[abhilashgp]

This is the story of how I started with buying an automatic small car and ended up with a premium sedan.

Current Profile & Usage
I had a 2011 Honda City 1.5 SMT with about 25K km on the odometer. It was used for daily office travel and 3-4 long distance journeys a year. The number of long distance drives would sometimes increase.

Reason for Change
It all started with a job change. My new work place doubled my regular travel distance to about 30 km daily. With the infamous traffic jams, a one way travel time of 45-60 mins could be expected. Hence, I decided to get an automatic for myself. Long distance travel was about 2,000 km per trip, about 3-4 times a year. I was OK with a petrol car for this profile.

Strategy 1 - Small and Big
My decision was to keep the Honda City and buy a small automatic car for the city. I was quite convinced about this decision, though I hadn't thought of how much running the Honda City will get in this case. I scouted for small automatic cars and shortlisted the following:
a. Nissan Micra
b. Honda Brio
c. Polo GT TSI

Maruti and Hyundai products weren't shortlisted as I didn't like their looks, equipment levels, lack of safety features and my plain bias against them.

Nissan Micra CVT - The most practical city car with good equipment levels. I like this car. The only con is the non-enthusiastic driving experience it offers. It is very good for non-aggressive driving.
Honda Brio AT - A good car with a nice seating position, but not a winner as it doesn't offer the latest tech and comes with a torque converter. Also has a long waiting period.
Polo GT TSI - Amazing was the word! An enthusiast’s dream and excellent build quality.

I decided to go for Polo GT TSI which had a waiting period of 6-8 months. I wasn't convinced about this decision as 6 months was too long a time. However, I ended up booking a GT TSI with VW Whitefield (as their booking amount was only Rs. 5K compared to Rs. 50K by Palace Cross).

This was also where I experienced the dealership quality of VW in Bangalore. Most VW dealers were quite sad in terms of their call backs, test drive and booking experience. The better one was VW Palace Cross who gave unlimited test drives of the car at my convenience and at my place. VW Bangalore didn't have any GT TSI. VW Whitefield gave test drives but only on a predefined 2 km route around their showroom.

I ended up waiting for a month after my GT TSI booking when two things happened.
1. I started thinking about the status of my Honda City post GT TSI purchase. My wife wanted a small car and not the City.
2. A few Team-BHP threads started drawing my attention to the D1 segment.

Strategy 2 - Next level Big
Here the plan was to exchange the Honda City and go for a bigger car - one that will suit city and highway driving.

My criteria was as below (in order of precedence):
a. Convenience (automatic)
b. Build & good safety
c. Good suspension
d. Enthusiastic in throttle response

My shortlist in this segment (all automatic variants) were the following:
Toyota Corolla G 1.8 CVT
Hyundai Elantra (Top Model)
Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI Elegance [Added based on suggestions by Team-BHP members]
VW Jetta 2.0 TDI DSG Highline [Added based on suggestions by Team-BHP members]

Toyota Corolla 1.8 G CVT:
Pros -
- Good suspension
- Smooth engine (silky smooth)
- Legendary reliability
- Cheap post sales service
- Good mileage for a petrol of this size
- G CVT trim is good value for money
Cons -
- Not great handling
- Lack of safety features (no ESP, only 2 airbags)
- Rubber band effect on aggressive driving

Hyundai Elantra
Pros -
- Equipment levels (ESP, 6 airbags, ventilated seats)
- Good post sales coverage
Cons -
- Below average handling
- Extremely sensitive steering
- Rubber band effect (don't understand why a torque converter auto box should have a rubber band effect)

VW Jetta 2.0 TDI DSG Highline
Pros -
- Excellent build quality
- Safety (ESP, 6 airbags)
- Enthusiastic Engine
- Efficient engine with diesel economy
- Good interiors
Cons -
- Price
- VW service based on my experience with the GT TSI
- Stiffer suspension, tricky on bad roads at slow speeds
- Slight (really slight) turbo lag while starting or quick acceleration

Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI Elegance
Pros -
- Excellent Build Quality
- Safety
- Enthusiastic Engine [Note: I haven't taken a test drive, this is just basis reviews that I've read]
- Interiors a notch above Jetta
Cons -
- Price
- Skoda dealers didn't give a test drive despite multiple calls

I ruled out the Elantra in no time. The Skoda Octavia was again out due to lack of interest from dealer and as I didn't get to do a test drive it. I had to choose between the Toyota Corolla and the VW Jetta.

