Overview Mid-cycle refresh makes class-leading VW diesel sedan only better
Pros Solid, Germanic feel; roomy cabin and trunk; quiet engine
Cons Gearbox slow to react at low speeds
Value for money Excellent
What would I change? Is it too greedy to ask for AWD on the options list?
How I’d spec it? I’d stick with the six-speed manual gearbox to enjoy the excellent TDI engine even more
The Jetta’s longtime value equation of being the most affordable German-badged sedan you can buy has worked out well for Volkswagen. Just last year, almost one out of every two new VWs sold in Canada wore a Jetta badge. However, if you had listened to the moans and groans from old school VW fans and car writers — like yours truly — when it debuted in 2010, the success of the current, sixth-generation Jetta was no slam dunk.
2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
John LeBlanc, Driving
While it was measurably roomier, sported Audi-esque styling and very competitive pricing, critics panned the new compact, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger four-door VW Jetta sedan for its lack of, well, “VW-ness”. The Jetta’s interior pieces felt downmarket, there was an old-fashioned torsion-beam rear suspension, rear drum brakes, and a five-cylinder gas engine better suited to powering a farm machine than a sedan from a German automaker. And where was the gas-filled engine hood strut?
Now, VW could have easily plugged its corporate ears. The Jetta was selling just fine, thank you very much. And really, who cares about a bunch of cranky car writers? But instead, the German automaker listened to the whinging, rolled up its sleeves, and has made continual improvements to the current Jetta (i.e. For 2014, four-wheel disc brakes and an independent rear suspension became standard on all models) that have made it out to be the “German” car we were promised.
The 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
John LeBlanc, Driving
And now, for 2015, the Jetta gets a midcycle refresh that includes an interior that’s been upgraded with more upscale materials and infotainment features, more safety kit (like blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, rear view camera), exterior styling that’s been subtly updated for better air management, trendy LED and Bi-Xenon headlights and a revamping of its engine line.
Ah, yes, the many engine options one can find under a 2015 Jetta’s front hood.
For starters, there’s the ancient 115 horsepower, naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder gas engine in the base, $16,385 (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) Jetta Trendline. Then, a quartet of turbocharged four-cylinder gas engines (the new turbocharged 170-hp $20,690 1.8 TSI that I enjoyed so much in the 2015 VW Golf the 2.0 TSI in the sporty 200-hp $28,290 GLI and the 170-hp $28,490 Turbo Hybrid).
2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Yet, one engine that’s made the Jetta standout as a true German car is VW’s TDI turbocharged diesel. Until recently, the Jetta TDI had the compact diesel sedan segment all to itself in. But for 2014, the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel showed up. And consistent with VW’s approach to not letting any moss grow underneath the Jetta, VW responded by thoroughly redesigning its 2.0L TDI diesel this year.
A 2015 Jetta TDI with a six-speed manual gearbox starts at the $26,685 Comfortline trim level. My tester was a $30,580 Jetta TDI Highline, which included a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and host of standard fare, highlighted by powered/heated/leather seating, dual-zone climate control, power sunroof, plus a $2,495 Technology Package that added a Fender Premium Audio System with CD player and 30 GB hard drive, and navigation. A similarly equipped 2015 Cruze Diesel rings in at $29,675.
2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Rated at 150 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque, the updated VW diesel is now just one horsepower shy of the Chevy diesel, but still 28 pound-feet of torque behind. Compared to the Cruze Diesel, though, the Jetta TDI is much quieter and more refined when in use. And when you slide the six-speed auto’s gear selector into Sport mode, you may forget it’s a diesel under the Jetta’s hood. The rich torque figure makes forward motion a singularly linear exercise. That said, when left in D mode, the auto can be somewhat slow to react at lower speeds, like parking manouvres.
And, yes, the Jetta TDI is still quite frugal at the pumps. Fuel economy estimates are 7.5 litres per 100 kms in the city and 5.3 on the highway. I saw an as-tested 6.2L/100 kms in my week with the VW. Compared to the Cruze Diesel, (8.7 L/100 kms city; 5.1 hwy.) the Jetta TDI is less thirsty if you drive in town, and not so much if you’re on the highway.
2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Neither of these compact diesel sedans will scare your neighbour’s kid in his chipped Civic Si at a stoplight. Both the Chevy and VW scoot from rest to 100 km/h in the 8.5 seconds range, but the Jetta’s engineering updates for 2015 make it feel much more refined than the cruder Cruze.
Mainly to meet new crash test regulations, the Jetta’s structural updates give the impression the car was hewn from a solid piece of granite. The VW compact sedan’s body structure feels more solid, and absorbs bad pavement more readily than the Chevy. Compared to the relatively loose feel from the Cruze Diesel’s helm, the Jetta TDI’s steering also feels more tied to the road.
2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
John LeBlanc, Driving
While the next-gen Jetta, due in a few years, will benefit even further by employing VW’s new modular corporate platform the 2015 Golf enjoys, the ongoing updates have made the current Jetta even more of the type of car we all expected back in 2010. And if VW ever decides to add all-wheel-drive to the Jetta’s option’s list, it would be a BMW 328d xDrive-killer for almost half the price.
Not that VW ever listens to car writers — nudge nudge, wink wink.
The Specs
Type of vehicle Front-wheel-drive compact sedan
Engine 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine
Power 150 horsepower @ 3,500-4,000 rpm; 236 lb.-ft. of torque @ 1,700-3,000 rpm
Transmission Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P225/50R17
Price (base/as tested) $29,690/$32,185
Destination $1,395
Fuel economy L/100 km 7.5 city; 5.3 hwy; 6.4 as-tested
Standard features Six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, Bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, power-adjustable and heated leather seating susrfaces, dual-zone climate control power sunroof and more
Options Technology Package ($2,495, incl. GPS navigation, single CD player, touchscreen and 30 GB hard drive and Fender eight-speaker audio system with subwoofer)
