Volkswagen Jetta test bench | Inexpensive pragmatism

Entry-level model at Volkswagen, the Jetta is struggling, in the absence of the Golf, to attract new customers. The latter prefer the Taos, more modern, more versatile and more expensive. Never mind that the Jetta is the opposite of modern technological and ever more expensive cars. This German sedan appeals to the pragmatism of consumers who know how to count.

Hailed by critics, the first generations of the Jetta, born in 1979, fulfilled their mission seriously, but also with a certain timidity. This seventh generation appeared in 2018 perhaps imposes more, but the whole still remains rather impersonal and hardly warm. In return, this bodywork has the merit of offering excellent visibility and aging quite well. The Jetta seeks more to reassure than to seduce.

Volontary simplicity

The interior is also in a more traditional register with materials of decent quality, but nothing more. Compared to state-of-the-art vehicles whose infotainment screen takes up more and more space, the Jetta’s is the size of a postage stamp. Objectively speaking, that’s enough. The Jetta has the good sense to offer its users traditional controls (wheels to adjust the on-board temperature, for example) and not buried pell-mell, as is often the case, in an interface that sometimes resembles a labyrinth. Nothing complicated here and nothing very complex (and expensive) to repair either.

The atmosphere is not one of joy, despite commendable efforts in the choice of colors as long as we opt for a high-end version. The digital instrument cluster and the two USB-C sockets located at the foot of the central console give a little touch of modernism to the dashboard.

As is standard among manufacturers favoring value for money, the list of standard equipment is expanded with most of the safety devices apart from blind spot sensors and the essential heated trio (steering wheel and front seats). .

Rather enveloped, the Jetta is a car which, in terms of volume, gives value for money. Passengers benefit from this habitability which allows them not to feel cramped. And the Jetta doesn’t lack a trunk either, even if its volume no longer stands as high as the competition.

Reassuring and silent

The Jetta now relies on a 1.5L four-cylinder engine to drive its front wheels (traction). As standard, this mechanism is associated with a manual gearbox – this will be removed from the catalog next year – which actually provides no pleasure, but a lot of engagement. Its rather long staggering essentially favors consumption and requires, especially when restarting, numerous gear changes to keep the engine in its optimal operating range. The control guidance is not bad. We have seen better (Honda), but also worse (Subaru). The automatic gearbox better suits the characteristics of this engine which displays good performance at low and medium revs. It’s hard to be choosy given the overall performance of this 1.5 L, the consumption level of which appears entirely reasonable.

On the road, the driver will also be able to appreciate the softness of the steering, even if it takes care not to inform us of the work of the front wheels – a strength of the Jettas of yesteryear. True, the Jetta no longer devours front curves as greedily or arouses as much emotion while driving.

On the other hand, the understeer is well contained, the body rolls little and the suspensions, although a little soft, appear to be rather comfortable.

And contrary to what one might assume for an economical vehicle, the Jetta is surprisingly quiet, which makes it very pleasant on long trips.

Okay, the Jetta isn’t likely to bring the sedan back into fashion and distract you from SUVs. However, its intelligent positioning allows it to find its clientele among fans of rational and accessible models. And what’s more, this economical sedan at the pump can swallow the kilometers without jeopardizing the comfort of its occupants.

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The Press will soon publish the test of the following vehicles: Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Ford Ranger, Lincoln Corsair PHEV and Hyundai Santa FE. If you own or are awaiting delivery of one of these vehicles, we would love to hear from you.

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