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July 21, 2010
2011 Volkswagen Jetta First Impressions
by
Matt St-Pierre
, Auto123.com
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In Volkswagen's bid to take over the World (much like Toyota, Ford, GM and others), they have realized or have long since known that the North American (read US) market is where their future fortunes lie. These days, you need to produce and, well, sell somewhere around 7.5 million new vehicles in a year in order to capture the first step on the podium. In 2009, the Volkswagen Group (Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Seat, Skoda, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi and VW) delivered 6.34 million units, putting them in the third position, behind GM and Toyota, respectively. The gap is ever-shrinking between GM and VW, and this new Jetta may be part of what will close this gap...
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| The 2011 Jetta lands in dealer lots on September 27th. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
The 2011 Jetta represents the sixth iteration of the best-selling Volkswagen in North America. The new car is aimed squarely at our market given its newfound farther-reaching extremities and increased inner dimensions. Now, let's get one thing straight right away; this is not the physical incarnation of the Jetta spirit that first captured the hearts of ecobox-minded buyers; the new Jetta is a compact, high-end, premium car. Unlike the GTI, VW is not looking to return to their roots with this car. Although the Jetta nameplate is roughly 30 years old (9.6 million sold in that period worldwide), this is a whole other car.
For the price
As I've noted, VW wants to keep climbing the podium steps with the goal of becoming number one, and this by 2018. The Jetta has been a solid performer and it makes sense to move the car upscale. Luxury brands, designer makes and anything that costs more than it should or at least looks expensive, is all the rage at the moment. Fear not if you are a rare member of the sensible people group, for VW has thought of you as well.
The base price of the 2011 has dropped to $15,875 compared to the $22,175 for the 2010. Some corners were cut but none that negatively affect the car, including rear drum brakes that have not been seen on a VW since 1998. On the other hand, content has increased (stability control standard) and the new sheetmetal nearly makes Audi blush. Volkswagen has essentially stretched the Jetta's niche to reach further down as well as beyond where the old Jetta was set.
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| The 2.5L engine produces 170 hp. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
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