The Corolla was really a car that a Honda City owner can naturally progress to as they both had similar philosophies. The Corolla is a Honda City done better and bigger. It was tough to rule out the Corolla especially considering the price. Toyota dealers were very friendly and inspired confidence. Also, since I had back problems, the soft suspension was really welcome. I was *almost* close to give a miss to safety and enthusiastic driving and go for the Corolla when few BHPians changed my perspective. The BIGGEST con still was the lack of safety features, which was something I couldn't live with on a car of this price/segment.

At this point I was definitely sure of not buying a small car (strategy 1) and was convinced to go for one in the premium segment (strategy 2).

Final Winner - VW Jetta 2.0 TDI Highline DSG Reflex Silver
I had taken test drives of the Jetta in Bangalore city and found it convenient.

The roads around my home and till my office are in good shape and hence the thought of living with the stiff suspension on the Jetta didn't bother me. The turbo lag as I understood from others was a thing to get used to. Besides you always had an option to re-tune (if it became that big an issue).

Now, the main reason I still wasn't convinced about the Jetta was its high price and the dealer experience. I went through multiple reviews by iliketurtles, graaja, Sanjubose, Chetan B G etc and found them raving about the car. It was a driver's car and was a good package with features only otherwise available in higher segments.

I didn't take the 2015 Jetta mainly due to a potentially higher price, no discounts and a look that I didn't really appreciate. Moreover, since it would take 4-5 months, I decided to go for the current Jetta.

Colour Selection

Initially I wanted to go for Toffee Brown, but then decided against it and went for a maintenance-free colour. Hence, I chose Reflex Silver.

Booking Experience

Thanks to Sanjubose & Chetan B G, I approached VW Mysore. It was the start of an excellent experience. They inspired confidence and soon I found that the only con for Jetta was the price. VW Mysore helped reach a much better pricing than available in Bangalore. Finally, I decided to take the plunge and called VW Mysore to get me a silver car. They booked the car and picked up one from the last lot of the current Jetta. I paid an advance of Rs 2L and the final on-road price was Rs. 22.6L.

[Please PM me for the pricing details]

Within 5 days of booking, I get a call from Harsha (CEO, VW Mysore) that the car will reach the next day from Aurangabad; I can do the PDI with VW technicians and take delivery of the car the same day. It was a pleasant shock as I had never thought of getting my hands on the car so soon. I was still in dreaming phase . I rushed to the bank to get the loan and DD for the pending amount ready and planned my visit to Mysore the next day. I wasn’t even in my senses that day - was that thrilled!

Delivery Day
8:30am: The dealer sent a Passat to take us to reach Mysore. It reached half an hour before the promised time and soon we were on the road to Mysore.

11:30am: We reached Mysore.

As we reached, they had just unloaded the car from the truck and had kept it ready for PDI. The VW technicians were waiting for me to start. First I was shown around their facility and introduced to the key people. They have a young and vibrant team.

Soon I was for the PDI with the technicians. We went over the VW checklist. The technicians were very sharp and informative with their answers. Let me show you a few pictures now.

First step was to connect the car with the on-board diagnostic system to change the car from Transfer mode to Regular mode and enable few features.

That's me doing the PDI with VW technicians:


Checking for any errors and moving the car to regular mode via OBD:


Post PDI, they took the car for a trial drive (which I didn't join). Instead, I had an amazing non-veg lunch that the VW guys had arranged from the famed Military hotels in Mysore.

Post lunch we had a few formalities around invoicing and temp registration. Then I handed over the gifts that I had got from Bangalore for the VW guys.

They got a cake for us to celebrate with "Happy Motoring" written on it:


It was time to unwrap the car:


Removed the cover to reveal the car:


Side-rear view:


Interior:


We filled a full tank of diesel from the Shell pump opposite the showroom and started for Bangalore by 5 pm and reached home by 8 pm. It was an excellent experience and a memorable day.

Accessories
Mats: 3D Kagu mats were out of stock, so, I checked the original imported Jetta rubber mats. I found them to be of really high quality and decided to pick them up.

Tyres: I was originally thinking of changing the tyres to Michelin Primacy 3ST, but then didn't find the Good Years noisy on the drive from Mysore to Bangalore. More so, I had already clocked 160 km on the drive from Mysore and realised that I wouldn't get a good price. Hence, I decided to keep them.

Mud flaps: The VW guys discouraged the use of mud flaps as they said the car can handle mud / dirt. I too felt that they would spoil the look of the Jetta and hence, dropped them off the list.

Update
ODO reading: 2,500 km (post a Bangalore-Kerala trip)

Exterior & Build

The car does look like the Vento at a cursory glance, but the perception is changed almost immediately due to its larger size (both length and width).

