Volkswagen Jetta

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2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: Mighty return for sedan

The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI (Grand Luxury Injection) celebrates the sporty sedan’s 35th anniversary. It debuted in February at the Chicago Auto Show and is offered in S, Autobahn and a special trim commemorating the occasion. The 2019 model is also the debut of the vehicle’s seventh edition; the Jetta in other styles debuted in 1980. Its new version has a longer wheelbase (105.6 inches) and is three inches longer overall as well as slightly wider and taller and sits lower. Key Takeaways Seventh-generation Jetta celebrates GLI’s 35th anniversary: The sporty Grand Luxury Injection model returns on a stretched 105.6-inch wheelbase with three inches of added overall length, more width, and a lower stance. 2.0-liter turbo delivers 5.8-second 0-60 performance:

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Episode 87, Cars, bikes mix in cycling caravan

For every cyclist competing in a professional bike race, there’s seemingly a corresponding vehicle. But it’s not an exact parallel. In fact, in top-level races, there are several times more team, organization, media and sponsor vehicles, equipment trucks, fans’ motorhomes and police cars and motorcycles than competitors. Like the cyclists, race vehicles get down time at hotels, but otherwise, they’re all almost always on the move, climbing mountains, negotiating narrow roads and descending at top speeds. Volvo saw an opportunity at this year’s event and provided three V60 AWD T6 Inscription trim wagons for the seven-rider team. Team managers Michael Sayers and Michael Creed are driving the cars during every stage. Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Cycling’s vice president of Elite Athletics,

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2017 Volkswagen Jetta: enduring sedan holds its own

Now in the seventh year of its sixth generation, the Volkswagen Jetta is approaching its 30th birthday as a little sedan that can. For 2017, the Jetta receives a few upgrades, most in improved technology. New are a rearview camera on all trim levels and driver assistance features on lower trims. There’s also an updated infotainment system with a USB connection to replace the former cable connection. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Jetta hybrid and diesel have been discontinued for 2017, leaving four trims — S, SE, SEL and GLI. The SEL trim, my weekly driver, included many of the lengthy lists of the standard features on the lower trims and added or upgraded many areas. A 1.8-liter turbocharged,

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VW pays more for pollution scandal (all cars listed here)

Another chapter in the long saga of Volkswagen and its scheme to hide emission levels in some of its vehicles has resulted in the manufacturer offering to buy back more tainted diesel cars and spend an additional $1 billion to settle the air pollution scandal. The German automaker agreed to buy back tainted 3.0-liter engine vehicles sold between 2009 and 2012. The company will fix newer 3.0-liter cars. Volkswagen will pay $225 million into a “national mitigation fund” to address air pollution effects from its tainted 3.0-liter engine vehicles. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) said $66 million would go to California, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee and on several automotive websites. Volkswagen previous agreed to spend

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2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Best car for $25,000?

The Jetta is the best selling Volkswagen and the main reason is its versatility. It’s available in about 40 configurations and trims, including the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. It’s the diesel edition of the mid-size sedan. It features a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder matched with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission and 140 horsepower. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive In the 10 years I’ve written The Weekly Driver coumn, I’ve driven the Volkswagen Jetta TDI several times and each time I’ve been perplexed. Why isn’t this version of the Jetta more popular? Is the stigma against diesel engines strictly based a now former curse? (Remember the Mercedes-Benz diesel sedans in the 1970s? They were loud and spewed a lot of

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2014 Volkswagen Jetta: New engine, better ride

The Volkswagen Jetta is an affordable German-engineered compact sedan, which might partially explain why it is VW’s most popular model here. Major improvements for 2014 include a new turbocharged and intercooled 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It has direct fuel injection and replaces a 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine with the same horsepower. The new engine delivers better fuel economy than the five-cylinder: an estimated 26 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on highways with a five-speed manual transmission. A six-speed manual and efficient automatic transmissions also are available. Enabling the front-wheel-drive Jetta to be fun to drive are a new independent multi-link rear suspension and electro-mechanical steering, which replaces a hydraulic

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PREVIEW: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta is all new

The redesigned 2015 Volkswagen Jetta sedan, which will include a host of interior and exterior upgrades — green technology innovation to design efficiency — will debut at the New York International Auto Show. The show will be held April 18-27 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. The new Jetta’s efficiency has been improved by reducing air drag and utilizing new tires that help improve rolling resistance. New driver assistance systems are available, such as Blind Spot Detection, frontal collision warning and rear cross-traffic alert. Inside, the Jetta sees an upgraded interior with new materials and an enriched assortment of available equipment. The 2015 Jetta continues to offer three four-cylinder gasoline engines (2.0-liter naturally aspirated and 1.8T and

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2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Thrifty, sleek, quiet

