Are VWs sporty? Now that’s a tough question to answer. Well, the Polo Cup car is sporty alright. But, other than that, what if you were only exposed to the VW line up in India? Well, then it wouldn’t really be a difficult question to answer after all. No!
But, then look at the VW Golf GTI – it actually set off the entire hot hatch generation. Now that was sporty. And look at the Sirocco now – I would kill for one of those. But, in our market, imagining a VW to be sporty is a little like imagining Heidi Klum to be fat – it’s hard to do.
So, why can’t we get a truly exciting ‘regular’ car for the VW stable in India – this is something that makes me scratch my head. Even the 1.6-litre Polo is probably only just as good as a Punto or a Fabia – even a Ford Figo, for crying out loud – on entertainment value alone. There’s no X factor – in fact, I’d pick the Fabia because it rolls much more and, therefore, is more nervous to drive. That gives you a lump in your throat – and being scared, yet laughing, is my theory of enjoyment.
I wrote, of the Passat when it was first launched in the country in 2007, that it was a sublime car – full of confidence and even some character. It went around corners well and looked subtle, yet striking. But I also couldn’t quite enjoy it thoroughly. It just didn’t have the zest or character to move me from within. Still, it scored better on the fun quotient that the current Passat. The Passat that we have now is just an immensely comfortable sofa that moves – but moves well at that. And the Jetta is much the same.
Sure, you may argue that being comfortable is, in fact, a good thing. And I would agree, but where’s the X factor? And since you’ve picked up a copy of autoX, I’m assuming that you want X factor – don’t you?
So, for the first time in my career as a motoring journalist, I picked up the press release and read it from front to back in the hope that I would pick up on something that would fill me with passion for the Jetta. But, in the process, I realised that the Jetta isn’t actually about passion – and it doesn’t have to be. It’s about sensible, high quality, hassle free motoring. It doesn’t make you sit up and raise one eyebrow because it’s been designed not to. It’s been designed to be efficient and to the point in the most unobtrusive way possible.
So, as I continued on, putting down my views on the Jetta, I realised that all I was doing was torturing the keys on my laptop’s keyboard. This made me decide to go for a drive to search of some inspiration. Now, I drive quite a mundane car myself – a Honda City with an i-DSI engine. It barely had 77bhp when it was new, so I guess after 7 years of hard service, it would’ve lost a few. In fact, it’s surely lost a few. But it still brings my spirits alive! And that’s because it’s ridiculous. It’s got an ultra light rear end, so you can go sliding it whenever you choose. It’s not powerful, but is still hugely enjoyable! And that drive down some interesting bends set me in the mood to write.
And the first thing that came to my mind when I started writing again about the Jetta was that I’d like to meet the chap who designed it. I also want to meet the guy who shaped the Vento. Ok, also the man who penned down the new Passat. But, I guess this is basically just one guy – that’s why the striking resemblance between these cars. It’s as if he took the same design and resized it for the three models. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great design, but it is a little hard to distinguish between the models. If you see one if your rear view mirror, it takes quite a keen eye to spot the differences. And if you’re behind one, you could mistake it for an Audi.
Walter de’Silva, the man behind the shape, set a design DNA theory, but he never said that all cars must look the same. He’s an Italian, and so I take for granted that he can’t go wrong with aesthetics. He’s done some gorgeous cars – Alfa 156 for example, and more recently, the VW Scirocco. He’s also designed the Leica M9 camera – so his design expertise, and inspiration doesn’t end with, and at, cars. So, he’s clearly not out to simply bore you. I mean imagine what good Harbhajan Singh would be if he wasn’t out slapping people about, or making use of his decorated vocabulary? He’d become plain boring – he’d become Javagal Srinath.
At any rate, to rid myself of thoughts of boredom, I focussed on the surge provided by the Jetta’s engine, and that made me smile. There’s 138bhp on tap, and 320Nm to further enhance the experience. The Jetta’s strong point is its mid range. There’s literally no lag when you put your foot down and the manner in which it gains speed is amazing. The low-end torque could have been delivered in a healthier manner, but that’s about it.
Sure, I was impressed by the common-rail unit, but not as much as I was by the gearbox. I drove both the 6-speed manual and the DSG and, for once, I loved the automatic tranny. The manual shifted precisely, and the whole experience was very fluid. The DSG was, however, the surprise package for me. After being disappointed by DSGs in the past, I wasn’t expecting fireworks from this one. But I was wrong. The shifts happened quick and easy, and the engine sound elevated the experience and widened the grin.
Now, if you’ve followed the theme of this article you will have picked up on the fact that VW has been on a softening spree with its cars. Look at what happened to the Passat, and now the same has been done to the Jetta. It’s softer than the older model and rides a whole lot better. That means it is supremely comfortable and deals with potholed roads with aberrant ease. It also means that it’s way floatier around bendy roads. But hang on – before you dismiss it – the Jetta actually has a very impressive balance between ride and handling. Yes, I still want it to handle sharper, even if it means breaking my back. But this is where the Jetta distinguishes itself. It’ll appeal perfectly to guys like our consulting editor, Ishan – who’s got a severe dose of dorsalgia. Sure, he’ll be trailing behind (a lot behind), but what the heck, at least he’d save his back from turning into dust! The point is that the ride-and-handling compromise is excellent, but it also leaves the Jetta emotionless.
Yes, you get steering mounted controls, a touch operated entertainment unit, cruise control, 8 airbags, ABS, ESP, ASR – all the lovely things that you can imagine in a car of this segment, and more. It’s a bit like being at a party with Heidi Klum, but instead of letting you take her home she hails a cab at the end of the night. You’re just left wanting that little bit more!
Engine 1,968cc / 4 Cylinder / 16 valves / DOHC / Common Rail Direct Injection / Turbocharged
Fuel Diesel
Transmission 6-speed manual / 6-speed automatic (DSG) front-wheel drive
Power 138bhp @ 4200rpm
Torque 320Nm @ 1750-2500rpm
Price Rs. 14-18 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
XFactor Very capable and very comfortable –
but also very emotionless.