Front view:


Rear view. Looks very similar to an Audi. Love the black underpins on the bumper:


Side view. The alloys are great looking:


The build quality is excellent. The car comes with a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. The doors are heavy and need some effort to close.

Features Review

Big chunky steering wheel is a delight to hold. I also love the grippy one on the Corolla.


Driver's view is one of the best I've experienced. Note how you can see the bonnet and the dashboard kind of disappears from view:


ORVM view. Aspherical, i.e. it is folded at its edge for a better view:


Controls being placed at an angle takes some time to get used to. One can set a different position of the outer rear view mirror for reversing:


ORVM don't fold fully and doesn't fold automatically (would have been a good feature)


Artificial leather is not as comfortable as original leather, but better than fabric. I think it is a glaring omission to not provide leather. I wouldn't have had a problem paying extra for genuine leather, but we cannot replace the seat cover as there are airbags in the seat:


Seats are contoured in the right places and feel comfortable. The length of the seat could have been longer to provide better support for my thighs. Helps the driver find a good position. Lack of memory setting is a dampener (especially when a valet parking attendant changes the seat adjustment). But works fine for me:



The DSG lever - one of the awesome bits in the car:


Really useful arm rest. Big for both driver and passenger to use. Can be adjusted for length and height:


Dead pedal is small, would've preferred a larger one akin to the Corolla. You get used to it, so it's not a big problem. The organ type accelerator pedal needs some getting used to. I generally keep my foot at a straight line to the brakes and at an angled position towards the accelerator:


Bi-xenon lamps are one of the most useful features in the car. In my opinion Xenons are a must. They are really bright. Love the cornering lights:


Auto activates the automatic headlights. Magically headlight get activated at dusk / dawn or in basements. The Auto mode is a little sensitive though and I find the car lights getting switched on even when it is unnecessary, like very early dusk:


Auto wiper is useful when the rain is intermittent. Sometimes the small drizzles aren't sensed (again not a big problem):


The cruise control stick. This is useful on some of the expressways (Bangalore - Trivandrum, Bangalore - Mumbai etc.). It takes some time to get used to:


The day / night mirror is extremely convenient. No more turning the knob to keep a mirror in night mode. It automatically dims the lights at night. Would've loved this feature on the outside rear view mirrors as well.

Entertainment system & Bluetooth connectivity
The car comes with 8 speakers, with the tweeters neatly packed into the A pillars. The audio quality is good for novices (like me). Connecting the car Bluetooth to the iPhone is a breeze. It automatically detects and connects when the phone is in range. The music system automatically switches off when a call is made or received. The music system sound dimming when car is slotted into reverse is a nice safety feature.

Drivability
I love the DSG transmission. It is highly dependent on throttle inputs. I never have to use it other than to push it to Park or Neutral (while waiting at long traffic lights). I almost never use the tiptronic or paddle shifts. City driving has become stress-free. I highly recommended going for the automatic. The best part is the lack of any rubber band effect (though there is a slight turbo lag in the beginning, but you get used to it). The con to this is the reliability of DSG transmissions. I have taken an extended warranty to contain the risk.

Suspension & Ride Quality
The suspension has a stiff setting. Really bad roads makes themselves felt in the cabin especially at low speeds. At normal speeds it just feels like gliding and undulations on the road don't bother at all.

Interior Space
Driver: The seating position is comfortable. With the 12-way adjustable seats, you can find your sweet spot easily. The organ type accelerator pedal needs getting used to. The armrest is big for the driver and passenger and can be adjusted for length and height. There is almost no issue at my height with the car's ceiling (I'm 5'11), though once in a while I bang my head against the sunglass storage unit.
Front Passenger: Excellent leg room. Lumbar support (albeit manual) is an awesome feature. The passenger can set another temperature than the driver.
Rear Seat: The leg room is good and the AC vents ensure uniform cooling. The windows are airy but the rear hump turns the into a comfortable 4-seater (as opposed to a 5-seater like the Corolla).

Handling
The car proves its worth in high speed handling. It can take corners at 80 kmph with ease. The braking is sharp and predictable. Potholes / bad roads at high speeds don't impact the car movement / direction. I've heard that with more advanced tyres (such as Michelin Primacy 3ST) braking distance can be further reduced. I will try this once the current set wears out. The steering weighs well enough at high speeds to give good feedback and in the city it is light for effortless driving. You can easily reach triple digit speeds without realizing. There is no impact of cross-winds.

