2011 VW Jetta SE auto and SEL manual

[regfootball]

Quick Drive: 2011 VW Jettas

SE with convenience automatic - SEL manual

Some comments will be together but others will address the different trim levels.

HIGHS

• 'classic' (cough) and 'safe' (cough), ok, we'll call it 'tidy' styling
• decent amount of KIT for the price
• more then deserved AMOUNT of power
• German 'engineering' is prevalent....regardless of where it was built
• cabin space and trunk space go beyond what is expected in class.
• leg room is abundant all around.
• non invasive cabin.
• solid road feel. good steering feel (with exception noted below)
• good road trip car, cruises nicely at high speed (with exception noted below)
• good transmissions
• nice feeling steering wheel
• user friendly as far as controls.
• nice gauges. center stack laid out logically
• despite not being 'sport seats' they are comfortable and provide good support
• fake leather is ok, it sometimes is even nice
• nice visibility
• good shifter. if you like to push, tug on, wrap your hand around and caress a knob....VW never lets you down.
• responsive manumatic
• unexpectedly low rpm at freeway speeds (auto, 2500 rpm at 75 mph.... manual about 2400 rpm at that speed)
• doors have DETENTE and open and close with an anally solid THUNK! (otherwise German engineers couldn't sleep at night)
• rear center armrest is excellent. perhaps Cadillac could learn a thing or two from this Jetta.
• GERMAN CAR SMELL!!!!!!!!! regardless of wherever on the face of God's green earth it was built. (opels smell this way too!)
• solid like the last Jetta despite less weight
• no need to ever buy Armor All, I don't foresee a scenario where the plastics inside will ever lose their gloss.

LOWS

• starter button on the SEL is in a really stupid location
• wind noise at speed
• 5 cylinder engine needs to be gone.
• coarse idle with ever present vibration in the cabin and seats, mostly at idle and low rpm
• poor throttle response
• less than expected low end torque
• engine not crazy about revving
• cabin noise, particularly at speed. Cruze please?
• the armrest would actually be useful if I could slide it forward (at least you get an armrest on the SE and SEL)
• draconian feeling and acting climate controls
• steering mush and slop (see below, SE model)
• bad bad clutch. super long travel. awkward path. late late engagement. CLUTCH ISSUES!
• no 6th gear on the manual
• power mirror controls on door oriented towards the mythical travel assistant who is sitting at a right angle to you, the driver
• (ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, LET'S ALL FORM A CIRCLE AND SAY IT TOGETHER) REALLY CHEAP PLASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• lather rinse, repeat.
• REALLY CHEAP PLASTIC!!!!!!!!
• car hops at speed (like the previous Jetta)
• WHERE IS THE USB port??????
• doesn't the steering wheel telescope?????
• this would have been a bangup in car in like, 2002

SUMMARY

It may seem like I am harsh here. And let my point out, I just am not in on the club here. VW has a loyal following and appreciation in this country for their undoubtedly fine hardware which I never have seemed to be able to acquire a taste for myself.

Guilty. I was born and bred and raised on so much Detroit iron, I don't think I could ever fully understand the appeal of VW's..more specifically those since the really good 98 Passat hit the streets. That is not to say I don't like them and I have to admit I have tried countless time to acquire the taste for them. From a driving standpoint, one of the cars I like a lot is the 06+ Passat. But so many times I have tried to assimilate myself into liking the VW's and it just hasn't clicked with me. That is in NO way to say VW's are bad. Clearly they have produced lots of quality stuff.

How it is relevant here.....VW plans to take over the world, car owner by car owner at a time. And in this country they have a mandate. SELL SELL SELL. So no doubt if VW is to meet its goals, they have to go beyond their traditional loyal and savvy base and get to the minds and hearts of people like me. People's car is sometimes said about VW. Well, then that means you have dumb it down....or REFINE it a little so the masses liken it to really good vanilla over time.

