Re: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta Facelift : A Close Look Ok. Took a test drive of New Jetta and thought I will share my thoughts with forum. It is a very ‘regular joe’ assessment of the vehicle, please don’t expect any technical information. Also, these are my personal views, driven by my requirements and needs and may not necessarily reflect on the vehicle's capabilities or any other person's requirements. Current steed- Honda Jazz Requirements-
In one word, upgrade. In two words, proper upgrade.
To elaborate- Upgrade in terms of size: I was looking for a vehicle that feels substantially bigger when you sit in it. Not necessarily "need to raise my voice to be heard by the passenger" big, but big enough that you think twice before trying to reach out to left side ORVM while sitting in driver's seat. Big enough for 3 adults to sit reasonably comfortably at back. Big enough to not even think about squeezing through tight spaces. Upgrade in terms of features- Give me all the sweet things I keep reading on team-bhp about. Hill hold assist, GPS navigation, reverse camera, multi touch display etc. Actually, I am not even a stickler for some of these useless features. I should just simple get a feel that I am sitting in a 20+ lakh car. It includes nicer touches like quality of fabric upholstery, auto dimming lights, quality of plastics used etc. Upgrade in terms of power- While Jazz has a nice, smooth motor, it is a 1.2 litre engine after all. Has a visible lag below 2k rpm. Need a steed that doesn't huff and puff when you hit the gas. Upgrade in terms of driving mechanism- Again, reference point being Jazz, which is competent but will win no awards for its handling and suspension. Safety features- While I don't know how helpful something like traction control is, or XYZ detection/ABC systems are, I would be happy if the car is equipped with 6 air bags, ABS and EBD. I would be delighted to be educated by members of this forum to suggest if one should have any other safety features as 'compulsory' on their list while car shopping.
With the above in mind, and high regards for Jetta on the forum, I was sure that Jetta may not be elixir for my requirements but it will match them no other car in this segment (or below). Got a Highline DSG for a test drive and here's how it went:
First view of the stationary car.
Me: 'Is this the new Jetta? Doesn't look like it.'
VW salesman- 'Sir, this is the new Jetta. Excellent build quality, packed with features, equipped with possibly the most powerful engine in its segment blah blah'
Me (thinking to myself): 'Hmm. Yes, the VW logo is not cutting into the bumper. This is the new one. But this doesn't look like a small Passat. It still looks like Vento only. Damn !'
VWSM- 'Sir, let's go for a test drive and I will explain the features after that'
So, off we go. Test driving it initially on a highway.
Me (thinking to myself): This steering feels nice in the hands. Definitely an upgrade, Plus 1 to Jetta. But what's this? Why is the handling so vague? This is like the Jazz only. I was thinking it will be sharp and precise, as Europeans are expected to. Let's test this further, may be it will become heavy with speed.
I floor the pedal, and suddenly realise I am sitting in a diesel vehicle. The engine groan fills my head, though honestly I don't mind it much. Because it is accelerating well. It doesn't push me back in the seat or anything, but it's better than Jazz. Way better. So it ticks the box. But that is to be expected from a 2 litre engine, 140 bhp, so I digressed. We accelerated to feel the steering and handling. To my surprise, it did not inspire the kind of confidence that is otherwise exhibited on this forum about Europeans. The steering was still vague! It did not inspire confidence for quick manoeuvring between vehicles and despite 140 horses breathing fire under the hood, I still hesitated to squeeze between two vehicles while overtaking. Not because of the size, but because I wasn’t sure if the steering will react will react as I needed it to. Sorely disappointed. Was I expecting too much?
After pottering on the highway for sometime, accelerating, overtaking and sudden braking, decided to test the much acclaimed multi-link suspension. Took permission from the sales guys, and drove off the highway on to an unpaved, uneven road full of potholes. Jetta behaved admirably. While it was no sofa on wheels, there were no thuds or sudden crashes.
The ‘eager for feature’ sales guys tried to draw my attention to number of buttons on the dashboard, which honestly I had not paid much attention to so far. Sole focus so far had been on driving mechanics. Honestly, while he continued to sell Jetta’s features thereafter with ‘Saar, parking sensor, Saar fatigue detection, saar sliding armrest’ etc. the car had lost me. If I wanted features, I’d go with Hyundai. But the test drive left me very underwhelmed. And worst part was, the car did not even feel like a big car. The personal space was very much equivalent to what you would see in a B+ segment hatch. And I maintain, a fifth person cannot sit in this car. Just cannot. To fit, even the people’s carriers carry 10 buffalos in one Tata 407 but that cannot qualify to be its capacity.
Overall, I came back extremely disappointed. More for myself than the car, honestly. Because I expected it to blow me away in terms of driving dynamics but it was nowhere near my expectations. Unfortunately, now I am thinking if a Jetta doesn’t tick, then there is no other car in this segment that can…
Last edited by Vitalstatistiks : 11th March 2015 at 19:47.
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