The All-New, Fiscally Responsible, Post-Recession 2011 Volkswagen Jetta

When one considers the effects of the recession upon our contemporary situation, one typically conjures up images of legislative financial reform, a renewed sense of fiscal responsibility, and the resurrection of the American auto industry. What they don’t picture is a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. But believe it or not, this car is as much a product of the recently trying economic times as any interest rate or tax cut. After decades of delivering vehicles that fulfill their unique, European-flavoured quasi-luxury brand identity, Volkswagen’s latest creation is definitely a product of its environment.

Perhaps now is the best time to explain that statement. In 2007, before the you-know-what really hit the fan, Volkswagen would leave your wallet somewhere between $23,475 and $31,995 dollars lighter, should you have desired to become the owner of a then-new 2007 Jetta. Today, that’ll cost you between $15,875 and $26,655. That equates to a savings of $7,600 of your hard-earned dollars for the base model, and $5,340 for the fully loaded diesel. It also puts the Jetta back in the lineup with its similarly sized Japanese and American counterparts.

But, unlike the politicians that continue to scream for curtailed budgets and public compromises, Volkswagen seems to have figured out a way to knock just over 32% off the Jetta’s base price without compromising any of the most important bits. From the outside, most would even say it’s quite improved. Last week, in a coincidence of extreme proportions that will undoubtedly be understandable only to those denizens of Vancouver’s downtown core, I managed to find a parking spot right in front of the coffee shop. And, sitting at a window-facing bar while writing last week’s caffeine-fueled Audi S4 review, I was repeatedly surprised by the Jetta’s ability to lure the wandering eyes of the various passerby’s. Well tailored, free of adornment, and properly proportioned, it simply looks good.

Inside, owners of the last generation of Jetta will undoubtedly find themselves right at home in an interior that is, in nearly every way, an improved version of the previous one. All the switchgear resides in the same location, and all the various panels are laid out in a nearly identical fashion. The materials used are all of either comparative or superior quality, and as well all recent VWAG products of late, the steering wheel and associated controls are all top-notch. It’s worth noting as well that the overabundance rubberized plastic previously used on the Jetta’s interior has been traded for leather, aluminum, or textured plastic. This will be especially good news to those familiar with the oddly gooey texture that rubberized coating seems to adopt after a few years’ worth of use. Also, the adoption of a high-resolution screen and comprehensive infotainment system is great news, and looks great in the dashboard, flanked by its gloss black and aluminum trim. It works well too; being easily manipulated and logically laid out. Using it extensively over my text period, I found it to be quite good, although it did suffer from a strange glitch relating to iPod playback: left to its own devices to play through a playlist, the screen wouldn’t change the song information unless I used the skip function to change songs. Also, when flipping through songs quickly, the screen would hang occasionally, causing the display to fall a song to two behind what was actually playing.

Now, sadly, there is one area in which the new Jetta is discernibly less quasi-luxury, and that’s in its road manners. There isn’t the same degree of feel communicated up through the steering, nor is there the same amount of grip at its opposite end. Likewise, the suspension, although handling normal driving tasks with aplomb, flops about a bit awkwardly when pushed hard and shows itself as a bit on the squishy side for high-speed antics. But, to be honest, I don’t feel like any of this detracts from the Jetta’s overall package. Because up until you start rubbing against the limits of legality, it’s just about as good as you’d expect. That squishy suspension is actually pretty pleasant when you’re just tooling around town, and I’m sure most drivers won’t notice or care about the diminished road feel. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, the only problem with this new Jetta is an overly sensitive throttle pedal that pretty much precludes such a thing as a smooth start when paired with the automatic transmission. No matter how tightly you control the movements of you right foot, the car will inevitably leap forward and squat back on its rear suspension, bouncing your head off the headrest. It gets pretty tiring in city traffic, and is the single best reason to get a manual gearbox. Interestingly, this isn’t a new thing though, and is an issue that I’ve noticed in most of the Jetta’s previous models, as well.

Overall, what Volkswagen has done is quite amazing. Feeling every bit as Euro-lux as any Jetta previously, the new one’s price tag must be the work of some very creative accounting, but definitely thrusts the car back into the limelight it deserves. However, with a new Focus making big waves this year, and a new Civic promised for the next, there’s certainly no denying the fact that this new post-recession Jetta is in for a fight.