17 Jetta SE observations

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CincyDavid

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Mar 3, 2016
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Cincinnati, OH and Port Charlotte, FL
So, we're 6 days into having a new Jetta SE, 1.4t/auto. Per the fuel economy computer, 33.4 MPG in the mix of 2/3 city, 1/3 interstate driving I've done so far. When the computer told me I had 100 miles range left, I filled up, it took 10.8 gallons. The tank is nominally 14.5 gallons as I recall, so the fuel gauge is fairly accurate.

The good: a/c is so cold my glasses fog up on humid days when I get out of the car, seat feels good on my aching back

Not-so-good: 6 speed Aisin transmission feels "weird" having been driving Honda CVTs for several years and I feel downshifts as I'm slowing down to a stop. I'm enjoying the Sirius/XM satellite radio but won't spend the money to continue the subscription after the trial period is over.

I'm well-pleased so far. The little 1.4t pulls strongly even right off idle, and I don't need to rev its guts out to get forward motion like I might have feared. The v-tex(pleather) seats don't seem to be hot and sticky like I had thought they might, so that's a positive as well.

One of my kids drove it and commented on how different it feels than the Honda Accord she is used to.

So far, so good.
 
Enjoy!
thumbsup2.gif
 
DSG or traditional auto?

EDIT: It's a DSG. They all do that, it's down shifting like you could in a manual (since the DSG is internally a manual gearbox). Traditional autos go out of gear when you let off the go-pedal or brake, the DSG does not.

My one complaint about DSG is its downshifting. Especially bad when the fluid is cold. My next purchase will be a manual again.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Quattro Pete...I was afraid of a black interior being too hot, and it reminds me of the '98 A4 1.8t Quattro I owned for awhile...it was royal blue with beige and blue interior of all things, with faux-carbon fiber on the dash and doors.
 
Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
So, we're 6 days into having a new Jetta SE, 1.4t/auto. Per the fuel economy computer, 33.4 MPG in the mix of 2/3 city, 1/3 interstate driving I've done so far. When the computer told me I had 100 miles range left, I filled up, it took 10.8 gallons. The tank is nominally 14.5 gallons as I recall, so the fuel gauge is fairly accurate.

The good: a/c is so cold my glasses fog up on humid days when I get out of the car, seat feels good on my aching back

Not-so-good: 6 speed Aisin transmission feels "weird" having been driving Honda CVTs for several years and I feel downshifts as I'm slowing down to a stop. I'm enjoying the Sirius/XM satellite radio but won't spend the money to continue the subscription after the trial period is over.

I'm well-pleased so far. The little 1.4t pulls strongly even right off idle, and I don't need to rev its guts out to get forward motion like I might have feared. The v-tex(pleather) seats don't seem to be hot and sticky like I had thought they might, so that's a positive as well.

One of my kids drove it and commented on how different it feels than the Honda Accord she is used to.

So far, so good.


How well do you like the Honda CVT? I've never driven a CVT car,what's it like?
 
Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
Thanks Quattro Pete...I was afraid of a black interior being too hot,

Yes, black on black would be the worst combo in summer heat. My current car is black with light beige interior, and when I lived in FL, it would still get insanely hot during summer days, but it would have been even worse if it was black on black.
 
The Accord CVT feels decent, honestly it feels pretty good under light throttle, but feels really weird if you really gun it...revs shoot up, the power delivery isn't very linear and it doesn't feel like the car "likes" being driven aggressively. The CR-V is slow to engage reverse on cold start-up, like there is a pump that doesn't work at full pressure when it first starts (it's been like that since new and the transmission has already been reflashed once as part of a recall). The CR-V also feels like when driven gently but it REALLY sounds raucous when driven more aggressively. The lack of shift points feels and sounds strange at first. They both turn really low RPMs at highway speeds and get excellent fuel economy for the size of the vehicles.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Nice interior/exterior color combo!
+1, I like the tan seats with black interior.

I personally don't like black paint on cars, they look good but they're a lot of work to keep clean and looking good.
 
I've been hand-waxing cars for a long time...started with funeral coaches and limousines in the mid-80s (thankfully they were single-stage white, but the white vinyl tops were a pain to keep clean)then we switched over to black cars in the 90s, and there is NOTHING prettier than solid gloss black, freshly washed and waxed.

Of course my little black car only stays clean for less than 24 hours before pollen starts collecting or it gets rained on. My wife's color palette is VERY limited...she will only buy black, charcoal gray or silver, and that's it! If she ever came home with a bright red car I might just drop dead on the spot.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: BobFout
DSG or traditional auto?

EDIT: It's a DSG.

Are you sure? I thought only the 2.0 GLI model came with DSG.

http://www.emichvw.com/assets/misc/9890/PDF/2017_VW_Jetta_order_guide.pdf


You're right. I checked VW's website and when it showed optional DSG for the Jetta, I didn't think it would be GLI only. This traditional auto is still an $1100 option (just as much as the DSG was).
crazy2.gif


I test drove the Golf 1.8T with 6-speed auto before test driving the GTI with 6-speed DSG. The traditional auto felt "spongy" while the DSG is very crisp and precise. For all the speed and smoothness, the DSG is still a dumb automatic gearbox. I am much better at determining when to shift and what gear to be in, based on all available information, something the car simply can't know.
grin2.gif
 
I'd LOVE to have a good manual transmission, partially because I wouldn't have to worry about the kids wanting to borrow my car, but my arthritic joints and tendency to gout flare-ups in my feet dissuades me from getting any car where I have to stab a clutch pedal. I have horrid memories of driving my 96 SAAB 900s 5 speed while in the middle of a 2 week gout flare-up, it was pure misery.
 
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