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Old 4th February 2012, 14:57   #331
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Originally Posted by carizma
Here are some pictures.

The first thing that I noticed was a missing cruise control that BalaSNKL has mentioned!! After much discussion and deliberation, I was made to believe that the cruise control had invariably slipped into some of the CL kits or was it that it had just missed my car's kit??
Congratulations on your purchase! The colour reminds me of the Jetta GLI model! (which unfortunately isn't available in India.)
I just hope its a mix up with your specific car kit and that you get the cruise control retro fitted by VW. You should definitely contact them though there's nothing much you will be able to do if they refuse because the brochure does not mentioned cruise control in the CL. Now that I think of it, the reason earlier CLs got cruise control may be that since the CL and HL share the same steering assembly (unlike the TL) with the exception of the cruise control stick, they may have fitted the HL assembly into the CL if the CL kit wasn't then made.

Or this may just be a marketing gimmick by VW.
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Old 4th February 2012, 15:36   #332
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

Thanks lamboguy! I think you have got a point. The earlier CLs must have come with HL steering and stalks. On the flip side though, not having a cruise control does not make much of a difference. I've had this feature on the Lauras but you rarely get to use it, given the traffic condition of our roads. In fact I have experienced that whenever I have run the car on cruise, you just tend to avoid braking till the last possible moment!! Its just that a missing feature pinches!!
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Old 5th February 2012, 10:00   #333
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by carizma View Post
Hi guys!

This is my first post on the forum. Feels great to share my experience on the new Jetta. We bought a Laura L&K last July. The car was a replacement to our old Laura which had clocked almost 200k kilometers. A month later we had to decide on a new car in the same bracket. After test driving the Cruze and Fluence diesel (I must say that there is not much choice in this segment), we decided to settle in for another Laura. But somehow it felt like an unwise decision as we had already lived with the car for more than four years. During this time the new Jetta was launched. After a brief view of the car, the interiors felt cheap compared to our Laura. But the car look awesome in the flesh. Just could not take my eyes off! It may have looked like a Vento on the first glance but I am sure that the matured and understated design grows on you gradually. The dealer told that the car carried a waiting period of one month approx. That was too long to wait and we were getting a Laura off the shelf.

Tough decision, I must say. One car had great interiors, long feature list but no manual option (L&K); the other had refreshing looks, a manual gearbox with 140 bhp engine but let down by average interiors. But the Jetta CL seemed to be a sensible decision in that it carried most of the useful features found on the Laura L&K, sans a climatronic and leather, and had a manual transmission.

Two months and more visits to the VW showroom. Car still on waitlist, still no decision. Period. One more month passed in the turmoil. Finally in December a Platinum Grey Jetta CL arrived with the dealer. The moment we saw the car we fell in love with it. My personal view was that it loooked its best in this colour. Everybody in the family agreed. So a few documentary formalities and a day later we were the proud owners of a Platinum Grey Jetta CL !!
Congrats carizma. Welcome to the TBHP Jetta club

I saw this color in flesh a few days ago & completely agree with you that it really looks amazing on Jetta.

Besides the missing cruise control, sounds like you have had a bad experience with the dealer. Can you pls share more details.
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Old 6th February 2012, 12:10   #334
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Originally Posted by vkaul1 View Post
Congrats carizma. Welcome to the TBHP Jetta club

I saw this color in flesh a few days ago & completely agree with you that it really looks amazing on Jetta.

Besides the missing cruise control, sounds like you have had a bad experience with the dealer. Can you pls share more details.
The car has been lying with the dealer for the past six weeks for repair. Two weeks of ownership and six weeks in workshop! But it is not the dealer to be blamed. It is VW India that does not seem to be serious on the after sales services. The dealer informed that there was a delay in procuring three or four parts due to which the repair was held-up. After he confirmed that two of the parts had been dispatched by VW and the remaining part was taking longer (more than 4 weeks), I offered to get them arranged them from abroad. It took me a total of five days to arrange the part. Now the dealer says that VW has not dispatched the promised parts and is not even confirming the scheduled date of dispatch. Ever heard that a company like VW can keep on changing the dispatch schedule of the spare parts every other day?? I wrote to VW India and even VW Germany but have not received any response till date. Another car, another customer left at the mercy of an irresponsible company.

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No mud flaps till now & was not thinking of putting any but have been advised by a learned friend that not putting mud flaps would have a negative impact on the paint work - especially in the rainy season & new road construction - where tar etc could be picked up by the tires & stick to the body) - It will be great if anybody could advise on this piece as I am looking to make a choice in either direction - I don't think mud flaps will look cool on this car, but then do not want to spoil the paint work & am OK with that trade off.
I suggest that you go in for original mud flaps sourced from the VW dealer. They complement the car perfectly. I was even thinking of getting them body coloured but refrained from doing so after the workshop's advice. I'm sure you will like them on your black beauty.

