The City branding concept Volkswagen has developed for Canada is a nifty one. Take the previous generation Golf/Jetta duo and offer them, revised, at a budget price. While 2007 was the first year of that strategy, aside from equipment choices, the pair was not changed that much from the originals.
Like the new-new City Golf, the City Jetta gets a more intensively revised version of the 4th-gen platform for 2008, hence this feature on top of the
long-term wrap of our long-term 2007 City Golf you can find on page 222. The
basic structure remains the same, offering a solid chassis, spacious interior
and very good handling. Style-wise, the front and rear ends get new treatments,
with revised taillights and relocating the license plate into a bumper inset
rather than on the trunk lid. The front end got the most attention, with a new
grille and headlight treatment tying the car with the more modern siblings of
the family, i.e. the New Jetta and the Passat.
Inside, the City Jetta keeps the excellent driving position and quality ergonomics this 4th-gen was born with, and adds useful standard features like a
height-adjustable driver’s seat, electric mirrors, remote central power locks
and a 6-speaker radio with cd-mp3 capabilities, auxiliary input and USB
connectors. Optional are A/C, sunroof, cruise control, heated seats and
electric windows. The car keeps the same luxurious look and feel as the
original, with a soft-rubber dashboard, good fabrics covering the seats and an
adjustable armrest. Steering wheel and centre console are revised for this ‘08
version, the latest to accommodate the new double-DIN sized radio.
The City Jetta is still powered by the trusty transversely mounted 2.0L 4-cylinder engine producing 115 hp and 122 lb-ft of torque. The big news and the single most important upgrade for 2008 is the availability to get a 6-speed automatic gearbox. This tiptronic-style automatic gearbox offers the choice of operating in normal D mode, a sporty S mode that will keep the revs up longer and will downshift more aggressively, and a + or – mode that allows the driver to select and hold any one of the six gears. Standard is a good short-ratio 5-speed
manual gearbox.
Both gearboxes are good choices, but the new 6-speed automatic is very good and perfectly suits the engine. The manual one would benefit from a sixth ratio.
Driving the City Jetta, you get the impression of a car that costs more than it actually is. It certainly doesn’t shout “economy car.” Handling is its forte,
as are passenger and driver comfort in the long run. Fuel frugality is also a
strong point.
As tested, with the new 6-speed automatic and most options — heated seats, electric windows, A/C — the City Jetta has a fuel consumption rating of 9.9 L/100 km in town and 6.9 L/100 km on the highway.
So, how much for this second take on the 4th-gen Jetta? In base form, a paltry $16,900. The 6-speed automatic is $1,400; A/C is $1,350; the comfort package, which includes electric windows, power heated mirrors, cruise control and 15-inch alloys is $975; the cold weather package, which includes heated seats and heated windshield washers is $275; sunroof is $1,200 and ESP is $450. Taking into account freight and PDI charges of $1,335, a well-equipped City
Jetta’s bottom line will be in the $22,000 range.
Far from being outdated, this 4th-gen Jetta has plenty of wonderful years in front of it as an entry-level model offering a lot of features and driving fun for not too many of those precious loonies.
| ENGINE | SOHC, 8V I4, 1984cc |
| HORSEPOWER | 115 @ 5200 |
| TORQUE | 122 lb-ft @ 2600 |
| SUSPENSION | Front independent struts, stabilizer bar; rear independent track correcting torsion beam rear
axle with integrated stabilizer bar |
| BRAKES | 4-wheel vented (front), solid (rear) discs, ABS |
| STEERING | Power-assisted rack-and-pinion |
| WHEELS | Alloy 18-in. |