So as long as my wifey doesn’t have to go anywhere today, and we’re hoping she doesn’t, I took the ol’ Jetta out to make the hike down the I-71 corridor. The little guy did excellent with the stock tires in both higher speed and slow bumper to bumper.

So here’s to hoping everyone in this storm is safe out there. Take it easy, be gentle on the brakes, and respect your fellow driver out there. Everyone wants to make it to their destination in one piece!

‘It seems price and fuel economy concerns are important the Gaywheels.com consumer,’ said Gaywheels.com founder Joe LaMuraglia. ‘60% of the vehicles on the most-researched list are hatchbacks and four of those six have a MSRP starting at under $16K.’

Of course not all of those searching are fuel and cost conscious, as there’s a Maserati GranTurismo at #10 on the list. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what the fourth quarter results bring, especially if the economy takes any kind of upturn in the near future.

We were quoted $447.26 for the 40k service, which most of you know is one of the largest service intervals in the Volkswagen maintenance schedule, usually dreaded for its high cost.

And, as if arriving right on queue, we received a 15% off coupon in the mail just yesterday, so that’s gonna make our 40k cost around $380. w00t I can live with that. :D

Final Trip Statistics:

- Overall 58.82 US MPG
- 70.64 Imperial MPG
- 3.99 L/100 KM
- 11.04 Tanks of Shell Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
- Costing $US 653.06
- Average 853 Miles per Tank (1,373 Km’s per Tank)
- $US 00.069 cents per mile
- 9,419 Miles driven

Learn more about their fuel-saving efforts at the following links:

- FUELAcademy
- Official Facebook Page

The Jetta TDI sedan will start at a respectable $21,990 while the SportWagen will run you a small premium of $23,590. Not too shabby, methinks. This would be a done deal for me IF it was a Rabbit, not a Jetta. I’m sure it’s because the doggone Jetta is oh so popular here in the States. UGH!!! I guess people will have to learn more about the versatility of hatchbacks. :P

Now, about the new mileage estimates. Looks like Volkswagen caught wind of the rampage about the much lower EPA estimates (30/41) that were released a short time ago compared to their early estimates of 50+ mpg highway. They’ve now released a third party’s “real world” estimate which places the new TDI 24% better than the EPA’s at 38 mpg city and 44mpg highway. That sounds a lot better. Still not the 50+ though. :/

All in all, it sounds like a great deal in these gas gouging, *ahem* I mean, volatile gas pricing, times. Prep your wallets for a new oil burner!!

[Source: Volkswagen Press Release]

The SportWagen is set to debut at $24,500 base. More information to come soon! In the meantime, check out the key features over at vw.com.

My thanks go out to oneighturbo.com for pointing out my blunder gracefully. :D Thanks buddy!

Print This How To

Step 1: Remove Headlight Sealing Cap

There are two plastic sealing caps on the back of the Jetta headlight. One covers the main headlight bulbs, while the other protects the turn signal and fog lamps. That’s the one we’ll be removing. There is a clip on the top end of the cap. Carefully push down on that clip to unlock the cap from the headlight assembly. I broke the clip off on mine when doing this (I can’t stand the plastic pieces in cars today lol). But the fragility of the plastic is probably due to the cold temperatures we have right now in Cincy.

Step 2: Unlock Bulb Holder from Assembly

Next, reach into the headlight assembly where you will find the holder containing the turn signal bulb. Rotate the holder counterclockwise to unlock it from the assembly. Carefully pull the bulb out, replace with your new bulb, and reverse your steps to complete the installation.

Step 5: Grab Your Favorite Beverage

Stand back and revel in your car repair prowess. The replacement bulb model number is 3357/3457 (amber or clear) View a photo with model number of all bulbs for reference.

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Before this, I had a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, a 1996 Chevy Corsica, and a 1998 Ford Contour. Nonetheless, my lease was coming to an end in April, 2008, and had been looking around for possible new cars.

Just a few weeks ago, I received a letter in the mail from Livingston Volkswagen, in Woodland Hills near where I work, with three coupons: one for a “pull ahead” program where the last few payments on my lease would be “forgiven,” one for up to $2,500 off a new vehicle, and one for something else which didn’t apply to me.

