The Incredible Midsize Volkswagen Jetta
In the late 1970s, Volkswagen began to realize that it had a bit of a problem on its hands: The VW Rabbit/Golf was a good vehicle, but it lacked an important body part that many American drivers wanted: a trunk. . Yes, the hatchback craze never quite worked out in the US market, as motorists couldn’t get used to having all their personal belongings covered by what looked like a tarp. Instead, sales of competing sedans kept Rabbit sales down until VW decided to develop a second model, the Jetta, to fill the void. What was originally a model based on the Rabbit has now been transformed into an amazing mid-size sedan in its own right. Read on and we’ll see how the Volkswagen Jetta transformed half of VW’s lineup.
At first glance, if you had seen the original Jetta you would have insisted that it was nothing more than a Rabbit with a trunk attached to the back of the car. Actually, it was. It wasn’t until 1985, when the second generation of the Jetta came out, that Volkswagen attempted to separate the two models to create distinct model lines. While some base engine offerings remained the same, the new Jetta was longer and wider than the predecessor, allowing it to be classified as a midsize car. In fact, the Jetta was so popular in the North American market that it outsold the Rabbit for many years. Today the Jetta shares some components with the larger Passat rather than the smaller Volkswagen EOS.
The surprising thing about the current Jetta is its price. Most midsize cars start near $20,000, while VW has made sure the Jetta is competitively priced to compete with similar models from Hyundai, Nissan and Toyota. Starting at around $16,500, the Jetta comes with such nice features as: power side mirrors with turn signals; an independent rear suspension; a five-cylinder gasoline engine; 8-way programmable seats; and exclusive style. In fact, the current Jetta has an optional rain-sensing wiper system; available 16-inch alloy wheels; electric sunroof; dual zone climate control; and much more. Even as a better-equipped $20,000 model, the Jetta effectively competes with the wildly popular Toyota Camry, giving consumers reason to consider the Jetta even more.
What has helped Jetta sales tremendously in the past year is its diesel model. Powered by a 1.9L turbodiesel engine, the Jetta TDI has come in handy for motorists caught paying more than $3.00 a gallon for gas recently. Yes, with an aspirated diesel engine powering the Jetta, motorists can expect to get more than 40 miles per gallon when traveling interstate. Although fuel prices have dropped considerably since then, the Jetta TDI remains popular thanks to its new pump injector system making 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. It’s no wonder the Jetta is easily the best-selling Volkswagen in the US market, far outperforming even the budget-priced Rabbit.