2005.5 Volkswagen Jetta Road Test

2nd Opinion - Chee The Jetta just fails to ring any bells in the barn. Add to that general lack of excitement the preponderance of plastic inside the cab, the cheap-feel switches and stalks and the lack of compartment space up front, and what you’ve got is a decent car – a good car – but probably third on the dance card.

It’s nice. It looks good and drives okay, its five-cylinder engine pounding out enough torque and horsepower to make most quite happy with its performance.

But still…nae. The Jetta just fails to ring any bells in the barn. Add to that general lack of excitement the preponderance of plastic inside the cab, the cheap-feel switches and stalks and the lack of compartment space up front, and what you’ve got is a decent car – a good car – but probably third on the dance card. The 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine produces 150 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque – quite adequate for Jetta driving. The six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, however, is an early-shifting bore – unless you use the sport mode, where reportedly it gets slightly more “sporty.” Do yourself a favor – check for manual transmission availability, and don’t be fooled by the Tiptronic. With this transmission, shifting just makes you work hard at being boring. As for the rest, handling is crisp and the driving position is good, seats are comfortable and provide excellent support. It’s a great car, and a steal at $17,000.

Oops.
The model tested here, with leather insides and lumbar, was actually priced at around $26,000. That hurts, because if you’re paying more than $25K for a car you want a well-built car and a little sizzle to keep things exciting. – Brian Chee