    2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Highline, sunroof, dashboard. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Jacob Black
Volkswagen’s 2014 Jetta is a bit of a tidy rig. For some it might be uninspiring but for me the crisp, clean lines of this generation of V-Dubs work well – and this one is genuinely striking in pearlescent white. In hybrid form there are some neat blue accents that help elevate the overall image and coupled with rear lip spoiler and 17-inch alloys give the Jetta an ultra-modern air.
The clean styling also minimizes the size of the Jetta – it is classed as a compact but seriously, this rig is big. I’ve been known to fill the trunk of a regular Jetta with a week’s shopping and a red radio-flyer wagon. The trunk in the Hybrid, obviously, is a little smaller, but the cover over the battery pack actually makes for a useful secondary storage shelf inside the boot. Total cargo capacity is cut from 440 L to 330 L and the split-fold rear seats are now blocked by that shelf. They’re still there, so you can still use an expanded cargo area, but anything higher than about 10 inches won’t fit through the gap.
The interior is spacious for the segment – you can fit three adults in the back, though for best results you should only take two. The wide and high centre tunnel cuts into the usability of the middle seat significantly – why do cars that are FWD have transmission tunnels anyway?
Interior volume is the same 2,665 L found in the non-hybrid Jetta so there is no green penalty for your passengers. The leather seats are supple and comfortable, with deep side bolsters especially in the front. The steering wheel has some gorgeous leather with stitching and the brushed-metal accents are a neat touch. They are dressing, though, on the very cheap base interior – so while they elevate the Jetta Hybrid, its budget roots are still visible.
I drove this car for five hours straight, three hours on a highway and two on an extremely winding road and never once felt uncomfortable. On the main highways, I was supported and comfortable, on the twisties I had grip and security. These seats really do set a good balance – in fact, the whole car does.
The sacrifices of the hybrid format are small, there is a drop in power from 170 to 150 hp, and an increase in weight of 124 kg over the regular Jetta. You also get skinnier tires, the 225s are replaced with 205s. But then the good news starts; you get the same amount of torque, 184 lb-ft, but it comes in earlier at just 1,000 rpm, or in other words: instantly. And, instead of a six-speed slushbox you get a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automated manual. You even get high-intensity headlights for those of you who enjoy seeing in the dark.
On the winding roads the electric steering of the Jetta still gives good feedback, and the chassis is nimble and taut. The skinny, low-rolling resistance eco tires are a letdown though. They always are. I was running late for an event so I had to hustle, allowing me to experience the handling and braking capacity in genuinely trying conditions. There was a little bit of pitch and roll, but neither end felt disconnected at any point, understeer was easily corrected with a light lift-off and was prevented by trail braking into the corner. After a little while the brakes began to fade – but that’s not unexpected. Also, does anyone who buys this car really buy it because it is quick on winding roads? I doubt it.
   2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Highline seating, trunk. Click image to enlarge |
No, people buy this car because it’s practical, sensible and gives good fuel economy. The only real-world thing that most regular people will appreciate from my little winding-road jaunt was the Bluetooth telephone and hands-free dialing.
 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Highline. Click image to enlarge |
“Wait, what?” See, on my cross country bullet run I came upon a slow-moving pickup truck, and I was running late. No matter, it was a professional truck with a phone number on the back.
“Dial 456 789 1234”
Brrring brrring.
“Hello?”
“Um, hi mate. I’m right behind you in this Jetta, and I’m running really late, is there any chance I could please get by you?”
“Ah, I thought you came up on me quick! No problem. Be careful up there though, it is really windy.”
“Thanks!”
And that’s the story of how a convenient and sensible bit of car-to-phone technology helped me achieve a polite, safe and reasonable overtaking maneuver on a remote country road.
The powertrain feels peppy around town despite the loss of 20 horses, thanks to the on-tap torque and I suspect shorter gearing of the DSG. The turning circle is reasonable for a car of this size and the back-up camera with guidelines made parking in my narrow condo parking bay hassle free.