Volkswagen is an old hand at selling diesel-engine cars in America, having offered them in the 1970s and 1980s. Many VW auto diesel owners loved them, although the automaker’s latest diesel is far advanced from the old ones. Volkswagen has made its top-selling Jetta sleeker, larger, roomier, quieter and more refined for 2011, and the automaker’s four-cylinder turbodiesel engine makes the 2014 Jetta TDI model especially attractive. Auto diesel engines long have been popular in Europe, partly because of extra-stiff fuel prices. I easily cruised at 100 m.p.h. on a high-speed German autobahn during the media introduction of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf with no apprehension about running out of fuel despite driving long distances. Chevrolet now even offers its small

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CAR REVIEW: 2014 Volkswagen Jetta: spunky little sedan

Since its debut in 1979, the Volkswagen Jetta has steadfastly endured the ebbs and flows of the auto industry. It’s now a quarter-century old, a half-dozen editions into its legacy and enjoying a resurgence with the upgraded model for 2014. With competition in all car segments increasingly keen, VW for 2014 Jetta replaced the former 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder model with a 170-horsepower, turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder. The Jetta is the little sedan that could and continues to do so, which is why it’s VW’s best-selling car. With the engine change, the Jetta is now more versatile while maintaining its value pricing. The gas engine model (a diesel engine is optional) can now also run on E15 (a mix of gas and

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Volkswagen lineup, 2012: sports cars, station wagons and a Bug

By David Colman I have never experienced a press roll out like this in more than 20 years of attending Volkswagen events in the United Sates and Germany, Usually, the occasions focus on one or two new models with long, complex drive routes scheduled to foster a maximum driving experience. This year, there were multiple models available, but in a three-hour window. Here are my brief impressions from either a 15-mile or 25-mile Northern California loop that encompassed flat and hilly driving conditions in the Half Moon Bay and San Mateo areas: 2012 VW GOLF R This baby is a “little bomb.” The Golf R replaces the Golf R32, which has come and gone in several iterations during the past

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Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, 2013: First look at newly styled, seven-speed sedan

The Jetta is Volkswagen's biggest selling model and they want to offer a full compliment of drivetrain options for customers. The fifth drivetrain option for the VW Jetta will be a hybrid version and get a combined 45 mpg, according to preliminary estimates. Now, customers who prefer a European style sedan instead of the Asian and American hybrid offerings, can add the Jetta to their list of green car choices. The 2013 Jetta's hybrid powertrain is built around VW's 1.4L turbocharged gasoline engine and a 27 hp electric motor for a combined output of 170 hp. Transmitting this power will be a 7-speed DSG automatic transmission – the first production hybrid to use a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Unofficially, the Jetta

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Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn, 2012: Responsive, fun to drive compact

When I heard I was going to test drive a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, I had low expectations. I didn’t know it was going to be a GLI Autobahn Jetta, just a Jetta. And as someone much wiser has told me, having low expectations is the key to happiness in life. It's especially true with VW Jetta GLI Autobahn. It's a ton of fun and perfect for the daily comuting grind. The GLI is the range-topping Jetta, with its 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine pumping out 200 horsepower and 207 lb.-ft. of torque married to six -speed DSG automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is also possible, and I would have preferred it. Driving Impressions Having just tested the new Beetle Turbo,

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Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Ford Focus (Under $20,000), Audi A7 (More than $50,000)

Kiplinger has been published for 90 years and now for the 61st time it's publishing its annual buyer’s guide of best value new cars. Kiplinger’s Best in Class and Best New winners are based on rankings that weigh performance, value and safety. Half the score comes from performance and value and about a third from vehicle safety. The remaining score is based on Kiplinger test drives of the cars, during which we assess design, comfort and dashboard layout. Sedans are ranked within price categories while crossovers, SUVs, minivans and wagons are not broken up by price but scored on a scale that rewards lower prices. The results are presented monetarily in categories and sub-categories, under $20,00 to more than $50,000,

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 car review

Under any of its sorted names around the globe, the Volkswagen Jetta has been around since 1979 as a small, family sedan. It’s been called the Atlanta to Vento, Fox to Sagitar. But the Jetta is the current name in the United States and the 2011 edition adds to the car’s more than 30-year legacy. The 2011 Jetta is newly designed with larger exterior and interior dimensions and new styling. As Volkswagen‘s best-selling car, it’s more than 3.5 inches longer and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the 2006-2010 Jetta. Trim levels include S, SE, SEL, and the diesel-powered TDI. The Weekly Driver Test Drive For my week with the 2011 Jetta, I drove the 170-horsepower 2.5-liter 5-cylinder, which remains

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 Car Review

The Jetta is Volkswagen’s top-seller, so the 2011 version has been substantially redesigned in the face of increasingly stiffer competition. The new front-drive Jettta sedan is sleeker, longer, roomier, quieter and more refined. Older Jettas have attracted customers across a wide range of age groups, being equally appealing to men and women. Volkswagen has found buyers believe the Jetta costs more than it does. That’s one reason it has lowered the price of the base 2011 model. The new Jetta was a blast to drive on winding Highway 1 along the winding Pacific coast during a San Francisco-based media preview of the car. The new compact Jetta looks like a costlier upscale European model. It has an extended wheelbase and

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