- Dec 12, 2000
- 25,505
- 10,146
- 136
All I can say is...I'm impressed! I went with a friend to look at a used VW and while at the dealership I sat inside the new Jetta. The interior is NICE! Of course they had a loaded one in the showroom with wood and leather.
But then I asked for a test drive, and we drove a 2.5 with 6-speed (Tiptronic) and the standard interior. There are no cloth seats!!! Even standard it comes with a faux leather which is still much more comfortable than cloth (but not as supple as the real leather.)
Standard, the Jetta comes equipped with heated seats, climate control, trip computer, security and a 6-cd changer with MP3 playback. It also has front and side airbags (no curtains). Outside, the standard features continue with ABS, traction and stability control. All this for $24k (only $2k more than what my last 4-cyl Accord cost, but with more stuff.)
The engine is NICE...its only rated at 150hp but it feels BIGGER! I think it has 180lbs-ft of torque (inline 5)...I think the 6-speed tranny is what made the difference in how it felt. Mind you I didn't get a chance to take it on the highway but it is plenty quick off the line at a stoplight.
My only complaint I had was my long legs didn't seem to fit all that nicely under the steering column, but then again I didn't spend much time adjusting the seats (if there's a height adjustment I didn't find it, and that would have made all the difference.) The car also didn't seem as wide as it should have--on the inside its about as narrow as its predecessor, and I felt it in the seats.
By far the biggest surprise is the amount of value VW packed into this little car. It will DEFINATELY make me think twice about buying another Accord. I'm not in the market for a car yet, so I won't have to worry about VW quality problems in the 1st year when I start looking. All you sport freaks should know that when the GLI hits this summer, a DSG sequential manual tranny will be an option with the 200hp engine.
But then I asked for a test drive, and we drove a 2.5 with 6-speed (Tiptronic) and the standard interior. There are no cloth seats!!! Even standard it comes with a faux leather which is still much more comfortable than cloth (but not as supple as the real leather.)
Standard, the Jetta comes equipped with heated seats, climate control, trip computer, security and a 6-cd changer with MP3 playback. It also has front and side airbags (no curtains). Outside, the standard features continue with ABS, traction and stability control. All this for $24k (only $2k more than what my last 4-cyl Accord cost, but with more stuff.)
The engine is NICE...its only rated at 150hp but it feels BIGGER! I think it has 180lbs-ft of torque (inline 5)...I think the 6-speed tranny is what made the difference in how it felt. Mind you I didn't get a chance to take it on the highway but it is plenty quick off the line at a stoplight.
My only complaint I had was my long legs didn't seem to fit all that nicely under the steering column, but then again I didn't spend much time adjusting the seats (if there's a height adjustment I didn't find it, and that would have made all the difference.) The car also didn't seem as wide as it should have--on the inside its about as narrow as its predecessor, and I felt it in the seats.
By far the biggest surprise is the amount of value VW packed into this little car. It will DEFINATELY make me think twice about buying another Accord. I'm not in the market for a car yet, so I won't have to worry about VW quality problems in the 1st year when I start looking. All you sport freaks should know that when the GLI hits this summer, a DSG sequential manual tranny will be an option with the 200hp engine.
Great car otherwise 
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