Skip to main content

Volkswagen Unveils the Brand Spanking New Mk7 Jetta

Volkswagen took the wraps off the brand new upscale Jetta tonight ahead of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Despite growing in every direction, introducing a bevy of new features, and moving onto a new chassis, the Mk7 Jetta will start at just $18,545—which the keen-eyed reader will have no doubt noticed is roughly $100 less than the Jetta it replaces.

The Mk7 moves off the PQ35 chassis and onto the MQB platform, joining the Golf, Tiguan, and just about anything with a VW badge on it (apart from the Passat). Thanks to its new platform, the Jetta has a longer wheelbase (105.7 inches, or about one-and-a-third-inches longer than the Mk6) and is wider, taller, and longer than the outgoing model.

[See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com]

Despite that, the Jetta still has shorter overhangs, which is good through the corners—something we can confirm the Jetta is. Along with the growth spurt, the new Jetta’s outline also changes somewhat, thanks to a handsomely sloping roof. Thanks to a new hexagonal grille, the Jetta is also perhaps more distinct from the Golf.

Inside, VW makes good on all that extra exterior space by increasing the volume of the cabin, though VW hasn’t yet revealed by how much.

Under the hood, VW has disappointingly opted not to fit its excellent 2.0-liter engine and has instead fitted the familiar 147-hp, 1.4-liter engine. While it’s possible to find compact sedans with more horsepower, none make more than its 187 lb-ft of torque.

What might make up for the disappointment of the familiar small-displacement engine are the transmissions to which it’s attached. As standard, the Jetta is fitted with VW’s six-speed manual (!), or you could opt for the 8-speed auto (with stop-start), instead, but for the love of God buy the manual and prove to VW that it’s a worthwhile option.

As is increasingly popular, the Jetta also comes with a suite of available active safety tech. Among them: forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, automatic high beams, and more. All can be added as options, but every Jetta will have a standard rearview camera to help with reversing maneuvers.

And finally, the cabin will be filled with all sorts of new technology as well. Buyers of the highest trim Jettas, that is the SEL and SEL Premium will be treated to a standard Volkswagen Digital Cockpit, which replaces the mechanical gauges with a screen that can change depending on the circumstances.

The Mk7 Jetta is also the first VW in the US to offer an available 400-watt BeatsAudio—because apparently the space in the middle of that was too much damn effort for the hashtag crowd—system. It can be controlled by an infotainment screen placed high on the dash for optimal operation.

And to cosset you in luxury, the Jetta now has seat memory, two-zone A/C, and interior lighting that can change to any of ten available colors. As for interior feel, VW has brought back its soft-touch plastics, which ought to make our resident Jetta expert happy.

Every Jetta will be sold with VW’s transferable People First Warranty, which is good for 72,000 miles or six years.

For now, the 1.4-liter is all you get, regardless of which trim level you opt for, be it S, SE, SEL, or even SEL Premium. Even the R-Line, which is coming a little later this year with an XDS electronic differential, will come with the same engine. Encouragingly, though, we have heard through the grapevine that the GLI will be properly powerful when it comes out. You’ll have to wait patiently before that one arrives, though.

The all-new Mk7 Jetta is expected to hit showroom floors this spring.

And if you should find yourself wondering about any of the Jettas that preceded this one, you can read all about them in our excellent (I can say that because I didn’t write them) “Model Rewind” series.

The post Volkswagen Unveils the Brand Spanking New Mk7 Jetta appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2B0TqzP
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv

More 3.0-Liter TDI Settlement Details Expected by January 31

Volkswagen and the TDI Plaintiff’s Steering Committee were in court today for another status conference following the agreement in principal reached earlier this week. Little new information was given at the conference held before Judge Charles Breyer today, but the court ordered the parties to develop a formal settlement agreement, class action notices, and a class notice plan by January 31, 2017. For now, though, owners still don’t know how much to expect in compensation. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead Counsel for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee reaffirmed in a statement today that the compensation would be “substantial.” The potential cost to Volkswagen is widely reported to exceed $1 billion, though, with an additional $225 million going into an environmental trust to help offset excess emissions. Buy back offers are still only expected for the oldest 20,000 of the roughly 80,000 VW Group vehicles sold in America with the 3.0-liter TDI engine. Those vehicles are mostly SUVs, like ...