Auto Trader Ten Point Test: VW Jetta

Model tested: Jetta 1.9 SE TDI 105PS Saloon Diesel
Price: £16,290
Insurance group: 6
Tested: July 2006
Road tester: Alex Eckford
Auto Trader Ten Point Test Rating - 75%

Honey, I Shrunk The Passat.

Jeremy Clarkson called the Jetta 'the most boring car in the whole of human history'. But has Jezza given the Jetta a rough ride?

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks

Our 'Reflex Silver' Jetta is aimed fairly and squarely at the small executive market, and has looks to match. The build quality is apparent from the first look – smooth curves, a large chrome grill, well designed rear LED lights, and 17 inch alloys.
8/10

2. Looks Inside

The interior doesn't quite match the exterior. It's aimed at the lower end of the executive market - there's no leather trim and some of the fittings have a slightly plasticy feel. The speedometer, rev counter and LED display are clear, and the SatNav display is one of the best, but more on that later…
7/10

3. Practicality

This four-door saloon is more than roomy. It will comfortably seat five, but storage space is at a premium. The glove compartment is reasonably sized, but much of the central unit is taken up by the CD changer (see image). The boot, however, is huge, and will (take my word for it) easily accommodate a month's worth of supermarket shopping. But some buyers have expressed concern over the lack of access to the boot. British buyers prefer hatchbacks because there’s more space to load bigger items - saloons like this are like a letterbox in comparison.
8/10

4. Ride and Handling

The handling is sharp but stable, cornering is excellent. The power steering copes well, but loses some of its responsiveness at high speeds.
7/10

5. Performance

The lowest engine size in the range is 1.6. The 1.9 TDI engine that we tested only has 105bhp, but has more kick than you'd expect. The range comes with a choice of six engines – the 1.6 FSI 115PS, the 1.9 TDI 105PS, the 2.0 FSI 150PS, the 2.0 TDI 140PS, the 2.0 FSI 150PS and the 2.0T FSI 200PS.
7/10

6. Running Costs

According to Volkswagen the 1.9 SE TDI should get 53.3mpg (combined average for urban and extra-urban driving). According to the tell-tale LED display, I got 43.7mpg - probably because I used the car mainly for urban driving.
8/10

7. Reliability

Volkswagens traditionally score highly in reliability indexes. And if you're thinking of buying one second hand, it's unlikely to have been thrashed around by its previous owners.
8/10

8. Safety

The Jetta features ABS with brake assist, EBD (Electronic Brake-pressure Distribution) and driver, passenger and curtain airbags, plus height adjustable seatbelts.
7/10

9. Equipment

As previously mentioned, the six-CD changer takes up a lot of room in the central unit, but does the job very well. The LED display allows you to navigate each disc with ease. The SatNav is excellent - the colour screen is more than decently sized, and the controls are intuitive, but there's no joystick. In a semi-emergency, and having not used VW's system before, I had to programme in a friend's postcode and calculate the route. It took me less than a minute.
8/10

10. X-Factor

Some might argue that with the Jetta has a high price tag for what you get. The £16k asking price might seem steep for a car with no leather interior, but the car has good looks and a number of decent extras on its side. It might not be at the top of the executive saloon tree, but it's a long way from the bottom.
7/10

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External links

Volkswagen's website

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