Test Drove a Jetta TDi

[jcp123]

Just wanted to share my brief experience with the Jetta TDi a few weeks ago. I had no intention (or means) to buy the car, but I lied and snagged a test drive. (Is that bad?)

This particular car was as much of a base model as you can get in the US. It had the familiar 2,0l TDi four and a 6-speed manual, cloth seats, and the only option listed was the floor mat set.

Initial impressions: The Jetta is more conservatively styled than perhaps ever. The front fascia is extremely generic, though the side and rear styling reveal more of the understated classiness that VW is famous for. IMHO it still does not meet the styling benchmarks set by VW in the Jetta and Passat around the turn of the millennium. Build quality was high, no excessive gaps or exposed screw heads. But the materials, though low-gloss, were disappointing. More on this later.

Driving impressions: Pretty good. I stalled it out on the first try - in all fairness, I haven't driven a manual in quite some time, and diesels are less tolerant of user error. After that, all went pretty swimmingly. VW's turbodiesel is smooth, quiet, and brawny. It's at its best after the turbo spools, but even without full boost, it makes a lot of its 236 lb-ft peak felt. It feels quicker and stronger than its 140hp might suggest. Sadly, the transmission itself was very vague and featured rubbery medium-short shifts, and the clutch lacks the feedback which VW's used to have. Handling, however, is quite good. Its lengthened wheelbase provides ride quality which is on the firm side of comfortable, and decent-but-better-than-average steering makes it a pretty responsive car. The rear suspension has been lowered in capabilities to widen the Jetta's appeal with a much lower base price, but this will be hardly noticible to the average drive.

Other stuff: As mentioned, the interior materials were disappointing. Again, the visual queues are pretty good, low gloss materials abound. In the tactile arena, however, hard plastics are the order of the day. This is a regrettable compromise for lowering its base price. Room is compact-average up front, but the longer wheelbase makes itself felt "im fond", where your back seat passengers have generous legroom. The trunk, though, seemed well-finished with nice materials and attention to detail, plus it has plenty of room with a good trunk opening and not-too-intrusive shock towers. 60/40 split/fold seats are standard.

Overall: The Jetta's sacrifices for its volume pricing - mainly in interior quality - make it comparable with cars in the price range. By the time you get to the TDi's significantly higher price level, however, it's a lot harder to justify. If you're in the market for a compact-segment car, the Hyundai Elantra offers more for less with good economy and a great warrantee. Sorry VW, as much a fan of diesel engines as I am, the value just isn't there this time around.