New VW Jetta

[Lebowski]

Terrible

[12,000 RPM]

Based on what I'm reading from the gallery, it will sell well then?

No, IIRC this is the top selling compact car here:

This thing looks like a Chinese knockoff of a Hyundai and a Chevy Cruze. Mostly inoffensive, but there's something about it that I just can't quite put my finger on that says "cheap".

It's the whole rear half of the car. The spindly little wheels+tires combined with the acreage of flat sheetmetal enabled by the tiny wheel wells. Classic developing world car design. VW's austere design works OK when the base proportions are right.... but with this shit it needs some flame surfacing and the like to break it up

[Payman]

He didn't ask if it will be the top seller, but the Jetta has been VW's best seller for years in the US, and that probably won't change.

[Raza]

Awful.  Tall tippy, it looks like someone tried to make an SUV into a car.  Horrible grille, a wheel gap you could drive an older Jetta through.  Two generations ago, this car was so good.  Shame how all cars suck now.

[MexicoCityM3]

That's seriously ugly. Too bad since it's built here and I wish it sells well.

[veeman]

Based on my experience with the Beetle which had that same mesh front grill/bumper treatment, small low speed impacts (like with a rubber orange pylon or racoon type animal) will cause it to crack. Once it's cracked since it's mostly cheap plastic and covers the entire grill or bumper, your only repair option is to replace the entire grill/bumper. That mesh was very very flimsy. 

[12,000 RPM]

He didn't ask if it will be the top seller, but the Jetta has been VW's best seller for years in the US, and that probably won't change.

I know that's not what he said. My point was just that simple looks don't necessarily equate to better sales. And third world looks DEFINITELY don't.

Sad thing is good design is damn near free. Take Golf, add trunk, decontent as necessary to hit price point. Done and done. That has been the recipe forever. As my mom always said whenever I did something stupid, "WHAT IS THIS?"

[Raza]

I don't know guys



The Skoda Octavia is the same length as the old Jetta

Is mechanically simpler than the Golf (prolly of the same sophistication of this US Jetta)

Also uses MQB


and manages to not look like ass

That looks so much better.

[Payman]

That looks so much better.

Oh yes, very upscale, almost Phaeton looking.

[Payman]

God I hate the Civic. I want to kill every one I see with a flamethrower.

[AutobahnSHO]

God I hate the Civic. I want to kill every one I see with a flamethrower.

I don't like that the same treatment is going into all their other vehicles too.   I'm ok if they want b0yraicer for the Civic. But the whole lineup?

[Laconian]

God I hate the Civic. I want to kill every one I see with a flamethrower.

The car itself seems awesome. The 1.5T is an absolute winner. Too bad about all the plastic on the exterior.

[TBR]

We were waiting for this one eagerly.

Agree overall it looks a little awkward, but does look pretty good in some pictures:


Rear is very tidy, proportions are off (mainly because of the wheel gap), the wheels themselves are hideous, and the front is too abrupt. Interior is very nice though, and the feature set is much improved. I wish they were going to have something better than the 1.4T, but, regardless, 90% chance we are buying one of these in June / July. SEL or SEL Premium, likely with accessory wheels. Eric likes the blue color in the press pictures, but I think that adds to some of the aesthetic problems. Regardless, it will be his car, and he has a deep emotional attachment to Jettas that I can't explain (or understand). So a Jetta we are getting.

[2o6]

We were waiting for this one eagerly.

Agree overall it looks a little awkward, but does look pretty good in some pictures:


Rear is very tidy, proportions are off (mainly because of the wheel gap), the wheels themselves are hideous, and the front is too abrupt. Interior is very nice though, and the feature set is much improved. I wish they were going to have something better than the 1.4T, but, regardless, 90% chance we are buying one of these in June / July. SEL or SEL Premium, likely with accessory wheels. Eric likes the blue color in the press pictures, but I think that adds to some of the aesthetic problems. Regardless, it will be his car, and he has a deep emotional attachment to Jettas that I can't explain (or understand). So a Jetta we are getting.

I think there's a trope that all gay men drive Jettas. Nearly all of my gay friends have a Jetta, or have owned a Jetta at one point.

[CaminoRacer]

I think there's a trope that all gay men drive Jettas. Nearly all of my gay friends have a Jetta, or have owned a Jetta at one point.

Hmm. I vaguely though about getting a Jetta a few months ago.

[Submariner]

Hmm. I vaguely though about getting a Jetta a few months ago.

MEATspin.

[12,000 RPM]

After seeing more pictures, it doesn't look as bad. Still very boring though, and close enough to the A3 from the back that I'd be angry as an Audi dealer/designer.

Feature wise it sounds pretty slick... they are going to offer the virtual cockpit in higher trims. Early reviews indicate the rear beam suspension does not hamper driving dynamics too much and it handles nicely. Still not crazy about that 1.4L though

[2o6]

OK, VW Brazil has a MQB car that looks very similar to the US Jetta, called the Virtus; basically it's the B-segment Polo, but with a sedan body. Even though it's smaller than the Jetta, it's proportions and detailing are so much better than the US Jetta. And the Virtus isn't really that small; it's a little bit longer and wider than the Sonic sedan, and probably closer in size to a Cruze.

[12,000 RPM]

[2o6]

Yeah.

[SJ_GTI]

OK, VW Brazil has a MQB car that looks very similar to the US Jetta, called the Virtus; basically it's the B-segment Polo, but with a sedan body. Even though it's smaller than the Jetta, it's proportions and detailing are so much better than the US Jetta. And the Virtus isn't really that small; it's a little bit longer and wider than the Sonic sedan, and probably closer in size to a Cruze.

That doesn't look better to me. Proportions are sort of odd (too tall for the length maybe?).

[TBR]

Apparently there isn't a single sage green SEL Premium scheduled for delivery in the first two months of production... or the dealer is full of shit.

[12,000 RPM]

Which of those two scenarios do you think is more likely

[TBR]

Well, so we found a sales guy who said he could get us a sage green SEL Premium by the end of June, but allegedly the car got held up at the port. Not sure I 100% believe that, but when we went to the dealer they had a sage green and habanero orange cars in lower trims right next to each other, and Eric liked the orange better anyway. It turns out they had a habanero orange SEL Premium coming in so we picked it up on Saturday.

Nice car. Not super fast, but very comfy and handles nicely. Ended up financing it for 60 months cause the rate was 1.9%. Plan is to pay it off earlier. TBD exactly when, depends on timing with a bunch of other things.

[veeman]

Congratulations!  Pics please

[TBR]

[SJ_GTI]

Interesting, it looks better in "real life" pictures than the professional studio shots VW puts out.

Nice looking car IMHO. 

[TBR]

Yeah, agree. Most of the promotional pictures give it awkward proportions.

[FoMoJo]

Great colour choice.

[Rich]

Why a Jetta over the Golf?  Looks nice, though.  Will you get new wheels/tires for it?  Lower it?

I hope that digital dash is without blue screens of death.  I think you're the only member so far with a digital dash?