Excited that I may have the opportunity to get a new vehicle early, I went down to the dealership and made an appointment to speak with a salesman a few days later. On Thursday, 12-6, I went in to the dealership and walked out with a new, 2008 Jetta. I won’t bore you with the details of the sales process, but I will make note that the dealership basically duped me into coming in — none of the three coupons ended up applying to me.

I originally wanted a new Passat, but apparently Volkswagen has moved the Passat “up” in their lineup, increasing the price and amenities included. Meanwhile, the Jetta has also moved up, and is now almost exactly the same size inside, not to mention the same price, as my previous Passat was.

First and foremost, I was impressed with the engine’s responsiveness. My Passat had a 4-cylinder turbo, which did quite well on the highway but was sluggish in city driving due to a 1+ second response pause from a dead stop. While it was irksome, I had learned how to deal with it. Meanwhile, the new Jetta’s five-cylinder, six-speed is sporty to the point of almost being jumpy. I barely have to tap the gas to have it pounce forward. As usual, the engine sounds a bit uncouth (same with my old Passat), but the triptronic manual shifting is fun, and there’s even a “sport mode” now that’s automatic, but shifts later and completely removes the top gear. As an added bonus, the triptronic now allows you to launch from second gear, which was not a possibility on the Passat.

Overall, there is a marked difference in the feel between the two vehicles. While the Passat felt like it was sitting right on the edge of being a luxury car, with a smooooooth ride, the Jetta feels distinctly sporty. At times, on city streets at medium speeds, I’m sometimes irked by just how much of the road I feel. In LA, this translates into a feeling of riding a horse, at times, whereas I never had any experience like this in the Passat.

The exterior, as everyone has remarked ad nauseum, looks a bit common. Yes, I’ll say it: there are strong similarities to the Corolla. Oh well.

A small thing I miss, which the Passat had, are the lights on the bottom-side of the mirrors which illuminated when you unlocked the vehicle. They were a nice touch that are missing on the Jetta. Meanwhile, a much-needed addition which did make it are mirror turning signals. I’m also impressed by the front-end bumper, which appears sporty, but is also apparently some form of adamantium; I’ve escaped unscathed from hitting smallish (but thick!) piece of plywood, and plowing into one of those intersections where the cross street arches up from a drainage conduit.

Inside, refinements abound over the Passat. The “leatherette,” (some form of vinyl faux-leather) is a suitable approximation, and gives the car a high-end feel. The seats are sturdy and strong, whereas the Passat’s often felt (as someone else described them) “floppy.” And finally, a fix for the nigh-unusable seat-back reclining handle on my Passt: the Jetta is equipped (on the driver’s side only) with an auto-seat-back, controlled with a small button.

The “mood lights,” are a nice touch, adding red LED lighting into the over-head console to illuminate the shifter. The rest of the interior continues the sporty theme, but doesn’t feel cheap. Heated seats on my edition are a much-appreciated addition, which I hadn’t expected, considering where I live. But even “leatherette” seats feel cold at 50 degrees around 6:00 am! Speaking of heat, the air conditioning and heating are much faster to respond now, owed to (according to my research on VW forums) the engine now automatically “revving” after a cold-start to get things moving.

Although the Jetta doesn’t have the neat little umbrella holders that the new Passat has, there are other small touches like cupholders in the doors which are nice, as well as the lack of an ashtray, but a nice-sized recessed tray in it’s place under the climate controls. Shame that there’s no coin holder in either that tray, or your elbow-rest, though. Speaking of the controls, they’re much more pleasing to use now with a smoother turn and also little “clicks” when you move the dial to each setting. I’m also glad they added a more intuitive interior-lighting system, which turns on overhead lights in the front AND back with one switch up front, whereas the Passat only turned on all the lights up front when you used a similar switch. The new glove compartment is much improved, with a nifty, separated slot for your manual.

