[reventon2010]

It was late September and the discussions/hunt to replace our six year old skoda Octavia was full on yet again. The car had served us well over the years but we decided it was time to let go off it.

Cars considered

Skoda Laura: This was the natural choice since we owned a skoda and everyone was quite happy with the car. In spite of all the skoda horror stories floating around, we never really faced anything. We walked into the showroom almost convinced that the next car is gonna be a skoda as well. To our surprise, they didn’t have a TD vehicle and didn’t even have one for display then. They showed us a laura in their workshop with the dash removed! Bad first impression. Even after many calls and visits, they never got back to us or gave us a TD. We figured, its time we looked elsewhere. Their loss.

Cruze: Took a detailed test drive of the car with me behind the wheel and dad in the back seat. Needless to stay, I was quite impressed and my dad didn’t seem too pleased. Regardless, we decided to go for it and told the SE we will be getting the LTZ MT variant as soon as we sold the skoda.

Fluence was not considered then because they only had the striped out version with diesel motor and Renault was still pretty new in India. I took a TD much later when the fully loaded diesel E4 was launched. I felt the ride quality was superb. It is similar to Jetta in terms of space but the built quality was a level or two below. On the inside, it feels more Japanese (not Toyota flimsy) than European.

PS: Corolla Altis was not considered because we already have one in the family. Though priced similar to others, I feel like it belongs in a segment lower (except the ride). There was nothing exciting about the car and felt it was a bit utilitarian and mind numbingly boring.

Jetta was not even in the radar at the time.

TWIST.
I picked up the December edition of Overdrive magazine and they had a comparison of all the vehicles from this segment with the all-new Jetta taking the lead. I showed some pictures of the car to dad and he was mighty impressed. Right away a call was made to EVM tvm and TD requested. Two days later, we went to take a TD. As soon as my dad sat in the back, he was in love with it (Mind you, he is almost always chauffeured around). I will cover the driving impression later in the review. The SE was reasonably knowledgeable though he kept saying the car would have to be imported from Germany. All it took was an hour with the car and we didn’t want anything but the Jetta.

BOOKING SAGA

Right after the TD, we were ready to pay the booking amount of 1lac but the SE wouldn’t commit to delivering the car before 15th of January 2012 (this was in November). This was a huge issue because it was paramount that we had a car by that date. Hopeless as it may have been, I made a call to EVM Kochi and they said they could guarantee it. So the amount was paid for a Silver leaf Comfort line and was given a delivery date of Jan 10th. In addition, even though both the dealerships are owned by the same company, tvm branch offered absolutely no discount while cochin one gave a 30% discount on insurance (~18k).

I used to follow up with the SE almost every week because I didn’t want any surprises about the delivery date. Come Jan 10th and imagine my shock when they told me they could only deliver the car by Feb end or March! All hell broke loose. I couldn’t even keep track of how many people I called up and yelled at. After a very stressful two days, my case was forwarded to the deputy manager and he assured me he would personally see to it that I have a car by the said date. I was in constant touch with him as he presented my issue directly with Volkswagen executives and even they weren’t of much help. Another two days later, he called up and apologized for not being able to get me a car. Instead, he offered to bear half of the price difference between Comfort line and High line if I wanted to take it (they had a 2012 white highline MT in stock). So the deal was made and car made ready for delivery the following week. I can’t thank him enough for his immense help and support. He even went on to taking the TP before the bank transferred the rest of the amount so no further delay would occur and agreed to deliver the car on the agreed date in spite of it being a holiday.

Took delivery of the car on 26th January.

I got 40k taken off the ex-showroom price + 50% discount on B2B insurance and small other discounts = 90k total savings.

Initial Impressions

Drove the car for around 200kms so far.

