The Bora replacement is already an established hit in the States where it has been on the market for over a year. Because of the high demand for left hookers the three-box car i.e. engine, cabin and boot has only been on sale here since the start of the year.
Hot on the heels of the excellent Passat (runner up in the Semperit Irish Car of the Year 2006) Jetta features a few new tricks like LED indicators, massive 527 litre boot and a 1.6 FSi engine in the range that is both frugal and fairly nippy.
The exterior gets a smart grill to help distinguish it from a VW Golf and a curvy bonnet. Side-on the car looks Passat-like as does the rear view. The exterior is smart and business-like if not overly exciting. Sales charts time and time again tell us that it's this average look that most people want.
So the inside must be exciting then? Eh, No. Sadly the interior of my entry-level test car shows none of the class of the larger Passat. The dash is pure VW and logical while the quality of plastics used is as ever good, but there is no design spark to give owners bragging rights.
VW has a good reputation for build quality of late but my test car has a couple of gremlins like the steering column that is a little noisy, particularly when turning to the left. However, the big surprise is the dash that squeaks on most B roads.
The Jetta uses the Golf’s underpinnings but is stiffer all round. It rides on pretty fat tyres (205/55 R16s) as standard so adhesion is good but the ride quality is a little too firm for the way I wanted to drive my 1.6 (102bhp).
The speed sensitive power-steering weights up nicely at speed but provides little in the way of feedback. VW is keen to place the Jetta just as it tried to do with the Bora in the sporty driver’s car sector but really, VW, you need to get a grip as no one is going to buy a Jetta to tear up the road or take the long way home despite the new four-link rear axle!
The four engine range features two petrol 1.6 litre units with outputs of 102bhp and 115bhp (FSi) and two diesels namely a 1.9 TDi with 105bhp and a 140bhp 2 litre TDi. Entry, Comfortline and Sportline are the three specification levels and are familiar to all VW owners. 'Winter', 'Mirror' and 'Ride Comfort' packs make up the options list.
Prices start at €23,575 for the entry level 1.6 litre petrol and rise to €34,750 for the 'Comfortline' 2 litre TDi 5 Automatic.
Despite the clever names of Bora, and before that Vento, neither car gained the cult status of the original Jetta and while the new car is clearly a solid investment, competition is a lot hotter now for the newcomer.
Jetta is a big car but priced far to close to its bigger brother and other D sector cars, like the Avensis etc, to be a runaway sales success.
Michael Sheridan