    2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Highline driver’s seat, gauges, touchscreen, centre stack. Click image to enlarge |
The EV mode unfortunately has no hold function on it so you can’t decide when to save battery power and when to use it. Why does that matter? Well I knew I was coming up on a traffic snarl, so wanted to save battery power so I could use almost no engine during my traffic jam escapade. But the system kept using battery power because I was cruising along at 105 km/h. When I got to the blockage, the battery was only a quarter full, and the engine ran pretty much the whole time I was doing less than 30. What a waste! Having driven the Volt (granted, a much more significant battery and electric motor) with this save function, I now think it’s a must-have for all hybrids, even non-plug-in hybrids such as this.
Other than that, the hybrid system is good. The little blue bar in the instrument cluster helps you keep it in EV mode when you want to avoid using the petrol engine – provided the battery has enough charge – and the graphic displays in the touchscreen keeps you abreast of how the car is performing. Apart from those screens, the interplay between the 1.4L turbo four-cylinder, the electric motor and the seven-speed DSG gearbox is smooth enough to be imperceptible.
  2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Highline. Click image to enlarge |
There is a manual mode on the gearbox but it was set up wrong (back for down, forward for up) and there were no paddle shifters so I didn’t bother trying it. I did try Sport mode and it was noticeably different – it held gears longer and fired the changes off more sharply. It wasn’t intrusive or awkward though so I ended up leaving it there. Regular drive mode will satisfy those who drive with zen calm, me, I’m a little less patient.
The radio and infotainment is excellent ergonomically, again benefiting from the principle of simplicity – but the map graphics are now outdated and I found the accuracy and response of the GPS lacking. An improvement is overdue. The Bluetooth setup is easy too, but only if you already know how to do it – there are no prompts and the setup menu doesn’t give access to phone pairing options – you have to hit the phone button on the steering wheel to activate the setup system and then search for the car from your phone. This is one of the few areas where VW is beginning to lag behind the crowd.
The sound quality is great from the Fender-branded system, and tuning stations is simple thanks to the retention of a tuning knob. The steering-wheel controls scroll through presets.
The only confusing controls are those for the headlights/fog lights, coupled with the three-stage light height settings on the stalk near the steering wheel. I still don’t know how to turn the fog lights on, nor what those three settings actually achieve. In the end I ignored that stalk except for when I wanted to use cruise control. Cruise control on the Jetta works well, neither over-accelerating nor over-retarding the car on up and downhill sections. It’s not adaptive, but this is a sub-40K car after all.
The cruise control was helpful in my 6.8 L/100 km weekly average, one of my absolute best results to date. Sure it wasn’t the 4.5 I got out of the Toyota Prius C, but this is a much larger and more “car-like” rig. Still, I was way off the EPA’s rating of 5.6/4.9/5.2 L/100 km city/highway/combined – probably because I was doing an impression of the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland most of the week I drove it. [The rest of the time he’s more like the Mad Hatter. Or one of the Tweedles. Or both. –Ed.]
As far as hybrids go, the Jetta is extremely car like. If you want a car that drives like one and just happens to also have a bit of added fuel economy thanks to some trick electronics, then the Jetta is a safe bet. It handles well, goes quick enough and is genuinely practical as a family hauler. There’s a hybrid badge to promote your wonderful eco-friendly nature, but to the casual observer the Jetta Turbocharged Hybrid is just another handsome family car.
Sure, it’s a big step up from the $14,990 base Jetta to this one at $35,300 but it comes with an equivalent step up in terms of features and driving experience – not to mention green credibility.
Pricing: 2014 Jetta Hybrid Highline
Base Price (Jetta Trendline): $14,990
Base Price (Jetta Hybrid Highline): $35,300
Options: Oryx White Pearl Paint – $300
A/C Tax: $100
Freight and PDI: $1,395
Price as Tested: $37,095
Competitors:
Chevrolet Volt
Honda Accord Hybrid
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
