2006 Volkswagen Jetta Review

Specifications

Since the implementation of the Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions standards created bythe US Government EPA, diesel vehicles have been forcedly snuffed out like a cigarette butt. While the number of new hybrids seems to grow by the month, it’s still possible to count the number of diesel passenger cars available on the market with one hand, plus a couple of borrowed fingers. There’s the Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, ML-Class, R-Class and GL-Class. Then there’s the new Touareg 2 TDI with its monstrous 5.0-liter V10. But by far the most important vehicle that’s powered by a diesel engine is this, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

You may be wondering what a review of a 2006 car is doing midways through 2007. After all, 2008 models have been rolling out of dealership lots for a few months now. The story is pretty complicated, but let me attempt to explain. When Volkswagen was told that it couldn’t sell diesel vehicles in North America in 2007 due to the fact they couldn’t meet unusuallycruel emissions designed to crush any hope of diesel power getting a foothold, they wisely stockpiled thousands upon thousands of Jetta TDIs as a sort of stopgap until the company would be able to produce new, emission-compliant turbodiesel cars. Even when model year 2007 Jettas were being produced in Puebla, up until the very last day of 2006, Volkswagen had the right to build and sell 2006s. As such, it’s still possible to head to a dealership (although make a phone call first) and snatch up one of these completely new, older cars.

Diesel technology is tried, tested and true. Its predominant use as a fuel for commercial vehicles in North America has helped to foster an image of a dirty, smelly and polluting fuel, but in truth it’s one of the cleanest and most efficient ways of providing power, and is responsible for powering most cars and nearly all SUVs and pickup trucks sold overseas in Europe. Many of the technologies that are being introduced to gasoline engines, such as direct injection and variable geometry turbochargers were bred andrefined on diesel engines.

We will have to wait until the next generation of Volkswagen TDI engine before receiving common rail injection, as found in the DaimlerChrysler diesel engines. Instead, the engine found in the Jetta TDI is the last of Volkswagen’s traditional “PD” or Pump Duse engines, which have the old school individual injectors per cylinder design. In terms of output, it makes a paltry 100 horsepower, but delivers 177 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty to whisk this sedan forward in brisk fashion, a car that straddles the compact and midsize borders. Fuel economy is almost unbelievable when reading VW’s brochure, and in practice such advertised figures can easily be attained. 700 miles from a tank of fuel? You betcha. My usual weekly routine involves traveling a good mix of city and highway driving, which requires me to refill most cars twice, if not three times. I only filled the Jetta up once, averaging well over 34 miles per gallon!

To drive, the Jetta TDI is a lot like a regular Jetta 2.5, except for two things, the speed and the sound. The characteristics are strangely similar with both engines making similar amounts of torque over a large range on the tachometer, just at lower revs. The Jetta TDI feels best when cruising on the highway, where the backdrop of the diesel fades away behind wind and tire noise, which goes to show how far diesel technology has come for Volkswagen. Around town, there’s a little more grumbling to be heard than with the inline-five, and if you listen carefully you might even catch the turbocharger’s whistle, but it’s neither intrusive nor bothersome.

Instead of pairing the TDI engine up to a regular automatic, as it did in the previous Jetta, Volkswagen opted to put its best and most technologically advanced gearbox to use, the six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox(DSG). It’s the same transmission that can be found on Audi’s TT sports car (although called S tronic in Audi-speak) and the hot GTI sport compact, providing upshifts that are as smooth as they are quick. A sport mode and Tiptronic function might seem a little trivial, but they help to make the most out of the diesel powerplant, and while not particularly rev-happy, the diesel engine is up for a bout of energetic driving every now and then. DSG has a second, often overlooked side, incidentally, being that it’s one of the most efficient transmissions around. Without a torque converter, there’s less power loss. For those who do not want an “automatic”, a five-speed manual is offered as standard equipment.

These days, you won’t really have much choice when it comes to buying a TDI Jetta. It’s whatever stock is left, and that’s slim pickings. Depending on how you look at it, most cars left on dealer lots will be well-equipped, and what’s more is that they’re guaranteed to be the Special Edition – the last of the production run – which as far as I understand adds six-spoke alloy wheels, some fancy badges and the choice of a light metallic blue color.