Rowing with the gears of a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta S TDI’s six-speed manual transmission as we roll across the scenic two-laners of Virginia’s horse country, we marvel at the truth that we’re actually having fun. Yeah, fun. On a Jetta.
Never would we've got predicted this back when Volkswagen first released the present Jetta for the 2011 model year. Though it boasted increased space, son-of-Audi styling, plus a more competitive price, the Jetta was soundly criticized for its utter dearth of character, relentlessly cheap-feeling cabin, gruff five-cylinder basic engine, and chassis which had regressed in to the Dark Ages with back drum brakes along with a torsion-beam back suspension.
Since then, VW has produced incremental and significant improvements for the North American bread-butterer, and by 2014, all U.S.-market Jettas featured four-wheel disc brakes with an independent rear suspension. Furthermore 2014, another EA888 1.8-liter turbocharged base four-cylinder engine forced the cantankerous 2.5-liter five-cylinder into retirement. Enter the 2015 Jetta, featuring its midcycle update which brings new front and back design, upgraded interior components (including-at last-a soft-touch dash top), plus a new EA288 diesel engine in TDI models. Alas, it seems that the Jetta has now become the car Volkswagen ought to have been building since the beginning.
Generally, the most significant aspects of the vehicle’s midcycle renew are modified lighting and fascia factors, but in the 2015 Jetta’s case, they're arguably at least interesting of its upgrades. A brand new grille emphasizes the car’s size, as does the new back bumper, as new head lights give extensively offered LED daytime running lights along with the taillamps evoke its Audi-brand cousins. But for the first time, maybe the lowest priced Jetta drives on aluminum wheels. To what extent the modifications enhance the Jetta’s looks depends on the observer, but arguably it is now ever harder to tell the difference relating to the Jetta and the one-size-up Passat.
The interior, once one of the Jetta’s worst attributes, has become a convincingly nice area to hang out for 2015. It’s still Teutonically austere and the door panels are hard plastic, however the dashboard looks much classier, covered as it is with tunneled indicators and refractive piano-black trim panels. High-end material like navigation has trickled down from higher trims to low- and mid-grade levels, and interestingly, an available touch-screen infotainment system without navigation is actually bigger than that from the navigation-equipped cars. And the seats in the S, SE, and SEL types we drove were firm and helpful.
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