bottle. The glove box has cooling facility while the mirrors and light are fitted on the sunshade. The Jetta takes care of passenger safety too as it comes with six airbags.
With features such as ABS, electronic immobiliser, cruise control and multi-function display, the Jetta has all the elements to qualify as the mini version of a Mercedes or a BMW.
Behind the wheel
Powering the Jetta is a two-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that offers excellent drivability. It belts out 250 NM of torque and 140 Bhp, transmitted to the wheels through a DSG automatic gearbox. The Jetta delivers a fuel average of 16.96 kilometres per litre of fuel. Apart from ABS and ESP, electronic differential lock and traction control system add to the safety features of the car. The Jetta rides smoothly over rough spots and handles corners with poise.
The major improvement from the previous model is in travelling comfort, especially in the case of rear passengers.
On Road price: Rs 17-26 lakh
Test Drive: 9895764023