Jeremy Clarkson
Free Love
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From
February 3, 2008
VW Jetta 2.0 SE FSI
What really pisses me off about the Jetta is that Volkswagen has the flair and the panache to make the Bugatti Veyron
Rating 
Verdict So boring you want to die
At my old school, detention usually involved being asked to write a 1,000-word essay about the inside of a ping-pong ball. And because I spent every Saturday afternoon for five years writing about the precise chemical breakdown of air, it’s a breeze to fill these pages with prose about what is unquestionably the most boring car in the whole of human history.
I’d love to meet the man who styled the exterior, to find out if he’d done it as some sort of a joke. But mostly I’d like to meet the man who simply didn’t bother at all with the interior. Because looking at that dashboard gives you some idea of what it might be like to be dead.
Then there’s the engine. This is the 2 litre direct injection jobbie you find in various other VWs and Audis and it’s normally not bad. But the Jetta seems to suck all the life out of it.
What I’m most interested in is why on earth this car was made in the first place, because it’s actually a Golf with a boot. Or to put it another way, a Golf that’s a bit uglier, a bit heavier, a bit slower, a bit less practical, a bit less economical and a lot more boring to drive.
Yet, with options, the model I drove cost £18,500. And to that you must add £1,200 for an automatic gearbox and £1,675 if you want leather upholstery. Anyway, my point is that the Jetta is a £21,000 car. So why not buy a bigger, better and (marginally) more interesting Passat instead?
What really pisses me off about the Jetta is that Volkswagen has the flair and the panache to make the Bugatti Veyron, and we know it can make a Golf saloon interesting because it has proved it with various Seats and Skodas.
But what Volkswagen has come up with here is an automotive Belgium. I therefore cannot recommend it to you in any way.
Price when tested (Feb 2006) £16,625 Model discontinued
Engine 1984cc, four cylinders
Power 148bhp @ 6000rpm
Torque 147 lb ft @ 3500pm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 34.4mpg (combined) / 197g/km
Top speed 131mph
0-62mph: 9.2sec
I remember reading this review a while back. Although I can agree that the car is somewhat boring in looks, I think the one star rating is a little too harsh. I drive a 2006 GLI which is to the Jetta, as the GTI to the Golf. I wasn't very excited about the exterior design, but for the price, the interior alone blows everything currently available in the US out of the water. I can say the same for a base model Jetta as well, which can be had for around $18K US, nicely equipped. I then drove the GLI, and was sold.
I like having the Trunk/boot because it adds a little more security for the musical instruments that I'm sometimes hauling around, not to mention it's HUGE.
Over time the exterior styling has actually grown on me, and seems to be aging well. I just disagree with Clarkson on this one. Come on man, at least give the poor thing two stars! :-)
Nic S., Lubbock , Texas
I have had a Jetta Sport 1.4Tsi hire car for a few weeks, its fitted with the DSG gearbox. Whats surprising is how many people say "how nice" it looks. I suppose it does look quite nice in silver with 17" alloys and lowered sports suspension.
A mate who drives the latest S3 after owning the Golf GTi was also impressed by its on road performance. I love Clarkson's reviews and road tests, but I think he is missing the point with this car. For some of us, we just need to get to and from work, comfortably, safely and economically as we dont all have TV, Book and Newspaper deals to fund our next Lambo. What I find most frustrating is how few decent TV reviews there are of "normal" cars, which is what I need to decide on my next purchase, not how well the latest M3 or C63 goes... Boring as it may sound, hell thats life for some of us...
Andy, Bath , UK
I was thinking about the base 1.6FSi model in May 2006 as a company car after previously having several corollas. VW was a change and I was expecting the slightly firmer ride even though I had also been in several Boras. After trying a better model for 24 hours I decided to go with it. A few weeks later it turned up, in red with alloy wheels. It was okay until the wheels started turning. I felt every bump and undulation in the road surface. The suspension was far too harsh and I dreaded driving it. One of our sons even felt bad when sitting in the back seat which has never happened before.
When going round corners at normal speed the front seat passenger would slide sideways as the seats had poor support.
VW checked out the suspension and found nothing wrong, even though colleagues agreed with me after trying it. It wasn't a sports car so why fit this suspension? Anyway 3 months later it went and I now have a comfortable car again. Not seen many Jettas about!
Pete Sergent, Leicester,
I agree you should buy a car that suits your needs however if you need a practical family car why not buy a mondeo its better looking, cheaper and more spacious than the rather dull jetta I agree with jeremy on this one the car is boring and very expensive ( a lot of things are optional extras) so why buy one?
Marc, Edinburgh, Scotland
Sorry Jeremy, it's all about your life at the time. The Jetta has served me and my Family as a family hack for years. The new model is very nice indeed, more important it's not yet another Silver Golf on the road. Yipee...
If you want more from life you buy a sports car and a family car. Lucky I have both. So shall we say why you sold your GT40 in the first place.. because you did your back in trying to get in and out of it!! So you can see why people buy cars to suit their life and needs. You should buy a car that suits your life and your family. Might I point out a nice Renualt People mover....sorry that was abit low how about a Ford Mondeo Jeremy ;-)
My Sports car is a Porsche so I know you don't like that either. But it's 36 years old and still goes like stink......and it's tax free!!
Mark, Hants, UK