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ASK ANY CHILD to draw you a picture of a car, and chances are the finished picture will be the side profile of a three-box sedan. An entire generation of us have been brought up to believe that 'proper' cars are those made in the classic sedan shape, with the engine in front, a passenger compartment in the middle, and a luggage area behind.
Why kindergarten teachers don't teach children to draw hatchbacks and then tell them that sedans are just cars with an extra compartment welded to the back is quite beyond me.
Some countries (mostly in Europe) have come to embrace the hatchback as the default car shape, mainly due to the ease of maneuvering and parallel parking a shorter car in cramped side streets. But many Singaporeans still seem to think that owning a real car means buying one with a proper boot space. Anything shorter is only half a car.
Considering that many of the most well balanced and dynamic cars on the roads today are hatchbacks, it's really their loss.
Which brings us to the Volkswagen Jetta, which is many whould have rightly noticed, is a Volkswagen Golf with a really large boot. VW's designers have done a magnificent job of designing a basic shape that works both as a hatchback and sedan. Instead of looking like a hatchback with an additional rear bit welded on, the lines of the Jetta flow smoothly, giving the car an elegant and muscular stance befitting that of a real executive sedan.
Own one, and you can can tell your neighbours that you own a full car instead of half a car.
Why kindergarten teachers don't teach children to draw hatchbacks and then tell them that sedans are just cars with an extra compartment welded to the back is quite beyond me.
Some countries (mostly in Europe) have come to embrace the hatchback as the default car shape, mainly due to the ease of maneuvering and parallel parking a shorter car in cramped side streets. But many Singaporeans still seem to think that owning a real car means buying one with a proper boot space. Anything shorter is only half a car.
Considering that many of the most well balanced and dynamic cars on the roads today are hatchbacks, it's really their loss.
Which brings us to the Volkswagen Jetta, which is many whould have rightly noticed, is a Volkswagen Golf with a really large boot. VW's designers have done a magnificent job of designing a basic shape that works both as a hatchback and sedan. Instead of looking like a hatchback with an additional rear bit welded on, the lines of the Jetta flow smoothly, giving the car an elegant and muscular stance befitting that of a real executive sedan.
Own one, and you can can tell your neighbours that you own a full car instead of half a car.
DRIVING IT
While the 2.0-litre turbo FSI engined car will no doubt be the real star of the Jetta range, the 1.6-litre variant is the one that buyers will be most interested in as it is priced to compete with many of the mid-sized Japanese sedans offered here.
The base model Jetta uses a slightly less powerful engine than the 1.6-litre Golf. While the Golf uses a four cylinder, 16-valve FSI engine that develops 115bhp, the Jetta goes about with an eight-valve engine that develops 102bhp. This also one of the reasons why the Jetta costs less than the 1.6-litre Golf.
The solidly built car drives with a real meaty feel to it. The steering is well weighted, driving position and ergonomics are also generally good. Unlike the rather detached feel of some of its competitors, the Jetta feels better connected to the road, inspiring greater driver confidence.
When used in sequential mode, the six-speed automatic gearbox shifts reasonably quickly, but the engine?s lack of mid range torque means that the car is slow to accelerate to highway overtaking speeds in any gear, even with the engine revving close to the redline and sounding like it is shaking itself apart. Thankfully it only sounds like that when revved hard, and the car will do absolutely fine at cruising speeds, with the engine purring along nicely.
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INSIDE IT
Interior controls and switches are well laid out, and feels more expensive than it really is. There are signs of cost cutting here and there, but nothing feels overly cheap or inadequate. The electric seat adjusters of the more expensive variants are replaced with manual adjusters here, and the steering wheel does not have integrated audio controls on it. But the seats are supportive and comfortable, quite possibly the single most important thing to look out for in a car's cabin. The grab handles along both sides of the gear lever are actually quite useful, especially so for the front seat passenger when the driver starts to get a little enthusiastic round the corners.
The very large boot is deep and flat. It will swallow a lot of stuff and goes deeper than it seems to from the outside. The amount of space back here is probably reason enough for the average family man to want to own this car.
DOLLAR AND SENSE
The Jetta's price tag shows a number that is significantly lower than what many would expect it to be. It looks the part of a smart executive sedan, but is also affordable and very family friendly. There are very, very few cars that can claim the same, which makes the Jetta a rather attractive proposition.If you have more to spare and want more performance, the 2.0-litre turbo variant should satisfy you. It is essentially a Golf GTI in sedan form and also comes with a six-speed DSG gearbox. But it is more than $40,000 dearer.
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CONCLUSION
While the car has its shortcomings, there is much to like about it too. Perhaps the best thing going for it is that it is the only Volkswagen sedan in the current lineup going for under $100,000 with COE. 1.6-litre engine is perfectly suited for economical urban trips
Cabin build quality is very high and feels more expensive than it is
A very deep and square sided boot lets you carry large items easily
Renault Megane 1.6 (A) $72,000 with COE
Easy on the eye and totally unintimidating to drive, the Megane sedan is a very pleasant car to live with on a daily basis. There are advanced features like the keycard starter which makes the car feel really special, but many of the controls feel over assisted and very light.
Honda Civic 1.6 (A)
$73,500 with COE
One of the best driving front wheel drive sedans at any price, the entry-level Civic is not all that slow either. Adventurous styling is looking even better with time. Like all Hondas, the Civic is a real driver's car.
1,595cc in-line 4
102bhp at 5,600rpm
148Nm at 3,800rpm
6-speed automatic
183km/h
13.3 seconds
$77,500 with COE
2 years / unlimited km
Volkswagen Centre Singapore
6474-8288
PLUSES Refined interior, large boot
MINUSES Could do with more power, rough engine note
VERDICT A well built and elegant sedan that lets you get around with a lot more style than the usual sedan suspects.
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