Not Golf You Me: Everything You Need To Know About The New Volkswagen Jetta For Russia

2023 Author: Natalie MacDonald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 13:59

The main thing in the history of the Jett sedan is the rear. For thirty years and five generations, the lot of the Jetta was to bear the title of a three-volume Golf: the sedan was identical to the hatchback in terms of technology and equipment, and in appearance it was very close. In fact, it differed from the "Golf" only in its impressive stern

Therefore, perhaps there is some connection with the fact that Jett is historically especially beloved in countries where twerk, dancehall and the Miss Boom Boom contest for the best female buttocks were invented. I mean, in the Americas. And also "Jetta" is loved in China. But there, it seems, they love everything in general.

Due to the increased interest of both Americas in this particular type of body, the new Jett finally gained independence, the first signs of which were outlined in the sixth generation. In terms of priority markets, the ocean now separates it from Golf. In addition, with the release of the eighth Golf, the sedan actually lagged behind the hatchback by a whole generation, and this affected the appearance: now these cars look completely different and are busy with different things. While the Golf focuses on manufacturability, the Jett is trying to mimic the older Passat sedan, relying on simple and proven hardware.

The car has matured: in front it is almost a Volkswagen Passat, and in the back - scary to say - a little Audi A4: just look at these faceted lamps! The radiator grille with chrome strips, two of which complement the optics pattern, makes the car visually wider. The side windows on the rear pillars are designed for the same effect (the sedan did not have such windows before) and the edge that runs parallel to the roof contour and goes to the rear pillar. This design element is called "phase displacement" at Volkswagen, and with it the Jett appears to be longer and lower.

Live to evaluate the changes that have occurred with the "Jetta", Russian buyers will be able next yearCoincidentally, the sedan will arrive at about the same time as the Golf, in the fourth quarter of 2020. There is still a long wait, so there are no prices or configurations for the Russian market yet. But we already know a few interesting facts about Jett. Here they are.

Fact number 1. "Jettu" will be made in Mexico. But the engine for her is in Kaluga

The new Jett has remained without Russian localization and will come to us from the Mexican Volkswagen plant in Puebla. However, if for the American markets the sedan is presented only with a 1.4 TSI engine with a capacity of 150 horsepower (the "heated" GLI modification, which has a two-liter turbo engine, stands apart), then an alternative will be offered for Russia: a simple and proven 1.6-liter MPI aspirated engine with a capacity 110 horsepower. Yes, this is the same engine used in the Volkswagen Polo and SkodRapid. But he also has to cope with the larger Jetta, because he carries this 1.6 Czech SkodOctavi and does not complain.

Although in this case it is not so much the capabilities of the motor that are interesting as the unusual solutions for localization: the fact is that the 1.6 MPI engine is not produced in Mexico. But it is produced in Russia, at the Volkswagen plant in Kaluga. Therefore, the engines will be sent from Kaluga to Mexico, where they will be installed under Jett hoods, and after that the assembled cars will go to Russia. This is such an unexpected logistics.

Fact # 2. Jett has a bigger wheelbase than SkodOctavia!

Remember that Jett tries to look bigger? So, not only to seem, but also to be: with the change of generations, the sedan really grew in length and width (4702 mm in length, 1799 mm in width), and in the wheelbase (2685 mm) it even managed to overtake SkodOctavi by 5 mm. Because of this, in the back row "Jettu" and pulls to compare with the Czech "Simpli Clover", but such a comparison will not be in favor of the sedan.

This is in the back row of the Octavia, your children are at risk of getting lost, and in the Jett the sofa is not so strongly shifted back - due to the peculiarities of the body layout, so there is less legroom here. And the passenger in the center cannot be envied at all, at least because of the very high transmission tunnel.

The seats themselves are comfortable: the backrest has a good relief, and the pillow is set at the right angle, at which the hips do not hang in the air, and the fifth point does not strive to crawl forward while driving. But no comfort options were prepared for the second row: there are no USB connectors, no own air vents. Although, it is probably too early to talk about it: we need to wait for Russian trim levels.

Fact number 3. The Jetta's suspension is tuned unusually softly. And she's cool!

