Jetta! Jetta!

(picture courtesy of Amery)

If the VW Golf GTi is the wild child, then the VW Jetta 2.0T FSI is a gentlemen's car. It's charming good looks complete with the trademark chrome grille warms the heart of women. Gawd, it is that gentlemanly.


Yet beneath those handsome looks lies a wild child at heart. A 2.0l turbo engine, similar to the GTi's, lurks beneath the bonnet. This engine is mated to VW's awesome DSG transmission which proves to be a very lethal combination if you are a speed junkie. Think of it as a tamed down GTi, complete with a boot, a more comfortable ride and a subtler sounding exhaust.
















Despite all the engineering tweaks, the Jetta brutal edge is not blunted. Leaving the transmission in "S', which by the way, stands for "scream your lungs out" and flooring the accelerator induces both fear and awe at the same time. You fear for your live and at the same time feel awed at all the power that is in your hands (or right foot to be technically correct) . Before you know it, the world passes you by in a blur, the tacho spins towards the red line and your speed is already enough to get you on your way to the moon.

Being a FF, you would expect the Jetta to understeer. But try as I might, I can never get the car to do just that! Even when the front tyres give up and screeches along the bends, the Jetta continues to corner like a stubborn old mule.
















Brakes are progressive and hauls the charging wild beast down without much drama. But what really amazes me is the accelerative prowess of the Jetta. It warps straight to 60km/h from standstill. It is that mind blowing. In the span of the hour that I was driving it, I invented a game to amuse myself with this warp speed ability of the Jetta. I would intentionally be the last to move off the line at traffic lights and believe me when I say the drivers of the other cars were totally awed when i floored the pedal and over took them at 60km/h while they are still changing gears to climb past 30km/h. Yes, it is a childish thing to do but still, it sure is fun looking at their surprised face!

This car is a wolf in sheep clothing. It is a well build, comfortable luxury sedan which transforms into a competent sports sedan at the prod of the accelerator. It is totally awesome. I'm so sold for this car. Period.

I want one!