My Jetta has a six-CD in dash changer with satellite radio and an AUX hookup (but NOT the iPod holster). Although the new radio is worlds above the old Passat’s, the Sirius Radio leaves something to be desired in terms of reliability. There have been more than a few times where I’ve run through patches of completely open-air where the signal mysteriously dropped repeatedly. I’m definitely enjoying the new changer, though, and the much more modern feel of the buttons and dials. I wish I could figure out how to use the MP3 data system, though — the manual says you can burn CDs with the track info on them, but despite quite a bit of time looking on the internet for how to do this, I’m at a complete loss. Apparently the VW engineers knew something that the rest of us don’t. I am impressed, however, with the “auto-volume” feature, which returns the volume to a sensible, quiet level if you turn the stereo off, and then back on.

The Jetta’s “helpfulness” category is a mixed bag in comparison to the Passat. One huge, much-loved new feature is a trunk that opens itself from the key fob. Whereas the Passat’s trunk would unlatch from the fob, I often had to struggle to open it. (I repeatedly complained to the service dept about the hydrolics being far too “stiff,” but they didn’t seem to agree.) The Jetta’s, in contrast, pops completely open from the fob, which has saved me a lot of bag shifting. On the inside, I’m thanking the VW gods for getting rid of the god-awful seatbelt warning they had on the Passat, which warned you if your belt was unlatched even when in park. On the Jetta, you don’t get a reminder until you go over 8 miles per hour (which is the same time the doors automatically lock). On the flipside, the Passat was great about reminding you the lights were on, with a constant, shrieking tone once the doors opened. The Jetta replaces this with a humble, quiet chime that seems like it’ll be easy to ignore when I’m in a hurry.

And finally, the last, best feature? No more premium gasoline! While the new Passat still requires it, the Jetta does just fine with good old “regular.” Hopefully, this’ll save me a few bucks every month.

Overall, I’m enjoying the new Jetta. It’s more fun to drive than the Passat was, but in a slightly more compact way — while not sacrificing any interior room. Refinements abound, while only some of the niceties of the Passat are lacking. I look forward to enjoying my new car until this lease is almost-up again.

“Mr. Schmid has a story that is like so many of our diesel owners; he loves the longevity of the engine and fuel economy that his diesel Volkswagen has delivered these last twenty years,” said Steve Keyes, Volkswagen Public Relations Director. “Throughout all of entries that we received for our Diesel Heritage Search, we found many VW owners who were passionate about their cars and the economic benefits of the diesel engine.”

Mr. Schmid originally leased the Jetta for three years, and at the end of the lease decided to keep his baby so he bought it from his dealer. Volkswagen will be awarding Schmid with the fabled torquemonster, a Touareg V10 TDI, to drive around for six months, just as the owner with the oldest Volkswagen diesel in the U.S. scored a couple weeks ago.

All of this diesel soul-searching started back in March with Volkswagen’s Diesel Heritage Search. VW received more than 200 entires for the highest mileage and oldest operating U.S. diesel Volkswagens.

Ok ok, seriously. I have to eat my words. While I’m still not too fond of the rear end, this production model is looking a lot better than those earlier photos. Maybe it’s the angle of the shot? Or the color? I don’t know. I miiiight be able to rock one of these. I still say I like the Passat wagon a bit more, but the Sportwagen has won back some respect from me.

RABBIT

• New 170 hp/177 lb.ft torque 2.5L 5cyl engine standard on 2 & 4dr
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
• New trim level naming. Rabbit S 2dr and Rabbit S 4dr

GTI

• 15mm ride height reduction on all 2 & 4dr
• Sirius® Satellite radio now standard
• Reflex Silver is now special order only
• Climatronic deleted from all trims
• New trim level naming, GTI and GTI Autobahn

NEW BEETLE/NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE

• New trim level naming, S and SE
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
• Temporary use spare tire
• Fog lights deleted from all trims
• New 16” alloy wheel S
• New 17” alloy wheel on SE
• Delete Shadow Blue on sedan and convertible
• Delete Platinum Gray on convertible
• Delete reflex silver on convertible
• Laser blue no longer available with gray interior
• Black not available with crème top
• Delete front floor mats
• Delete Leather seating surfaces from all trims
• Delete rain sensing wipers on all trims
• Leatherette now named V-Tex
• Cold weather package available on S as stand alone option

