The "new" Jetta....

Is it just me, or does the VW Jetta that they are now advertising all over tv look like an old/soon to be replaced Ford Focus? Wait, the Jetta has wider taillights, but is there any other attempt to make you feel compelled to buy this car, other than the lowish base price?

integraguy wrote: ........other than the lowish base price?

I looked at it on the website and sent the local dealer a note asking if they had the $15,995 model. So they called me.

I never got a straight answer out of the dealer. I asked again and they said they had the new Jetta, manual trans in stock at $17,000.

I actually like the car... and I think VWs are slab sided hulks.

I like the way the Focus looks, but I am a minority.

By favorite new spec from the new Jetta? "Rear Suspension twist beam rear suspension, coil springs, telescopic gas pressurized shock absorbers, stabilizer bar"

Yeah, torsion bar rear and I think the went back to rear drums to keep the price down.

I personaly feel that VW's move to IRS with the A5 cars was just like fords implimentation of the same idea on the mustang.

A good idea but done wrong. I would welcome the return of the lighter, simpler torsion beam if I had any intention of every buying another newer VW.

the twist beam rear axle has served VW well since the beginnings of the FWD era... nothing wrong with it. Change for change's sake is not always good.

They purposefully UN-engineered this car to be cheaper, and for the US only. If GM/Ford/ChryCo did this we'd have a 10-page thread of bashing.

VW took away a multilink IRS for a solid axle, took away rear discs for DRUMS (in 2011, WTF!?!?!?!!!!), and cheapened the interior materials.

Berkeley them and their less-engineered POS just to try sell a few more units because it's "cheaper".

/rant

OMFG! VW is building a Cobalt in the Cobalt price range!!!!

I think VW did the right thing with this car. It has always been too expensive for what it was. VW realized that and have addressed the problem. I don't know if the drums would be cheaper just based on economy of scale but they will work.

Torsion beam should be lighter.

I think VW did the right thing with this car. It has always been too expensive for what it was. VW realized that and have addressed the problem. I don't know if the drums would be cheaper just based on economy of scale but they will work.

Torsion beam should be lighter.

I just saw a VW commercial touting all the "precision German engineering" that went into this car. Makes me sick.

ditchdigger wrote: I personaly feel that VW's move to IRS with the A5 cars was just like fords implimentation of the same idea on the mustang. A good idea but done wrong. I would welcome the return of the lighter, simpler torsion beam if I had any intention of every buying another newer VW.

the Mustang only had IRS on the Cobras for a couple of years in the late 90's- and that setup was pretty much taken straight from the Thunderbird and bolted into the existing rear suspension mounting points that went back to the 78 Fairmont. more than a few Cobra owners threw away the IRS setups and stuck a trusty 8.8" solid axle back there.

is that what you were talking about?

The rear drums would be a plus to me... in my experience, rear disc brakes bring nothing to the party except frequent and expensive repair cost.

Javelin wrote: Berkeley them and their less-engineered POS just to try sell a few more units because it's "cheaper". /rant

That's business for ya. I'd think 'selling units' takes priority over 'making good cars', since it's what keeps the doors open. C'mon domestic bashers, you know you want to say it - "You don't have to make good cars to stay in business! Just look at Ford/GMChrysler..."

Americans are pretty dumb consumers who think they deserve everything. If they want 'fine German engineering' at a Kia price, well, I'm sure VW has no problem slapping their emblem on a dumbed-down turd just to get the herd to sign on the dotted line.

Yes I'm an American, btw... haha

The thing I'd be most worried about is the interior materials. A solid axle and drum brakes do not a bad car make. As long as the car is well built, and functions as it's designed too, I don't see a problem. And if they make it more affordable, what's so wrong? Now if they used a bunch of cut rate stuff, and it's junk, then that's an issue.

Dear god! I hope they don't bring back the "soft touch" coating.

Javelin wrote: I just saw a VW commercial touting all the "precision German engineering" that went into this car. Makes me sick.

They didn't say how old the German engineers were...

Nor does good engineering necessarily imply high tech or advanced.

and who is to say that the "GLI" or whatever the high end sports version of the car will be, will not have disc brake and the euro rear suspenion. I can see a whole new industry being set up to retrofit cars for the dubbers to go GDM with their Jettas

Strange, I started this because I thought the STYLING of the new Jetta looked so boring. It almost makes a Corolla look exciting.

As far as the "de-contenting" to get an attractive sticker price for tv and print ads....I think car makers should be forced to use the same kind of "truth" that they use in their mileage ads. Example: "Finding a car even NEAR this price at your local dealer will be impossible, because VW does not intend to build more than 1 or 2 per year."

At least VW is offering a lower priced / de-contented version, unlike Ford, who used to introduce a car, then with each succeeding model year they de-contented the car to (supposedly?) maintain a certain price or profit.

Platinum90 wrote: Yeah, torsion bar rear and I think the went back to rear drums to keep the price down.

And they brought back the 2-liter crossflow!

ditchdigger wrote: A good idea but done wrong. I would welcome the return of the lighter, simpler torsion beam if I had any intention of every buying another newer VW.

Heh... I got into an e-argument with a Honda True Believer who insisted that Honda putting a twist beam in the Fit was worse than the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Holocaust, and cancellation of Firefly combined.

Basically, him: "rant rant wishbones handle better rant rant"

Me: "Twist beams are cheap, highly space-efficient, and 99% of the driving public don't even know which end drives the car, let alone care about the suspension"

Him: "rant rant anecdotes about some tin-top racing"

NOHOME wrote: The rear drums would be a plus to me... in my experience, rear disc brakes bring nothing to the party except frequent and expensive repair cost.

...I'm not the only one? Awesome.

I can't say that I hate rear disc brakes. I make a lot of money replacing them frequently. They almost never wear out, they sieze into uselessness long before that. But I guess nonfunctional discs are still better than drum brakes that can basically be ignored for 100-200k miles. (At least on Corollas)

I can't say I have ever had a problem with rear disc brakes.. rear drums I have had problems with.