AND be economical. Then I came upon an episode of The Smoking Tire in which Matt Farrah was doing a one take video on a slick little Jetta Sportagen TDI. Through this I learned that the JSW was essentially a Golf VI and that GTI suspension parts and big brake kits would work on this chassis, and that it even shared the same brakes as the GTI from the factory! I looked and looked for a white one with less than 60k on it with the 6MT - to no avail. But I found a black one without the Pano sunroof ( I live in Florida so no thanks on that greenhouse), only 70k miles and with a DSG near my house. I bought an automatic car for myself. WHAT A BLAST!!! I have done an amateur drift event years ago, and any many test-n-tunes at the dragstrip, but nothing was as fun an experience as Autocross.
I even enjoyed working the cone station! Simply put, the Jetta Sportwagen impressed me, it may not be a rocket - it was the only diesel there and the only STATION WAGON. The suspension is not as crisp as a GTI and the body roll was visually and physically evident, but it never snapped back too bouncy or made the weight transitions hard to manage. Brake Dive was comically displayed, but even so, after 6 runs on my own and 2 with an instructor, I never felt like it didn't have enough braking power. They had a chance to cool for 5-10 min between most runs though, so it was not lap after lap of abuse but, they did inspire confidence to brake later and later. HP 2.0L Turbocharged Gas engines are classified GS, a much stiffer class as far as competition goes. The Bad: DSG - Direct Shift Gearbox, VW's automated 6 speed gearbox, has a Manual mode that is a joke - it still automatically up shifts, and doesn't want to downshift. Just stick it in S (sport Mode) and let it do its thing. The Future: I have "the bug" now, I have signed up for a Family SCCA membership and been studying the class rules and allowances.
The SEL and SEL Premium also add adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist, but those features aren鈥檛 offered on any of the other of the three trim levels (S, SE and R-Line). To start with, this version of the new Jetta S isn鈥檛 the one I would get. 450), which includes automatic forward emergency braking and blind spot monitors; those are features that pay for themselves with one avoided fender bender. Beyond that, I think the Jetta S offers pretty solid value, especially when you put it up against the rest of the Jetta lineup. It would be different if the higher trim levels 鈥?especially the SE and the R-Line, which sit right above the S 鈥?were better outfitted. Both the SE and R-Line have the same disappointing multimedia screen that鈥檚 lacking connectivity options and charge ports. 25,310 price tag to get the good screen, as well as Volkswagen鈥檚 digital cockpit, which sticks a 10.25-inch display into the instrument panel.
3,000 between the S and R-Line. What do you get for that extra money? The aforementioned safety features are standard, as are imitation leather upholstery, heated front seats, a moonroof and dual-zone automatic climate control. The 2019 new Jetta S definitely drives above and beyond its base-model pedigree, though I do wish that it had more charging options. Still, I think it鈥檚 a viable option on the whole, which makes the answer to our titular question 鈥?a base model worth buying? 鈥?a yes. It drives better than a base car, and the equipment differences between the S and the SE don鈥檛 extend to the multimedia system, so there鈥檚 not as much impetus to upgrade. And once more, I can鈥檛 recommend enough to those who are considering a base Jetta to find one with the safety package attached. 450 for the added piece of mind and accident prevention is a bargain. Editor鈥檚 note: This article was updated July 19, 2018, to reflect that all Jetta models come standard with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, regardless of screen size. Cars.com鈥檚 Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com鈥檚 long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don鈥檛 accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com鈥檚 advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
The German automaker and the UAW said on Friday that workers at the Chattanooga plant voted 833 to 776 against union representation, the second time in five years they have rejected collective bargaining. Frank Fischer, president of Volkswagen Chattanooga, said in a statement. Speaking to reporters in Chattanooga, UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg claimed that Volkswagen had engaged in "threats" and "intimidation" that had affected the outcome of the vote. Rothenberg said it was too early to tell whether the UAW would appeal the election results, or whether the union would support another vote at the plant. The loss also raises renewed questions about whether the UAW can gain a toehold in the U.S. South and organize workers at a foreign automaker. The union's membership peaked at 1.5 million in 1979 and despite gains this decade, it fell to below 400,000 last year. The UAW narrowly failed to organize VW's Chattanooga plant in 2014. The vote this week was closer than the one five years ago, which was 712 against to 626 for unionization. In 2017, workers at a Nissan Motor Co Ltd plant in Canton, Mississippi, voted nearly two to one against union representation. Ahead of the vote, prominent Republican elected officials in Tennessee, including U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, had argued publicly against unionization at the Chattanooga plant. Harley Shaiken, a labor expert at the University of California-Berkeley, said without "heavy political pressure" from those officials, the union could possibly have won.