The new Jetta moved from its obsolete PQ35 architecture to the modular MQB platform, which was not taught new tricks. Everything here is simple and familiar: MacPherson strut in front, beam behind. And if in the last generation the Jetta had a multi-link at the back, now there will be no such alternative: Volkswagen says that the abandonment of the multi-link suspension made it possible to lighten the car by about 20 kilograms of mass on the rear axle, and this helps to save fuel.

On Mexican roads, there are many ways to test the suspension's durability: their quality here is about the same as in Russia, and ranges from good highways to tired regional routes with potholes and cracks. A separate topic is speed bumps: in Mexico they love to erect artificial irregularities, but somehow they do not particularly like to indicate these irregularities, and some of them seem to be able to stop a tank.

But Jetta was ready for such surprises: the chassis feels noticeably softer and more energy-intensive compared to the settings that are used, for example, on Russian SkodOctavia. It is difficult to break through the racks, passengers will learn about large bumps and potholes only by the echoing drum tapping of the "eighteenth" wheels, and small things are smoothed out so carefully that the vibrations from it do not reach the steering wheel.

In addition, in the settings of the Mexican VW Jett, the engineers managed to find a good balance between energy intensity and directional stability: with a clear shift in emphasis towards comfort, the Jetta perfectly keeps its course at high speeds and is not afraid of rutting and longitudinal changes in the relief. If only all this reached Russia without changes and improvements in the form of "packages for bad roads"!

But what the German breed recognizes without surprises is in taxiing: the electric power steering is mounted on a rail and gives a pleasantly sharp response, and the reactive effort on the steering wheel increases with speed. Perhaps, it is in the last aspect that it would be nice to tweak the settings: at track speeds, you want a little more weight from the steering wheel with the same severity.

Fact # 4. No more robots

Previously, on the Russian market, buyers of versions with a 1.6 engine will have a choice between a five-speed manual and a six-speed automatic. Cars with a more powerful 1.4 TSI will only be two-pedal, and a six-speed automatic is also working in tandem with the engine.

Yes, in the new generation, the sedan has abandoned the DSG robot and is equipped only with the classic Tiptronic automatic machine. The pair from the engine and the gearbox works well: the shifts are soft, the gears are selected quickly, there are no dips in the dynamics. But the nature of the robotic transmission was still a little more exciting and interesting.

Fact # 5. Jetta is promised cool options

With the platform change, the sedan got a lot of modern chips: the top version has a new multimedia with a cool eight-inch touchscreen display, good graphics and a user-friendly interface. For the sake of this display, the front panel was completely redrawn: the climate control unit with the usual "physical" buttons and twists remained from the previous generation, but the air vents moved down, and in their place the screen was just registered. It is slightly turned towards the driver, is easy to read and visually forms a single cluster with the dashboard.

The tidy itself in the maximum configuration can now be digital, with several options for displaying information. The younger versions are equipped with the usual analog devices with a black-and-white monochrome display of the on-board computer in the center. The steering wheel has not changed since the seventh "Golf": the same rather thin rim, the same comfortable grip, the same control buttons on the spokes.

The equipment options are quite intricate - at least in the Mexican versions. For example, the test car has top-end multimedia, but for some reason there is no navigation, and the dashboard is analog; there is a parking camera, but there are no parking sensors either in the front or in the back; there is dual-zone climate control, but the back row was not even allocated deflectors. But a CD player is registered in the glove compartment, and the front seats are ventilated - the realities of the hot Mexican market.

Specifically, the specifics of the market will affect Russian specifications: we will at least have a full set of heaters (chairs, steering wheel, wipers rest zone, side mirrors), which are simply not needed in Mexico, but in Russia they are almost promised in the database. In the basic version, full LED optics are planned for the front and rear, and the top versions include automatic high-beam control and adaptive cruise control.

So far, the combination of all the Jetta's features looks promising: a proven chassis, well-known strong motors (1.4 TSI in the current iteration have been brought to mind and cured of childhood ailments), a classic automaton instead of a robot that we are still afraid of. Today, three questions remain for the car: what will happen to the suspension (I want the settings not to change), what will happen to the trim levels, and most importantly, how much will it all cost.

In Mexico, prices for Jetta start at 291,990 pesos, a little less than a million rubles. Among its potential rivals in our market are the Korean KiCerato sedan, with a great combination of price and equipment, and the Japanese ToyotCorolla, with a loyal audience and a good reputation. But so far this is in theory: the real balance of power will become clear only next year.