GLI

• Reflex Silver is now special order only
• Climatronic deleted from all trims
• New trim level naming, GLI and GLI Autobahn

JETTA

• New 170 hp/177 lb.ft torque 2.5L 5cyl engine standard
• Delete 2.0T engine (only available on GLI)
• Automatic only available with SEL
• Temporary use spare tire
• Laser Blue replaces Shadow Blue
• Delete Wheat Beige
• Front and rear lower valance in black textured color on S and SE
• Body color front and rear valance on SEL
• 2.5 badge included on S
• 16” steel wheels with full covers standard on S
• Delete Climatronic from all trims
• Delete leather seating surfaces from all trims
• Power recline standard on all trim levels
• 17” wheel standard on SEL
• Delete Homelink from all trims
• Cold weather package now optional on S
• 16” alloy wheel now optional on S
• Sunroof now optional on S
• Premium sound package (includes amplifier and 250W) now optional on SE
• New trim level naming, S, SE, and SEL
• Leatherette now named V-Tex

PASSAT Sedan and Wagon

• New trim level naming, Turbo, Komfort, Lux, and VR6
• Leatherette now named V-Tex
• Temporary use spare tire
• Chrome window trim now standard on Turbo
• New 16” alloy wheel on Turbo
• New 17” alloy wheel on Komfort
• Delete Shadow Blue
• Delete Wheat Beige on wagon
• Heated washer nozzles only available on VR6
• Bi-Xenon headlamps w/ AFS now standard on VR6
• Manual side and rear sunshade now standard on sedans
• Manual side sunshades now standard on wagon
• Power 12-way driver seat now standard equipment
• Heated front seats optional on Turbo and Komfort
• Leather steering wheel now standard equipment
• Leather shift knob now standard equipment
• Delete Pure Beige leather comfort seats
• Delete gray leather and V-Tex
• New interior trim on Turbo
• 3 spoke leather multi-function steering wheel included with Lux
• Dynaudio now optional on Lux
• Adaptive Cruise Control optional on VR6
• 4Motion is only configuration available with VR6 wagon
• Manual transmission only available on Turbo

EOS

• New trim level naming, Turbo, Komfort, Lux, and VR6
• Leatherette now named V-Tex
• Lux only available with automatic transmission
• Winter starting assist mode standard on VR6
• New 17” alloy wheel on Lux
• New 18” alloy wheel on VR6
• Delete Wheat Beige
• Rear Park Distance Control included in Lux and VR6
• Chrome front grille louvers included on VR6
• Power 12-way driver seat now standard equipment
• Leather steering wheel now standard equipment
• Leather shift knob now standard equipment
• Leather parking brake handle now standard equipment
• Windblocker now standard equipment
• Ambient lighting deleted on Turbo
• Micritech interior trim now included in Turbo
• Center sliding armrest now standard equipment
• Heated front seats now optional on Turbo
• 17” alloy wheel optional on Komfort

Touareg

• New exterior colors (White Gold, Galapagos, Alaska Gray, Cranberry)
• Chrome grille with logo and chrome eyebrows standard on VR6 FSI
• Chrome matte grille with logo and chrome eyebrows, chrome air intakes, chrome grille slats standard on V8 FSI and V10 TDI Twin Turbo
• Darkened Taillights
• New, central headlights design
• Sporty, more aerodynamic rear spoiler
• Electronic Parking Assistance now standard equipment
• Power Liftgate now standard equipment
• 19″ Wheels with all-season tires optional on VR6 FSI but included in V8 FSI and V10 TDI Twin Turbo
• Larger screen for Multi-function Indicator included with optional Technologie Package
• New Option Packages
• Dynaudio now available in package for all trims
• Sirius® Satellite Radio now standard equipment
• Next generation TPMS – now standard equipment
• ABSPlus standard
• ESP Innovations standard
• New front seat design, more comfortable front seat side bolsters, new seat stitching design now standard equipment
• Gray seat trim in leather and leatherette deleted
• Silver Metallic Plastic interior trim standard on VR6 FSI with leatherette
• Servotronic steering no longer available on 3.6L VR6 FSI
• Comfort Suspension replaces Sport Suspension on VR6 FSI

I’m sure that the new waggy will be very utilitarian, and I am considering a wagon for family-hauling in the near future. But I’m actually turned off enough by this thing to forego VW wagons altogether. Well, I do really like the Passat wagon, but that’s the next step up. I’m not sure I’ll be in the financial bracket for the Passat. What to do, what to do.

