G14 AUTOMOTIVE THE CAR PAGES A graceful ride back down to earth T houston
here was a problem. The 2011 Nissan Juke crossover-utility
model I planned to write about this week was
unavailable. It wasmy fault, a case of irrational expectations. It seemsmy powers are limited. I ask for certain cars. But they don’t necessarily come when I want them, which is not a bad thing. The global automobile industry is hyper-
competitive. Companies fight for every chance to push their products ahead.Word got out thatmy promised delivery of a Juke was a joke. “Does that mean you have time for our car?” a
Volkswagen representative said. Of course, it did, especially inasmuch as theVW
model in question was the 2011 Jetta 2.5 SEL sedan. The Jetta has been around in various iterations
since 1979, when it was little more than a notchback version (traditionally styled sedan with trunk) of aVolkswagenGolf hatchback. It was a knee-jerk design modification made in obeisance to themyth that Americans hate hatchbacks. But a then-growing sense of economic well-
being in theUnited States, fueled by deceptively easy credit, highlighted a retail truth: People who think they can afford nicer things tend to demand what they think they can afford. The once-homely Jetta thus acquired the
interior of a more expensive Audi. There were soft- touch vinyl plastics, supple leathers and “pleather,” which is vinyl engineered to resemble supple leather when buyers deem real leather too expensive, or possibly offensive to animal rights. Irrational economic exuberance brought other
luxury touches, including hydraulic hinges that seemed to allow trunk lids end engine hoods to float up and remain aloft when open, as if by magic. In terms of performance, the Jetta of Leveraged
Affluence was given a multi-link rear suspension that made it handle like a much more expensive car. Also, four-wheel disc brakes were selected over the more pedestrian front-wheel-disc, rear-wheel- drum brake arrangement. But good times disappeared with easy credit.
Tight money gave rise to calls for “value,” which, in the parlance of the automobile industry, translates to cost cutting, or what some marketers call “de- contenting.” In the real world, you and I understand “de- contenting” as “you get what you pay for.” That’s okay as long as whatwe get is good, which is what we get with the 2011 Jetta 2.5 SEL and its now- available Jetta S and SE siblings. The Audi-type interior is gone. But so is the
Audi-type price. The base 2011 Jetta S, for example, starts at $15,995, nearly $2,000 less than the 2010 Jetta S, which has a base price of $17,735. But you get what you pay for. That means a less luxurious, but still very good, interior in terms of fit and finish. It means disc brakes up front and drum brakes in the rear on the Jetta S. It also means a 2-liter in-line four-cylinder
engine (115 horsepower, 125 foot-pounds of torque)
Bottom line: That sounds like the opening of a Washington-lobbying push, one that could result in something good — more-fuel-efficient diesel vehicles sold and fueled at more reasonable prices. Until then, car companies such as Volkswagen will continue tinkering with their gasoline models — taking content out here and adding it there in hopes of coming up with a price-value equation more acceptable to today’s consumers.
Ride, acceleration and handling: Good marks in all three. This car isn’t as much “fun to drive” as the 2010 model. But it’s nowhere near boring, either.
Head-turning quotient: The loud, chrome-nosed front fascia has been replaced by a more sedate, more Audi- like face. It’s a clever ploy — the sophisticated exterior of an Audi with more of the economy of a Volkswagen.
Body style/layout: The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta remains a compact (albeit slightly larger than for 2010) front- engine, front-wheel-drive, unitized-construction sedan. Currently available models include the truly spartan Jetta Base (beginning at $14,995), the more acceptable S, and the popularly equipped SE and SEL. A new, diesel-powered Jetta TDi version is expected by next spring.
VOLKSWAGEN
WARREN BROWN On Wheels
in the 2011 Jetta S, compared with a 2.5-liter, inline five-cylinder engine (170 horsepower, 177 foot- pounds of torque) in the 2010 version of the car. Understandably, to some, it might appear that
Volkswagen is moving backward with its Jetta. But a week’s worth of driving the top-of-the-line Jetta 2.5 SEL reveals something else—more rational pricing and marketing. As its name suggests, the newJetta 2.5 SEL
driven for this column comes with the larger, more powerful five-cylinder engine. That car also gets solid disc brakes front and rear and a base price of $22,495. I miss the more sophisticated handling offered by the multi-link rear suspension of the 2010 Jetta.
But the less costly torsion-beam rear suspension in the 2011 version works well in a car that originally was intended to be an affordable, compact family sedan. Volkswagen is planning to introduce an advanced, direct-injection diesel version of its new Jetta, probably in the spring of 2011. And along with the expected higher price of that one, we’ll probably get an upgraded suspension and other goodies. The introduction of the newJetta diesel and
similar offerings from rival manufacturers could be helped by something under consideration here in Houston and other places where the production and sale of oil and gas is taken seriously. The world’s leading oil companies are in informal talks with the world’s leading automobile manufacturers to rationalize the pricing of diesel fuel and gasoline—that is, to find away to shift more consumer demand to diesel technology, which is 30 percent more efficient than gasoline. “We know something like this has got to be
done,” a top executive of a major oil company said in a background meeting here. “But it’s going to be awfully expensive for us; and we are going to need some help to do it.”
brownw@washpost.com
Engine/transmission: Standard equipment is a 2.5- liter, 20-valve, in-line five-cylinder gasoline engine that develops amaximum 170 horsepower and 177 foot- pounds of torque. It is mated to a six-speed transmission that can be shifted automatically or manually.
Capacities: There are seats for five. Maximum trunk space is 15.5 cubic feet. Fuel capacity is 14.5 gallons of gasoline (regular is recommended).
Mileage: My real-world mileage on Washington- Baltimore highways was 31 miles per gallon, on target with federal mileage ratings. But my city performance was 21 mpg, three miles per gallon below federal ratings.
Safety: Standard equipment includes front and rear solid disc brakes, four-wheel anti-lock brake protection, emergency braking assistance, electronic stability and traction control, and side and head air bags.
Price: The base price of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 SEL is $22,495. Dealer invoice price on that model is $21,595. Price as tested is $23,500, including $235 for carpet mats and a $770 destination charge. Dealer invoice price as tested is $22,550. Compare with Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla.
6 Nextweek: The humongous, kick-butt, pull-anything
2011 Ford F-350 crew-cab diesel pickup truck. 3
washingtonpost.com/cars: Search a database of past reviews, and get the latest auto news.
NUTS&BOLTS 2011 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 SEL
OPQRS
BD
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