Where I see this car is that it still is more of a VW and not enough of a Toyota.....or a Chevy. I could wrap up this article by simply saying the Cruze is a better car for most folks and we could all hug and kiss, and go to sleep. But here is the deal. This Jetta to me still is like all the other VW's of recent....watered down and cheapened a bit, but still is an ok CONSUMER PRODUCT. It leaves you wanting more and yet satisfying some of things a VW fan may like and is still used to in the process.

So I'm not sure its right for me to offer any damnation to this car since i guess 'I don't understand it'. I am certain by now I am not VW material. But neither were those fat older gray haired women in the showroom today either. The ones who were going on and on about how the Jetta has FIVE cylinders and not 4 or 6.

An ODD number

Middle America doesn't stomach ODD very well. 800k annual sales goals do not account for ODD. Which really gets to the core of the main criticisms of this car for me. The five cylinder engine provides big power numbers. At higher speeds this engine provides good roll on power. The engine is entirely ill suited to the purpose of this car. it doesn't matter whether its the stick or the automatic. Where the Cruze's trannsmission is the big problem, here in the VW, the engine is the other ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. Power is ample after a certain speed. When you pull away from a stoplight with the automatic you are just sitting there WAITING for the whole rig to get moving. Lethargy. Overhead. Screen saver.

Is it dreadful? well, other cars don't have it. So it depends on what else you like about the car. Deal breaker? Hard to say, but for me, yes. Because the car would be so much more realized with a simple nice 2.0 direct injection four cylinder. Or like that, with a turbo. I can tell they have smoothed out the 5 from the prior Jettas but it still makes no sense. Time for VW to move on.

The car is indeed fast enough and capable enough to be a very good long distance rig. It's just the that 5 cylinder needs better response, better low end, better mpg, less vibration, less growl. DONE.

Otherwise the impression that is most prevalent is how the cheap plastic and boring interior design ruin it for you. Is it offensive? No. The room and space may be the savior. Is the interior timeless or thoughtless? Tyrannical? Treacherous? I wish I could rest my arm comfortably enough to think about it. Need to file your fingernails after cutting them? Just run them across the trim inserts on the doors above the armrest and that should take care of it.

The SE was the one I drove first. What was the first off putting thing was all the slop and mush initially in the steering before you would feel anything. Must be the tires, I thought. Got out of the car, and sure enough, those same damn Hankook Optimo tires that are on my Cobalt. On the Jetta it kills the steering compared to the SEL. Instantly I noticed the difference between the SE and SEL....the SEL has Continental tires and larger wheels. The initial slop and mush was gone on the SEL. After that, a very nice ride and handling car that is stable and secure, ready for a long trip. Only hindrances being the wind noise, cabin noise, vibration, and slight hop at high speeds. Absolutely the Cruze is the vehicle with better dynamics all around although the level of difference is not such to get worked up about.

A note about the rear seat. I spent about 5 minutes just sitting in the back of an SEL in the show floor with the front seat adjusted to my bod and in back with the armrest (that you don't get in a CTS coupe by the way) down I stretched out and just sat there, feeling comfortable. It was a nice place to be. This alone might sell the Jetta to some folks, to not have the roof coming down right on top their bald spot.

It may seem like i am ragging on the car. that is not the case. This is a pretty good car. It's got a lot competition now and the cheapening of it doesn't help it as far as the interior and stuff.

So where I am at; For a company that wants to like triple sales in the U.S. means an increased level of criticism on the gaffes. You just can't make the effort on a huge volume push (dealer guy said VW just keeps flooding them with cars) without putting in the right powerplant for the car and class. A simple current tech smooth 4 banger would do the trick. Problem solved. This alone would cover most of my beefs with the car. Throttle response, noise, torque, smoothness, revvability, gas mileage, vibration.......but if they did that then they couldn't soak you for a TDI or for the eventual (expensive) turbo.

Aside from this, the problem resides in the subpar interior. Cheap materials, dull dated design, lack of amenities. Like a simple pleasing place to rest your weary arm, that you otherwise would have to get into the contrarily posh back seat for. Of course, VW does have a leg up on Cadillac in this regard in the back seat.

