Nothing about this car is cheap except for the price. Volkswagen Jetta offers a sophisticated exterior design that bucks the melted jellybean trend in favor of crisp lines and an aggressive stance. Inside, quality craftsmanship and attention to detail make owners feel they should have paid thousands more for their car. Slip the VR6 six-cylinder engine or the new 1.8-liter turbo into the mix and the Jetta becomes a quick and capable sports sedan. Also, for 2001, a Wolfsburg Edition enthusiast鈥檚 model is back. Three trim levels are available, GL, GLS and GLX, along with four engines, a 2.0-liter four cylinder, a 1.8-liter turbo, 1.9-liter TDI turbodiesel, and a VR6 narrow-angle V6. The base GL is available with either the 115-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine or Volkswagen鈥檚 excellent 1.9-liter TDI diesel. The mid-level GLS offers a choice of the 2.0-liter, the 1.9-liter TDI, the new 1.8-liter turbo or the VR6. The top-of-line GLX is only offered with the VR6. The big news for 2001 is the introduction of the 1.8 T engine. It uses a turbocharger, intercooler and five-valves per cylinder for improved high-rpm breathing to develop 150 horsepower and 155 pounds-feet of torque.
Volkswagen鈥檚 remarkable VR6 narrow-angle V6 produces 174 horsepower and 181 pounds-feet of torque. 19,600). New for 2001, the Wolfsburg Edition is based on the GLS 1.8T, and adds a special package of features and colors meant to appeal to Volkswagen鈥檚 most demanding enthusiasts. It comes with a sports suspension, 16-inch BBS wheels, bolstered sports seats, and a special leather steering wheel, shift knob, boot and brake handle. 850) that adds leather seating surfaces, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift knob and hand-brake lever, heated windshield nozzles and heated seats. Jetta was redesigned for the 2000 model year. Jetta retains the Volkswagen family鈥檚 penchant for panache. Yet while the Golf hatchback still retains some of the frumpiness of earlier generation VWs, and the Beetle is well, the Beetle, the Jetta stands out as the sharpest car in the VW lineup. It is considerably more angular in appearance than the larger Passat sedan, and on a road crowded with ever more rounded cars, this is refreshing. The look is especially apparent around the neatly cut rectangular headlight cluster. Slide behind the steering wheel of the Volkswagen Jetta and the German reputation for quality and attention to detail is immediately evident.
With the current-generation VWs, the brand has taken a quantum leap forward in interior quality. The Jetta provides excellent accommodations for driver and passengers without becoming ostentatious. There is plenty of room in front for a driver that is well over six feet tall, even when equipped with the power glass sunroof that comes standard on the GLX. The front bucket seats are built firm in the European tradition. Some people may prefer more cushion, while others (like us) find them supportive and quite comfortable. In the Volkswagen tradition, the knob for reclining the seat back is awkward to reach and difficult to operate. Another handle operates like a jack to raise or lower the driver. Rear seat room is at a premium if driver and passenger position their seats to the rearmost location. We moved the seats slightly forward to accommodate a full load of passengers while retaining a relatively comfortable position for a tall driver. Three shoulder harnesses and three headrests are installed in the rear for safety. Also, the rear seat features 60/40 fold-down capability as well as a pass-through feature for skis, fly rods and other longer objects.
The chassis and rear suspension were also designed to provide more trunk space. In Teutonic fashion, the controls, switches and instruments are easy to see and operate. Indigo (dark blue) and red lighting is used for the instruments to maximize night vision. The shade of blue that illuminates the instrument panel makes the numerals easy to read and the stark contrast of the red pointers make them stand out as if floating in thin air. The leather-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel on our GLX feels good and is in keeping with the sporty intent of the Jetta. A new radio adds manual tuning to the scanning feature, making it possible to receive weaker signals. The Monsoon sound system (standard on the GLX) features a 200-watt amplifier and custom equalization that directs low, mid and high frequencies to the appropriate speakers. Volkswagen offers both an in-dash CD player as well as a six-disc CD changer mounted in the trunk as options, and the Jetta can be equipped with both.
