The Amazing Mid-Sized Volkswagen Jetta
Posted by admin on 16th October 2011
Roger Donovan asked:
Back during the late 1970s, Volkswagen began to realize that they had a bit of a problem on their hands: the VW Rabbit/Golf was a fine vehicle, but it lacked an important body part which many American drivers desired: a trunk. Yes, the hatchback craze never did quite well in the US market as motorists couldn’t get used to having all of their personal stuff covered over by what resembled a tarp. Instead, sales of competing sedans kept Rabbit sales down until VW decided to develop a second model, the Jetta, to fill the gap. What was originally a model based on the Rabbit has now been transformed into an amazing mid-sized sedan in its own right. Read on and we’ll take a look at how the Volkswagen Jetta transformed the middle of VW’s line up.
At first glance, if you viewed the original Jetta you would have insisted it was nothing more than a Rabbit with a trunk slapped on the back of the car. In reality, it was. Not until 1985 when the second generation Jetta came out, did Volkswagen attempt to separate the two models to create distinct model lines. Although some base engine offerings remained the same, the new Jetta was longer and wider than the predecessor, enabling it to be categorized as a mid-size car. Indeed, the Jetta was so popular in the North American market that it easily outsold the Rabbit for many years. Today, the Jetta shares some components with the larger Passat instead of the smaller Volkswagen EOS.
The amazing thing about the current Jetta is its price. Most mid-sized cars start closer to $20,000 while VW has made certain that the Jetta is competitively priced to compete with similar models from Hyundai, Nissan, and Toyota. With a starting price of about $16,500 the Jetta comes with such nice to have features as: power side mirrors with blinkers; an independent rear suspension; a gas powered five cylinder engine; 8 way programmable seats; and upscale styling. Indeed, the current Jetta has an optional rain sensing wiper system; available 16 inch alloy wheels; power sunroof; dual zone climate control; and much more. Even as a better equipped $20,000 model the Jetta competes effectively with the highly popular Toyota Camry, giving consumers reason to consider the Jetta all the more so.
What has helped Jetta sales immensely in the past year is its diesel model. Sporting a 1.9L turbo diesel engine, the Jetta TDI has come in very handy for motorists shocked at paying more than $3.00 per gallon for gasoline recently. Yes, with a diesel aspirated engine powering the Jetta, motorists can expect to get more than 40 miles to the gallon when taking interstate trips. Although fuel prices have dropped considerably since, the Jetta TDI remains popular as its new pump injector system puts out more horsepower and torque than ever before.
Truly, the Volkswagen Jetta has matured and evolved keeping pace with changing customer tastes, budgets, and high fuel prices. No wonder that the Jetta is easily the best selling Volkswagen in the U.S. market far outselling even the budget priced Rabbit.
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