Topic: First Drive: 2014 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8TFSI

[Autos_Editor]

Forced induction and "German engineering" return to the mid-range VW compact sedan.

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[sailor723]

I'm not completely clear after reading this review. Are you saying "The European flavour Jetta is back" or " not as back as last year's model"?

[KD]

Nice to see vw at least try to reinject some semblance of driver enjoyment back to this line!  But that face!  And that body! Hard to believe but even the new corolla looks more driver oriented than this thing.  Bye bye 2.5!  Who ever met a 5 cylinder they could love?

[tpl]

Is the "6 speed automatic" mentioned at $1400 a DSG?  That is/has been the DSG price for some time.  I would hope so.

[quadzilla]

Also returning to the Jetta is a proper multilink rear suspension. Far be it from me to suggest that VW over-watered the schnapps by de-contenting their Jetta so that it could compete as a penalty-box price-point machine, but it would appear that the company is starting to reverse their decision. Bluetooth is now standard throughout all Jetta trim levels. The beam axle is gone. Disc brakes are now standard at all four corners.

That should make some people happy.

I wonder how much more power a tune will get from the new motor?

[huota]

I wonder how much more power a tune will get from the new motor?

Should be good for approx. 215 hp and 330 Nm. That's what they get from the 1.8 TFSI in a Seat Leon, but TBH I'm not sure if it's the exact same engine.

[hemusbull]

Is this the same trouble prone 1.8 engine with a lot of ignition problems in last 5-6 years? Did VW addressed and fixed the ignition problem?

[KD]

Is this the same trouble prone 1.8 engine with a lot of ignition problems in last 5-6 years? Did VW addressed and fixed the ignition problem?

Well that's another thing i forgot to mention.  Why would anybody buy a VW that looks like a Toyota, but is still a VW?

[Frontier1]

Nice to see vw at least try to reinject some semblance of driver enjoyment back to this line!  But that face!  And that body! Hard to believe but even the new corolla looks more driver oriented than this thing.  Bye bye 2.5!  Who ever met a 5 cylinder they could love?

Nothing wrong with that face, very simple and clean looking, a la VW.  Somehow I keep seeing a Dart when i look at the new Corolla.

[quadzilla]

Is this the same trouble prone 1.8 engine with a lot of ignition problems in last 5-6 years? Did VW addressed and fixed the ignition problem?

I'm no VW expert but I think its safe to say this isn't an issue anymore.

[Frontier1]

Is this the same trouble prone 1.8 engine with a lot of ignition problems in last 5-6 years? Did VW addressed and fixed the ignition problem?

I'm no VW expert but I think its safe to say this isn't an issue anymore.

Customer satisfaction has gone up a lot in the past 2 years, pointing in the right direction, been waiting for that.

[tortoise]

Bye bye 2.5!  Who ever met a 5 cylinder they could love?

Pretty sure Snowman is a fan of the 5 cyl. in the TT RS.

I wasn't surprised to read about the new engines but the multi-link rear across all models caught me off guard.  I wonder if they're bowing to the magazine editors or if the VW faithful complained that their Jetta wasn't as much fun as it used to be.

Still, 23k for the turbo with the new suspension strikes me as a good deal.  I wonder how they're making any money on them.

[Brendan McAleer]

One thing I found interesting was that this car is very slightly cheaper in Canada than in the US - how often do we see that?

VW didn't really say why they were able to offer the car at the old price but now with four-wheel-discs, multi-link rear and Bluetooth across the range. Because the car looks the same, and the base engine is the same, it might not affect resale of the old models that much.

[Railton]

Why is it you never see someone in a Beetle, late model Passat or EOS drive on the highway like the assholes in their Golfs and Jettas?
Is it because the former vehicles are driven predominantly by Women?
Railton

[JRM]

Nice to see vw at least try to reinject some semblance of driver enjoyment back to this line!  But that face!  And that body! Hard to believe but even the new corolla looks more driver oriented than this thing.  Bye bye 2.5!  Who ever met a 5 cylinder they could love?

I love my '10 Golf wagon with the 2.5 auto.  It's great on gas with highway consumption as low as 6.9 l/100km highway driving at 110 to 120 considering it weighs as much as many mid sized cars, so quick off the mark that it's difficult not to squeal the tires.  You just have to give it a little punch to get it past that initial dead zone.  That growl is music to my ears compared to most whiny 4's.  I'm not sure I'd buy an upcoming 2015 with the 1.8 turbo.  Too many moving parts for my repair budget after warranty.

[Northernridge]

I'm getting a...Camry vibe.

[Solstice2006]

The 2.5 is well known everywhere as being not the most fuel efficient motor, the 6.9L your getting is average.  Most midsizes with a V6 can get very close to that with much more power.  And you mention highway, how is your city?  Pretty close to 10L I bet, which sucks. 

Good on VW for bringing back the independent suspension, standard Bluetooth, and rear discs to all trims.  Seems priced quite well. 

I still think it's a mistake for VW to continue to offer the 2.0L here in North America. Sure it gives them the low price.  But if somebody doesn't know that much, and just buys a model with the 2.0L, after a few fill ups they will regret it.  They will see the poor fuel economy, the lack of power for that size of a car.  Then maybe VW won't have a repeat customer...

[dirtyjeffer]

Nothing wrong with that face, very simple and clean looking, a la VW.  Somehow I keep seeing a Dart when i look at the new Corolla.

i too like the "understated" clean look of the Jetta (and other VW products)...when i saw the new Corolla (online review), i thought it looked like a 2009 Focus sedan (blech).

[dirtyjeffer]

I still think it's a mistake for VW to continue to offer the 2.0L here in North America. Sure it gives them the low price.  But if somebody doesn't know that much, and just buys a model with the 2.0L, after a few fill ups they will regret it.  They will see the poor fuel economy, the lack of power for that size of a car.  Then maybe VW won't have a repeat customer...

i too thought it was a bad idea to have that engine, but from what i have read before, a surprising number of their cars are bought with that engine powering it...keep in mind, WE care about engines...most customer's just want it to move forward when they push down on the right pedal and stop when when they push the left (or centre) pedal.

[greengs]

The 2.5 is well known everywhere as being not the most fuel efficient motor, the 6.9L your getting is average.  Most midsizes with a V6 can get very close to that with much more power.  And you mention highway, how is your city?  Pretty close to 10L I bet, which sucks. 

Good on VW for bringing back the independent suspension, standard Bluetooth, and rear discs to all trims.  Seems priced quite well. 

I still think it's a mistake for VW to continue to offer the 2.0L here in North America. Sure it gives them the low price.  But if somebody doesn't know that much, and just buys a model with the 2.0L, after a few fill ups they will regret it.  They will see the poor fuel economy, the lack of power for that size of a car.  Then maybe VW won't have a repeat customer...

I'm currently driving a 2013 VW 2.5 Golf.  My average fuel econ is 8.5L/100kms.  Compared to 7.9L in the 2012 Civic I had for a few months.  Same daily routine.  So about 10% worse fuel econ.  I think that's a lot better than people give it credit for being that old.  As mentioned they get that by programming the transmission to upshift and run at just over 1000 rpm at sub 70km/h.

I also like the Jetta styling.  Article mentions Kia styling which does nothing for me.  Especially the new Forte. I like more square looking simple designs that don't get old after 6 months.