Last edited by Vid6639 : 6th February 2012 at 12:28. Reason: merging posts. Please use edit option if posting within 30mins.
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Old 6th February 2012, 13:24   #335
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by carizma View Post
The car has been lying with the dealer for the past six weeks for repair. Two weeks of ownership and six weeks in workshop! But it is not the dealer to be blamed. It is VW India that does not seem to be serious on the after sales services. The dealer informed that there was a delay in procuring three or four parts due to which the repair was held-up. After he confirmed that two of the parts had been dispatched by VW and the remaining part was taking longer (more than 4 weeks), I offered to get them arranged them from abroad. It took me a total of five days to arrange the part. Now the dealer says that VW has not dispatched the promised parts and is not even confirming the scheduled date of dispatch. Ever heard that a company like VW can keep on changing the dispatch schedule of the spare parts every other day?? I wrote to VW India and even VW Germany but have not received any response till date. Another car, another customer left at the mercy of an irresponsible company.


I suggest that you go in for original mud flaps sourced from the VW dealer. They complement the car perfectly. I was even thinking of getting them body coloured but refrained from doing so after the workshop's advice. I'm sure you will like them on your black beauty.
What sort of repairs in new car are the problem? And that such repairs are taking more than 6 weeks? Did you have an accident or something?
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Old 6th February 2012, 16:04   #336
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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I wrote to VW India and even VW Germany but have not received any response till date. Another car, another customer left at the mercy of an irresponsible company.
I think the mails just get routed to the local GM only. I would suggest you to talk to the General Manager in VW sales and request him to help. The best approach would be to go in person and talk to the GM.

VW Germany does not care what happens in VW india. Both operate as two different entity and all that matters to VW Germany are the numbers that are getting sold.


Service is the last thing these german companies are worried about.

Best approach is to get friendly with the mechanic and get help from the mechanic. Thats the approach i use.
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Old 5th March 2012, 16:23   #337
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

Waking up a somewhat dies thread! (No post in a month for a recently launched car)
I did a TD of the car day before yesterday and came away impressed by the car. Sadly they had only the AT for TD (am looking for MT), but still it gave a good feedback on handling, engine etc.
The dealer has only black & grey in stock and other colors will take atleast 1-2 months. With increased taxes being proposed in this budget, would like to take delivery in this month itself.

So 2 queries for the gurus:
Will black be too difficult to maintain? VW claims 5 year paint protection guarantee.
As and when VW upgrades with bluetooth, USB, navigation on the car, will it be possible to retrofit the same on current car? Or will it be exorbitantly expensive?
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Old 5th March 2012, 17:43   #338
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrek_924 View Post
So 2 queries for the gurus:
Will black be too difficult to maintain? VW claims 5 year paint protection guarantee.
As and when VW upgrades with bluetooth, USB, navigation on the car, will it be possible to retrofit the same on current car? Or will it be exorbitantly expensive?
How would you rate the handling of this car with its competitors? Specially the body roll angle, and the way it handles road undulations?

About your queries:
Black will get heated up much faster, and also, will need more maintenance to keep it clean (as dust shows easily), shows scratches more visibly than silver which is better at hiding small scratches, and the same applies for swirl marks. Also, to keep black looking at its best, the need to polish it regularly comes up more, than with silver IMO.
About the bluetooth and USB and navigation - why not switch the HU with a Caska or something, which offers all the features? Should cost around 50K.
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Old 5th March 2012, 19:27   #339
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by lamborghini View Post
How would you rate the handling of this car with its competitors? Specially the body roll angle, and the way it handles road undulations?