Fuel Efficiency
City: normal traffic - 12-14 kmpl, bumper to bumper traffic - 9-11 kmpl
Highway: @110kmph - 17-19 kmpl

Key positives - summary
1. Powerful performance, power is always available when you need it.
2. Effortless driving, DSG always does the trick. Performance depends on the throttle inputs.
3. Good driving dynamics. The car is stable at high speeds.
4. Good fuel efficiency.
5. Plush interiors.
6. High build quality.
7. Bi-xenon headlamps are really bright.
8. Good equipment (auto day / night mirror, auto headlights, auto wipers).
9. Cornering lights (useful in both city and unlit roads).
10. Hill hold is just excellent especially for those basement exits in office / apartments.
11. Safety features - 6 airbags + electronic stability

Key negatives - summary
1. Slight turbo lag at the beginning
2. It's still a diesel and the NVH levels are definitely higher than a petrol (compared to a Corolla), but not as bad as other diesels.
3. Stiff suspension. Tricky while negotiating potholes and horrible roads.
4. Lack of a keyless entry.
5. Lack of auto-dimming ORVM.
6. Length of the car makes it tough to navigate / park in narrow city roads.
7. Lack of good service centers in Bangalore.
8. Lack of original leather.
9. Dead pedal doesn't support the foot completely (like in a Corolla).
10. All-beige interiors makes it tough to maintain (especially for those with kids).
11. Presence of hump for the 5th rear passenger.

City Driving Experience - Verdict: Good
- Convenience is outstanding. The car is super comfortable to drive in bumper to bumper traffic.
- Fuel economy is good for a car of this size.
- Excellent noise insulation (I take calls in the car all the time).
- Exiting sloping side roads (lots of such scenarios exist in Bangalore) is made super easy by hill hold.
- Can handle most of the badly designed speed breakers because of the stiff suspension.
- It's not excellent due to its stiff suspension and the large size, which makes city driving not exactly a breeze.

Highway driving experience - Verdict: Excellent
- Engine has two characters. Can be a subtle fuel efficient system or an aggressive system to make a quick progress. It just zooms!
- Fuel economy is excellent for its size.
- Confidence-inspiring handling.
- Car performs very well in the hills, the DSG always keeps the car in the right gear depending on the load, which means no frustration.
- Stiff suspension doesn't matter as at high speeds the suspension is at its best.
- Braking is spot-on, without any issues.

Minor Problems
- Once in my native place, the ORVM was closed, but I found it opened after a few hours. No manual opening suspected.
- After a period of bumper to bumper driving, I find the engine sound to be at a (slight) higher frequency when stretched in D2. Unsure if it's even a problem.
- Disc brakes makes some sound when wet / cold.

Detailing
- I haven't given the car for detailing. After some research on Team-BHP I'm thinking of giving it only after a year.
- The car has been washed only at the car spa with pressure washers once a week.
- No daily washing / using dusters.

Fuel
I've been filling diesel only from Shell (Bellandur) for now. The FE numbers are good enough for me to explore another alternative. I'll keep updating the experience.

After Sales Experience
I've purchased extended warranty and RSA for 3rd & 4th year. As usual the experience was excellent. The whole process was done remotely and the certificates were sent to me as scanned copies.

[rutvij]

Congratulations!
Wish you happy motoring and joyful experience of ownership. Your journey from small automatic to Jetta is interesting!

It seems that the dealer is indeed going out of way to provide best customer service to its clients. Keep posting your experiences.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abhilashgp

Cons
- A little big to easily park around in smaller roads.
- Leatherette is not as comfortable as Original leather that I had on the ANHC
- Really bad roads makes itself felt-

Congratulations on the Jetta. Wising you million of safe and niggle-free ownership review with the Jetta.

The DSG is the best part of the car. I have driven one that a BHPian friend has. Such a classic car and the engine is beautiful.

Agree with the 'Cons' that you listed.

Anurag.

[Amarendranath]

Welcome to the family Buddy!! Wish you miles of happy, safe and niggle free ownership. Many Many congratulations on the buy!

Man i really envy the way you got your car delivered. Red velvet and in style! Mine was very sober. I'm currenlty on a trip and theoughly enjoying the car. Trust me, you will have no regrets, save for a few thuds here and there.

And ya i gave PDI a skip. Only hope that the trusted guys at VW did justice to me. Kudos to your patience!

Have fun!

[Leoshashi]

Heartiest congratulations on the car. Wising you millions of safe and niggle-free miles

One query- What is the Regular Mode on the OBD which you mentioned??