I like:
• Looks: Agreed looks are subjective but the car has such classic lines you cant really help but admire this beauty.
• Space: There is truck loads of it. With the front seat adjusted to a 5’9 driver, there is still enough legroom at the rear for another 5’9 person to completely stretch his legs.
• It is insanely fun to drive. Any gear, any speed, the car is ready to sprint at your command. You can leave most of the traffic in the dust, and it does it with absolutely no drama. In fact, you have to check the speedo to get any sense of speed.
• Ride: It feels planted at any speed and glides over every imperfection on the road. Low speed ride is a little stiff but never uncomfortable. Suddenly, Indian roads don’t seem all that bad!
• NVH levels are great. Even at considerable speeds, there is hardly any noise inside. You can only hear the engine if you rev real hard.
• I’m not an audiophile but I feel like the OEM ICE is pretty darn good. Comes with a 6 CD changer, aux-in, SD card reader, ipod connector and 8 speakers.
• The fit and finish is impeccable. Build quality is superb. Even though a lot of the plastics are hard to touch, it never feels cheap. The cabin is such a nice place to be in.
• Excellent brakes.
• Back seat recline angle is just perfect for those long drives.
• AC is an absolutely chiller. I don’t really miss the ACC. Even on a hot mid-day, the cabin chills in no time. Plus, I love that the airflow is nicely diffused and doesn’t blow on your face.
• Hill hold feature is brilliant.

Not so great:
• Front center armrest is a showpiece.
• Beige interior certainly looks nice but it’s a nightmare to keep up. Wish I had a different choice of colour.
• Dash is set a tad too high. Most likely, you will end up using the height adjust quite generously and you won’t be left with a lot of headroom.
• The auto headlight comes on way too early.
• The seats are a touch firmer than what I would’ve liked. Having said that, it supports all the right places and is great for long trips.

Some nifty Features:
Press and hold boot open- boot will completely open by itself as if hydraulically assisted.
Press and hold "lock button" to close the windows from outside.
Press and hold "unlock button" to lower the windows from outside.


The odo reads 450 kms now. I have fallen head over heels for this german! On a trip out of the city today, I gave up my driving seat rather reluctantly coz I wanted to check out the rear seat comfort and boy was I in for a surprise! If Altis was the segment bench mark, Jetta beats it hands down (We have a Corolla in the family). You get the impression of being in a more premium sedan, thanks to extremely linear acceleration and superb ride quality. There is hardly any sense of speed. If you listen hard, there is a bit of road noise but I’m told it will go down considerably after a couple thousand Kms.

I will keep updating as I clock in more miles. I also have a few mods planned. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of my ride.
I will upload some more when i get a chance.

[suhaas307]

Note From Team-BHP Support-Team: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Test Drives & Initial Ownership Reports section. Thanks for sharing!

[DeKay]

Mate,
Your car looks amazing and your love for it clearly reflects in your write up! The White color is the best color for the Jetta IMO and if I buy the Jetta in the future, this would be the color I would opt for.

Just out of curiosity, How would you compare the build quality, plastic and overall quality of the Cruze and the Jetta? Since the Cruze LT and the Jetta TL are on my consider list for my next purchase.

[reventon2010]

Mate,
Your car looks amazing. The White color is the best color for the Jetta IMO and if I buy the Jetta in the future, this would be the color I would opt for.

Just out of curiosity, How would you compare the build quality, plastic and overall quality of the Cruze and the Jetta? Since the Cruze LT and the Jetta TL are on my consider list for my next purchase.
__________________

Thanks Dekay.
Between Cruze and Jetta, it's miles apart. Jetta looks and feels much solidly built. I am extremely happy that i picked Jetta over cruze.

[lamboguy]

Aah finally your report is live! Congratulations Reventon2010! You are in for the ride of your life... Literally! Good to know you got a bumper discount! But the thought of a 2 month delay in delivery would have killed me!

I have noticed one thing. Jettas have never been initially considered as a choice in case of most members who own this lady (including me). But just one test drive has been convincing enough for people to finalise on the car!

How much warranty did you get on this? I have still not been intimated about any extended warranty.

Also, LED DRLs are fitted by you or did the dealership help you out? They look really awesome! Please mention where you sourced them from (and the moolah you shelled out ;-) ) . However seeing the hybrid Jetta headlamps has got thinking whether I should go directly for that assembly!

[reventon2010]

Aah finally your report is live! Congratulations Reventon2010! You are in for the ride of your life... Literally! Good to know you got a bumper discount! But the thought of a 2 month delay in delivery would have killed me!

I have noticed one thing. Jettas have never been initially considered as a choice in case of most members who own this lady (including me). But just one test drive has been convincing enough for people to finalise on the car!

