2006 Volkswagen Jetta - Page 1 Review

Shopping for a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta?

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by Conor Twomey

In Europe, the VW Golf has been a best seller since its inception, but successive generations of the VW Jetta (also known as the Vento and Bora) have failed to generate much interest. In the U.S. the Jetta is the jewel in the VW crown, accounting for 40 percent of the company’s entire sales and encapsulating its philosophy of German engineering meets affordable Euro-chic, although by the time the new car arrived earlier this year sales of the Golf-with-a-trunk had slowed to a trickle as procrastinated product cycles drove buyers elsewhere. Never has the tagline “Drivers Wanted” been more appropriate.

VW needs to stir up some interest in the new Jetta and what better than a sporty version to plaster across newspapers, billboards, TV ads, enthusiast magazines, and automotive Web sites. VW’s North American division fought hard to bring the GLI version to market and even employed some underhanded trickery to get it approved by the high-ups in VW. Remember that GLI show car they wheeled out at the L.A. show last year? The first Wolfsburg knew about it was the same moment you and I did. We’re glad that the mavericks at VW North America went to the trouble, though, because I reckon the GLI’s an absolute cracker.

Of course, the basic Jetta package is pretty good to begin with. For a start, it’s a reasonably handsome and well-proportioned car, if a little dour in its detailing. The interior is spacious and comfortable and the quality of the plastics and construction wouldn’t look out of place in a BMW or a Mercedes. With double four-star ratings for front and side impact the Jetta’s got impeccable safety credentials also, so really all that was needed to bring it GLI specification was a little suspension work, a few go-faster add-ons to liven up the looks, and some decent performance.