Regards,
Shashi

[zombiedriver]

Congratulations, it's a beautiful car to drive and I'm sure you will make some very good memories throughout your ownership. I liked the suspension over that of the octavia because the jetta has the multi link rear suspension hence less bumpier and better handling over the octavia.
I didn't know the jetta is due for an upgrade, hope they finally decide to give a USB slot in it 😀.
Looking forward to hearing more about how it fares over time. Cheers!

[abhilashgp]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Heartiest congratulations on the car. Wising you millions of safe and niggle-free miles

One query- What is the Regular Mode on the OBD which you mentioned??

Regards,
Shashi

Post manufacturing & testing VW puts the car in Transfer mode. In this mode the onboard computer disables a lot of features in the car. I don't remember all the features which are disabled, but some are Music system, lot of electricals etc. The driver display will say it is in Transfer mode.

Once the car reaches the dealer, they switch it back from transfer to regular mode and all is back to normal.

To transfer it back, VW guys keys in the chassis number to get a password and keys in that password via the software connected to OBD.

My guess is it maybe a way for VW to know when a car has been enabled for the customer.

[abhilashgp]

Originally Posted by zombiedriver

Congratulations, it's a beautiful car to drive and I'm sure you will make some very good memories throughout your ownership. I liked the suspension over that of the octavia because the jetta has the multi link rear suspension hence less bumpier and better handling over the octavia.
I didn't know the jetta is due for an upgrade, hope they finally decide to give a USB slot in it 😀.
Looking forward to hearing more about how it fares over time. Cheers!

Thanks dude!

I think the Octavia 1.8 TSI comes with multi-link suspension in the rear. Its the Diesel Octavia that misses the multi-link.

Frankly, I don't miss the USB. SD Card is good enough if you have a laptop that accepts one (mine does)

[zombiedriver]

Oh yes, my bad. The octavia tsi does come with the multi link. I was comparing it with the diesel because that's the one I TD'd

[BackInTheFold]

Congrats on the car. Good move getting it in Mysore. Sanjib and I did so earlier this year and the experience was great. Harsha is a great guy to deal with and a pleasant change from the usual dealers.

Two cents: buy extended warranty as soon as you can. I drove a Laura DSG before the Jetta and just read about Anshuman's troubles with his failed transmission, the same used in the Jetta. I chose to buy the manual since extended warranty was not offered at that time. Extended warranty = peace of mind.

Enjoy your car!

[iliketurtles]

Ah nice to see you put a thread up Abhilash! Was a pleasure to read through.

I thought my dealership experience was pretty nice and then you come along with a story like this! Like I told you earlier, VW Mysore really pulled out all the stops to make you a happy customer. Kudos to them, wish I was in Bangalore so I could visit them and see what everyone is raving about.

I do feel you should have changed those tires though. They won't be as noisy now, but wait till you hit 10-15k kilometers, that's when they start singing!

The car looks beautiful in silver. Enjoy her for many many more miles. Congrats on the Jetta once again!

[shinuak]

Congrats on your new German beauty !
I had a question on the choice of dealer, was it that superior an experience when compared to the guys in Bangalore. Is it only for the pricing or customer experience as well ? The way the car was delivered to you shows that they are committed in giving a good experience. Any idea if they will be as generous if i go for a Vento purchase from them ? . The reason why I asked this is because i feel VW folks in Bangalore to be very dull.

[abhilashgp]

Originally Posted by shinuak

Congrats on your new German beauty !
I had a question on the choice of dealer, was it that superior an experience when compared to the guys in Bangalore. Is it only for the pricing or customer experience as well ? The way the car was delivered to you shows that they are committed in giving a good experience. Any idea if they will be as generous if i go for a Vento purchase from them ? The reason why I asked this is because i feel VW folks in Bangalore to be very dull.

Thanks!

I don't think that should change with different cars or customers. The experience is not isolated to me. Few other team-bhpians have had good experiences as well.

Go ahead and chat with Harsha from VW Mysore. Use this as a reference.

Cheers,
Abhilash

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by shinuak

Congrats on your new German beauty !
I had a question on the choice of dealer, was it that superior an experience when compared to the guys in Bangalore. Is it only for the pricing or customer experience as well ? The way the car was delivered to you shows that they are committed in giving a good experience. Any idea if they will be as generous if i go for a Vento purchase from them ? . The reason why I asked this is because i feel VW folks in Bangalore to be very dull.

I'd recommend them hands down for the overall experience and a good deal. Please PM me if you need more details or references. Disclaimer: I have no commercial interests or affiliation with them whatsoever