How much warranty did you get on this? I have still not been intimated about any extended warranty.

Also, LED DRLs are fitted by you or did the dealership help you out? They look really awesome! Please mention where you sourced them from (and the moolah you shelled out ;-) ) . However seeing the hybrid Jetta headlamps has got thinking whether I should go directly for that assembly!

Thanks....Trust me, waiting any longer would have drove me insane. I asked them about the extended warranty couple times but they didn't have much info at the time. For now, i have the standard 2 year warranty. I am still waiting for them to get back to me about it.
I installed the drls myself. Its a very simple process. Let me know if you need any help in installing it. I got mine from dealextreme.com I think, shipping included came to about Rs.1000.
Loved the new headlamps as well but for the time being, this will have to do.

[dingolphie]

Congratulations. Lovely car and wish you many happy miles with it. Modding it within a week already!! Brave man

[reventon2010]

Congratulations. Lovely car and wish you many happy miles with it. Modding it within a week already!! Brave man

Thanks... I spoke to my dealer about the drls. He assured me just swapping a bulb isn't gonna affect my warranty in any way. Though he didn't say the exact same words, what i got from him is that, even if something does go wrong with the car, as long as it is not caused because of the mods, your warranty should stay intact.

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on the Jetta reventon! I wish you many safe miles in your new car.

How is the Jetta to drive when compared to the Octavia? We were thinking of replacing our car with the Jetta or Laura, your inputs will be of great help.

[reventon2010]

Congrats on the Jetta reventon! I wish you many safe miles in your new car.

How is the Jetta to drive when compared to the Octavia? We were thinking of replacing our car with the Jetta or Laura, your inputs will be of great help.

Thanks. For starters, Jetta is way more powerful than the Octavia (from 90ps to 140ps!), way more spacious and offers much better ride.

[swiftnfurious]

Nice pics! Though some higher resolution pics in broad day light [as well as night] could be uploaded when you get time. It's nice to see that the dealer absorbed 50% of the price difference & I think you did the right thing by opting for the higher variant.

Congrats on the car & Wish you miles of happy & safe motoring!

[Ayedongivadam]

Congrtulations Reventon! Great writeup on a great car you've hit it spot on, Candy White looks absolutely fantastic. I will second Swiftnfurious' request for more pics

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations, lovely color and awesome car. VW are surely built like tank and when one drives them its difficult to tell the speed as there is no external noise or body gymnastics to tell.

The commitment shown by the dealer is also commendable, its a rare deal these days. If the delay is from the manufacturer the dealer usually washes his hands off the deal, blaming the manufacturer for all the ills.

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Congratulations Reventon! Nice car, the white colour with the black sun films looks amazing and the alloys compliment the whole look in a big way. Love these Highline alloys. I always think VW should have retained the climate control in the Jetta (if at all they could have skipped the dual zone one from the previous Jetta)

[reventon2010]

Nice pics! Though some higher resolution pics in broad day light [as well as night] could be uploaded when you get time. It's nice to see that the dealer absorbed 50% of the price difference & I think you did the right thing by opting for the higher variant.

Congrats on the car & Wish you miles of happy & safe motoring!
__________________

Congrtulations Reventon! Great writeup on a great car you've hit it spot on, Candy White looks absolutely fantastic. I will second Swiftnfurious' request for more pics

Congratulations, lovely color and awesome car. VW are surely built like tank and when one drives them its difficult to tell the speed as there is no external noise or body gymnastics to tell.

The commitment shown by the dealer is also commendable, its a rare deal these days. If the delay is from the manufacturer the dealer usually washes his hands off the deal, blaming the manufacturer for all the ills.

Thanks.. I will put some more pics. All these were taken late in the evening but i didn't want wait for another day to put this up. I ll try to get some more with a better background setting as well.
Candy white wasn't my first choice of colour but as soon as i saw it with the black tint on the windows, i'm a fan.
I didn't expect this to be a head turner but everywhere i took this, i have seen people drooling over it (may be the led drls might have helped).

I am extremely happy with my buying experience as well. But one thing, absolutely nothing gets done dealing with your average SE. The only thing i have heard him say so far has been "sorry sir, it can't be done"!