If this what the essence of the VW experience and history is, then I will politely decline their request to assist them in the takeover of the world...or US auto market. VW, come back when you truly understand US. Nice try though. I am going to keep looking at this Cruze color palette.

grade - B

Related:

Volkswagen brings us the Jetta we've been waiting for - 2012 Jetta GLI revealed

2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Gallery

January 2011 Sales: Volkswagen of America

[pow]

2012 GLI appears to be the answer. Under $24K, award-winning 2.0T, available DSG, multi-link rear suspension, electrohydraulic steering, AND most importantly, soft-touch dash:

[ocnblu]

I see Croc has graduated to finger model. Congrats!

[frogger]

Yeah the GLI looks like the Jetta to get.. I wonder if the TDI will have the nicer dash as well.

[Croc]

Yea that's not me.

[regfootball]

I see Croc has graduated to finger model. Congrats!

ah, so many things you can do with a finger. So many places to put it.

[regfootball]

Yeah the GLI looks like the Jetta to get.. I wonder if the TDI will have the nicer dash as well.

I have to admit, the GLI does look like it may pan out to be something more PURE. A true baby German pedigree sport sedan. Far from nougat.

When that new Passat hits market, there will have to be some correction or justification for current Passat pricing. for example, Passat S will be cheaper than a Jetta SEL, like the one I drove. I get that the SEL Jetta has more kit, but maybe not all that much. Same engine, larger car.....the SEL Jetta still has stick and vinyl at 23,500.........

Edited February 9, 2011 by regfootball

[A Horse With No Name]

My whole thought on this car is Meh...Ford focus FTW.....

VW is loosing it's soul, methinks.

[regfootball]

how about a GLI coupe in blu, though?

Edited February 10, 2011 by regfootball

[Cory Wolfe]

My whole thought on this car is Meh...Ford focus FTW.....

VW is loosing it's soul, methinks.

Honestly, the Ford Focus isn't everything it's cracked up to be. It is not the compact car savior and I certainly wouldn't rate it as best. There are better vehicles out there and no, I'm not saying the Jetta is one of them.

Volkswagen has lost nothing. It has seen an 'upscale' image for a mere decade. Before that, being a Volkswagen meant being boxy and and uber-conservative. The Jetta wasn't anything unique or upscale up until the MKV. That's one generation and suddenly Volkswagen is losing it's soul? I think not. Some may need to do some revisiting on what Volkswagen stands for.

[Intrepidation]

I think the GLI fixes all of my issues with the car,. I just wish it didn't look so boring. They could have made the front end a bit more aggressive or something. Still a nice addition for buyers who don't want a cost cut VW.

[regfootball]

red instead of dishwater gray or silver helps.

[MyerShift]

"Volkswagen has lost nothing. It has seen an 'upscale' image for a mere decade. Before that, being a Volkswagen meant being boxy and and uber-conservative. The Jetta wasn't anything unique or upscale up until the MKV."

I think MkIV is more accurate. This generation of V's had the fabulous interiors. MkV's were actually slightly less nice though more technically sophisticated.

Edited January 24, 2013 by MyerShift

[Drew Dowdell]

My whole thought on this car is Meh...Ford focus FTW.....

VW is loosing it's soul, methinks.

Honestly, the Ford Focus isn't everything it's cracked up to be. It is not the compact car savior and I certainly wouldn't rate it as best. There are better vehicles out there and no, I'm not saying the Jetta is one of them.

Volkswagen has lost nothing. It has seen an 'upscale' image for a mere decade. Before that, being a Volkswagen meant being boxy and and uber-conservative. The Jetta wasn't anything unique or upscale up until the MKV. That's one generation and suddenly Volkswagen is losing it's soul? I think not. Some may need to do some revisiting on what Volkswagen stands for.

In Germany, the Jetta/Bora (the older ones) have always been for "old men in tweed hats". They are the Buick Century of the EU.

[Drew Dowdell]

... and whatever happened to the Jetta 2-door idea that was floating around a few years back?

[William Maley]

... and whatever happened to the Jetta 2-door idea that was floating around a few years back?

That was canned. The rumored four-door Jetta coupe is the successor to that.. I think