I have a couple pics from Volkswagen’s media site below along with some PR info. Be your own judge.

* From Volkswagen Press Release

The Jetta SportWagen, a sporty and dynamic wagon version of Volkswagen’s top-selling model, made its U.S. debut today at the New York Auto Show. The Jetta SportWagen mixes practicality with European style and balances both elegance and sportiness. Its exceptional ride and handling and segment-leading safety features, along with its design are perfect for those with an active lifestyle.

Delivering performance and value, the Jetta SportWagen will be offered with three engine variations. The Jetta SportWagen will launch with an upgraded 2.5-liter, five cylinder engine that now produces 170 horsepower. The 2.5L Jetta SportWagen arrives in dealers this August, and will be followed with the 2.0T, four cylinder engine that produces 200 hp. In early 2008 the Jetta SportWagen will be available with a 2.0L clean diesel engine.

Aside from offering the sporty feel and fun to drive performance of a Jetta, the SportWagen opens up a new world of possibilities in the way of usable cargo room— 32.8 cubic feet to be exact, or an even more impressive 66.9 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. For those whose active lifestyle requires even more room, there is an optional fold-flat front passenger seat that provides additional cargo space. Fold-flat front passenger seat is available with “V-Tex” leatherette seating.

Like the Jetta, the SportWagen continues the Volkswagen tradition of offering a long list of standard equipment. Some of the many standard features include: air conditioning, anti-theft vehicle alarm, cruise control, CD player, traction control, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, eight-way adjustable front seats with height, angle and lumbar support adjustments, and a height-and-telescoping steering wheel. Available as an option on the Jetta SportWagen is a panoramic sunroof. The panoramic sunroof offers its passengers an impressive 12.7 square feet of either daylight or starlight, providing them an open air connection with the outdoors.

The Jetta SportWagen also enjoys a long list of standard safety features such as, driver and front passenger front airbags, driver and front passenger side thorax airbags, Side Curtain Protection®, and rear-impact optimized head restraints on driver and front passenger seat.

Yawn. I love wagons, but this isn’t exactly cutting the mustard. It’s lines go that much further to scream “Toyota Carolla”. And the tail lights don’t seem to fit the Mark V generation too well – they scream “1995 Toyota Carolla”. Then again, they’re trying to appeal to a more conservative soccer mom market, but there’s even a line between conservative and bland. This fella falls squarely into the bland category.

I just hope the U.S. version shows some significant changes, ’cause I don’t see this flying off the dealership lots.

The free servicing comprises:

• Lubrication service at 10,000 miles or 12 months
• Inspection service at 20,000 miles or 24 months
• Lubrication service at 30,000 miles or 36 months
• Inspection service at 40,000 miles or 48 months
• First brake fluid change at 24 months
• Second brake fluid change at 48 months (where applicable)

Interesting. Given VW’s well documented problems with quality, this might not be a bad option for folks considering the brand in the states. But I can’t decide; is this an attempt to reassure folks about VW’s newfound better quality, or just an attempt to get people to come to them for their service?

What do you guys think? Would you pay for this service?

I got 0% on my Golf, and have to say that I’ll honestly go no other way in purchasing a vehicle. If you’re noodling a new ‘dub, now may be the time.

So what’s the skinny? The Jetta is the least reliable small car, the Passat is the least reliable family car and the Touareg is the least reliable Midsized SUV. Ouch.

What’s it all add up to? One crappy kick to the gut for VW quality. Their standards have been under fire for quite some time now, and they’ve claimed to have made significant improvements in the Mk V platform, but it seems to have done them no good. So is VW still that bad, or is everyone else that good?

At any rate, the quality issue will continue to rear it’s ugly head and threaten to undercut VW’s recent growth if they don’t address these issues – fast. And frankly, I’m getting really tired of doing these write ups.