About your queries:
Black will get heated up much faster, and also, will need more maintenance to keep it clean (as dust shows easily), shows scratches more visibly than silver which is better at hiding small scratches, and the same applies for swirl marks. Also, to keep black looking at its best, the need to polish it regularly comes up more, than with silver IMO.
About the bluetooth and USB and navigation - why not switch the HU with a Caska or something, which offers all the features? Should cost around 50K.
Handling is very stable, excellent ride due to suspension. Specifically went on a rough patch during TD and the undulations were surely dampened. I think in ride this is the best along with Laura in its category. Have done TD of Cruze and XUV, Jetta seemed better on most parameters. Laura is not being considered as generation change is around corner & Skoda horror stories. XUV seemed rougher while shifting gears, clutch etc. but the perception may be more felt as am habituated to sedans. Cruze is way too cramped and below par interiors. Also turbo lag makes it feel similar to 95 bhp Accent.
Current ride is Accent, Jetta is way better in handling
Black colour will require annual 3M coatings IMHO. They have some 3K package. But since current ride is silver Accent, we wanted darker color and Jetta seems better in black than grey.
Also dealer is giving a option of replacing ICE at 42k, not sure if its Caska. But wanted something from VW as this is from dealer. Hence am apprehensive.
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Old 5th March 2012, 19:36   #340
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrek_924 View Post
Handling is very stable, excellent ride due to suspension. Specifically went on a rough patch during TD and the undulations were surely dampened. I think in ride this is the best along with Laura in its category. Have done TD of Cruze and XUV, Jetta seemed better on most parameters. Laura is not being considered as generation change is around corner & Skoda horror stories. XUV seemed rougher while shifting gears, clutch etc. but the perception may be more felt as am habituated to sedans. Cruze is way too cramped and below par interiors. Also turbo lag makes it feel similar to 95 bhp Accent.
Current ride is Accent, Jetta is way better in handling
Black colour will require annual 3M coatings IMHO. They have some 3K package. But since current ride is silver Accent, we wanted darker color and Jetta seems better in black than grey.
Also dealer is giving a option of replacing ICE at 42k, not sure if its Caska. But wanted something from VW as this is from dealer. Hence am apprehensive.
Do check out what the dealer is offering. I was offered a Caska also, but it could also be some other HU without a CD Player that was being given on the Vento LE vehicles.
Instead of annual 3M packages, might I recommend taking the little extra care. 3K for an annual package seems very VFM, and sounds more like an annual polish - and there might be better players around who would be able to do it significantly better at a slightly higher price. Ideally, shampoo the car once a week, and polish it twice a year - and you should be set. Hope you have covered parking, as it helps!

I was hoping you could tell me about the Jetta's handling v/s the Laura - I absolutely loved the old Jetta's handling, and was not very impressed with the face lifted Laura's. Body roll was a big part of why I didn't like it.
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Old 5th March 2012, 22:10   #341
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by lamborghini View Post
Do ......covered parking, as it helps!

I was hoping you could tell me about the Jetta's handling v/s the Laura - I absolutely loved the old Jetta's handling, and was not very impressed with the face lifted Laura's. Body roll was a big part of why I didn't like it.
Thanks for the suggestions. We have covered parking but it hardly helps as the direction of sun ensures it is not covered at afternoons!

Unfortunately I had not driven the older Jetta nor the new Laura, so can't give comparison on body roll. Also couldn't do comprehensive TD due to traffic and getting used to hypersensitive brakes. The brakes ensure the vehicle stops instantly increasing severely the risk of rear-ending by vehicle behind! Having Skoda dealer at the other end of town ensured that we did not go for TD just for checking it out also!
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Old 13th March 2012, 13:29   #342
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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I was hoping you could tell me about the Jetta's handling v/s the Laura - I absolutely loved the old Jetta's handling, and was not very impressed with the face lifted Laura's. Body roll was a big part of why I didn't like it.
There is hardly any body roll in the Jetta. I have had the car for about a month and half now and i am quite impressed by its handling capabilities. Drove the car around some good twisty roads and even when you are carrying too much speed into the corners( which is often as you dont get any sense of speed in the car), Jetta doesnt complain. I have thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity i got to stretch her legs. Having said that, the suspension is a bit on the firmer side and you realize that the slower you go.
Check out my thread at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ghline-mt.html
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Old 14th March 2012, 23:15   #343
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

We had booked Innova VX-D 7 seater from Narmada Toyota in December. This was company owned car. Now the problem is that they are acting a bit weird despite knowing the fact that payment would be made by my father's organization and not us.

So we are keen on canceling the booking for Toyota Innova and go for Jetta instead. My queries :
1) What is waiting time for Jetta ? We need to have a car in March due to the fact that payment would be made by company.

2) What is average service cost and overall a rough idea regarding maintenance cost. We have 3 Suzuki vehicles so its a tough question for us.

3) Any option in colors ? The VW website shows only one color IIRC.
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Old 15th March 2012, 08:11   #344
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by aaggoswami View Post
1) What is waiting time for Jetta ? We need to have a car in March due to the fact that payment would be made by company.

2) What is average service cost and overall a rough idea regarding maintenance cost. We have 3 Suzuki vehicles so its a tough question for us.

3) Any option in colors ? The VW website shows only one color IIRC.
The lower models are only available by May. There is stock of Highline models so I am told

Service costs will be around Rs 15000 per year. Clutches etc will be expensive if they go

There are colour options
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Old 16th March 2012, 12:18   #345
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Re: Volkswagen Jetta : Test Drive & Review

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The lower models are only available by May. There is stock of Highline models so I am told

Service costs will be around Rs 15000 per year. Clutches etc will be expensive if they go

There are colour options
Do you have some idea on how it compares to Cruze on the maintenance part? I am really confused on which one to buy. Jetta appears way too overpriced but I like the looks and the quality.
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