Volkswagen Jetta VI

In North America, it is common that you are seeing a bunch of Volkswagen Jetta cars roaming around the American road, especially the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. Although the Volkswagen Jetta is the German's take on the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic, the pricing for the Jetta is set at its competitive peak, calling it the entry-level Volkswagen for all, always staying up to its "Das Auto" slogan. In Summer 2010, the sixth-generation Volkswagen Jetta made its world premiere at Times Square, New York, and began sales on that quarter. With its North American success, Volkswagen decided to bring the Jetta on its homeland, Germany, and commercialization starts this 1st quarter 2011.

2012 Volkswagen Jetta

2012 Volkswagen Jetta interior

Although the codename is NCS (New Compact Sedan), the sixth-generation Jetta made this entry-level V-Dub sedan even more feistier and no longer shares the Golf platform, no longer called "the Golf with the trunk" anymore. In Europe, the sixth-generation Jetta is offered in an entry-level 1.2-litre TSi engine, a 1.6-litre TDi engine, and a high-performance 2.0-litre TDi engine. The 1.2-litre TSi engine is a turbocharged engine capable of releasing a power output of just 105 PS and consumes for about 5.7 litres/100km, while the 1.6L TDi engine consumes for about 4.5 litres/100km with the same power output as the 1.2-litre TSi engine, making it an effective European eco-car for the masses. Lastly, the top-of-the-line 2.0 TDI DPF has a greater power output of 140 PS and consumes for about 4.8 litres/100km. Volkswagen plans to add more engine ranges for the new Jetta in the future.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE JETTA:
Entry-level quality at its best, and that is why the Jetta evolved into even more than what you expect from other entry-level cars. Although the exterior looks more like an enlarged version of the Russian-made Polo Saloon, the new Jetta looks more stylish and stays true to its entry-level roots. With its improved tastes, I admit that the new Jetta makes it a worthy opponent from the world of entry-level compact sedans. The Hyundai Accent RB seems to be waiting for the new Jetta to make a move.

With that, I just really hope that Volkswagen will return to the Philippines soon, however, we do not like what will the price of this new Jetta is because it will end up being 10% more expensive than the Toyota Belta.

Photo: Volkswagen AG