New Jetta drive [non-rocco]

["Crane, Damien" <d3c@TENNANTCO.com>]

> Drove it yesterday.
> 
> Obviously, popping right out of my current car - a '75 Saab named Kermit
> that is beyond repair with somewhere (maybe a lot) over 300K miles and
> feeling every inch of it- and into it, it was extremely nice.  After a
> while to get acclimated, it was still nice.  There is a lot of bitching
> about the performance and it isn't remarkable, but the power is right
> where it needs to be for a normal, day to day, getting around kind of car.
> There is plenty of power in the 2000 - 3500 rpm range where we do the vast
> majority of our (yes, even us 'enthusiasts') driving (max torque is @
> 2600rpm).  I will do some hands on research :], but I'll bet it feels
> peppier than a more powerful Civic or Corolla.  So I was pleasantly
> surprised.  There was a bit more noise than I figured would be present.
> Not loud, but the engine was clearly audible.  Not a bad sound, but no
> Alfa V6 (or VR6), to be sure.  The ride was firmer than I anticipated,
> which is good.  Below the limit handling was better than I expected with
> lively turn-in and a balanced feel.  I didn't push really hard, but at 3/4
> it felt really good, especially for 195/65 all season tires.  Major
> controls were lighter than I like.  Steering was pretty good, but I would
> prefer a little more 'heft' to it.  The brakes in particular required very
> little pressure.  Reminded me of an old Buick.  Didn't like that.  It
> would be easy to get used to, but will be difficult to switch back and
> forth between cars that feel very different.  The (new, hydraulic) clutch
> is veeerrrry light and smooth.  When I first climbed in and stepped on it,
> I thought I broke it.  But it was very nice feeling and unlike the brakes,
> I did like it after a few minutes.  The shifter had a good feel.  It had
> longish throws, but felt nice and loose without being sloppy.  It was very
> easy to feel immediately confident.  Reverse was easier to find and engage
> than previous VW transmissions (mostly older) I have sampled.  There was
> also a feeling of 'robustness' to the sychro action that I don't recall on
> previous (even A3) trannies.  The seats were firmer than, and as wide as,
> anticipated, which is good and bad respectively.  The lateral support
> wasn't what I'd like due to the width of the seat.  This has been the case
> in all VWs I have tried since the A2.  Even the sport models have seats
> that are so wide that the bolsters are practically irrelevant.  Where have
> all the Recaros gone?  The thing that stands out the most was a sense of
> the quality of the car as a whole.  The plastics are soft and matte--very
> unplasticy in feel--and they give the impression of expensiveness.  The
> design of the instrument panel and dashboard controls is a huge step
> forward, in my opinion.  The doors feel substantial and the car feels very
> solid over broken pavement (again the Kermit factor erodes my credibility
> here a bit, but in my defense, I can tell that both ends of Kermit are
> usually acting independently, and I can tell the Jetta is entirely
> different).  
> 
> Anyway, I liked it a lot.  I thought it was a cut above the competition in
> perceived quality and class.  It is not a sports car, but would be a great
> family car.  (Would a Golf be better though?)  I'm pretty sure that either
> a Golf or Jetta will become the new family car, which will allow me to
> start working on the Scirocco...  
> 
> 
> 

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