Tweet
The Volkswagen Jetta is an automobile produced by German automaker Volkswagen since 1980. Depending upon the model year, country of origin, and country of sale, it is sometimes known as the Atlantic, Fox, Vento, Bora, or Sagitar. It is essentially the saloon / sedan version of the compact car / small family car Volkswagen Golf, and spans five generations. The Jetta name was derived from the Jet stream, following Volkswagen's long tradition of naming cars for various winds.[1]
The Jetta bodystyle was developed due in part to the Volkswagen marketing group's observation that the North American market leaned more towards sedans as opposed to the Golf's hatchback configuration.[2] The new saloon variant was marketed as a more upscale car than its tailgated brethren, with nicer interior trim and a higher price.[3] This proved to be a wise move on Volkswagen's part, as the Jetta became the best-selling European car in the United States and Canada.[4] Over the years, the car has been offered in two and four-door sedan and five-door station wagon variants. As of 2005, over 6.6 million cars have been sold worldwide, with over 2.2 million alone sold in the United States. Since the original version in 1980, the car has grown in size and power with each successive generation.
Mark 1
The Jetta was introduced to the world at the 1979 Frankfurt Auto Show.[6] Production of the first generation began in September 1979 at the Wolfsburg plant.[7] In some markets, such as in Mexico, the Mark 1 was known as the "Volkswagen Atlantic", whilst it was known as the "Volkswagen Fox" in South Africa.[8] The car was available as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan body styles, both of which shared a three box shape. Like the Golf, its angular styling was penned at ItalDesign, by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Styling differences could be found depending on the market. In most of the world, the car was available with composite headlights, while in the USA, it was only available with rectangular sealed beam lamps due to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. The suspension setup was identical to the Golf and consisted of a MacPherson strut setup in front and a Twist-beam rear suspension in the rear. It shared its 2.4 meter (94.5 in) wheelbase with its hatchback counterpart although overall length was up by 38 centimeters (15 in). The capacity of the luggage compartment was 377 liters (13.3 ft3), making the Jetta reasonably practical.[9] To distinguish the car from the Golf, interiors were made more upscale in all markets.[10] This included velour seating and color coordinated sill to sill carpeting.
Engine choices varied considerably depending on the local market. Most were based on 827 engines of the era. Choices in Spark-ignition engines ranged from a 1.1 L four-cylinder engine producing 37 kilowatts (50 hp) to a 1.8 L I4 which made 67 kilowatts (90 hp) and 142 Newton metres (105 ft·lb) of torque. Some cars were equipped with Carburetors, while others were fuel injected using K or KE Jetronic supplied by Robert Bosch GmbH. Diesel engine choices included a 1.6 L making 37 kilowatts (50 hp) and a turbocharged version of the same engine which produced 50 kilowatts (68 hp) and 130 Newton metres (96 ft·lb) of torque.
Volkswagen briefly considered producing the Jetta in a plant located in Sterling Heights, Michigan in the USA.[11] However, due to declining sales in North America, the decision was postponed and finally scrapped in 1982.[12] The site was subsequently sold to Chrysler in 1983 and is still in operation as of 2007.[13] This generation was also produced in Bosnia under the joint venture Tvornica Automobila Sarajevo (TAS) for the Balkan area.[14]
Safety
Volkswagen was an early adopter of passive restraint systems. The first generation cars could be equipped with an "automatic" shoulder belt mounted to the door. The idea was to always have the belt buckled thereby doing away with the requirement that the driver and passenger remember to buckle up. Instead of a lap belt, the dashboard was designed with an integrated knee bar to prevent submarining underneath the shoulder belt.
In crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Mark 1 received five out of five stars in a 56 km/h (35 mph) frontal crash test for both driver and passenger protection.[15]
Testing and Review
North American specification
The first generation was met with generally positive reviews. Testers found the car handled precisely, however the lack of power steering contributed to heavy steering when parking.[16] The brakes worked well for a car of the day, but some brake fade was evident. The ride was taut but firm in the typical style of German cars, with large bumps being well absorbed by the suspension but smaller undulations coming through. Reviews differed on noise levels, some found the car fairly quiet, while others thought the engine contributed to higher noise levels.[17] Critics found the seating comfortable, but noted that the rear seat lacked sufficient head room. Most major controls and displays such as the speedometer and climate controls were well liked, but some secondary switches were not well placed or intuitive. The aforementioned automatic seat belts in some markets that were attached to the door frame made it impossible to forget to buckle the belt, but it was difficult to enter the car with a package in hand. Writers liked that the luggage space was generous, especially for a car of its size. Additionally, numerous storage areas also gave practicality to the sedan. In one test, the car scored nearly as high as the more expensive Passat/Dasher and the Audi 80/4000.
Continues...
The Jetta bodystyle was developed due in part to the Volkswagen marketing group's observation that the North American market leaned more towards sedans as opposed to the Golf's hatchback configuration.[2] The new saloon variant was marketed as a more upscale car than its tailgated brethren, with nicer interior trim and a higher price.[3] This proved to be a wise move on Volkswagen's part, as the Jetta became the best-selling European car in the United States and Canada.[4] Over the years, the car has been offered in two and four-door sedan and five-door station wagon variants. As of 2005, over 6.6 million cars have been sold worldwide, with over 2.2 million alone sold in the United States. Since the original version in 1980, the car has grown in size and power with each successive generation.
Mark 1
The Jetta was introduced to the world at the 1979 Frankfurt Auto Show.[6] Production of the first generation began in September 1979 at the Wolfsburg plant.[7] In some markets, such as in Mexico, the Mark 1 was known as the "Volkswagen Atlantic", whilst it was known as the "Volkswagen Fox" in South Africa.[8] The car was available as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan body styles, both of which shared a three box shape. Like the Golf, its angular styling was penned at ItalDesign, by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Styling differences could be found depending on the market. In most of the world, the car was available with composite headlights, while in the USA, it was only available with rectangular sealed beam lamps due to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. The suspension setup was identical to the Golf and consisted of a MacPherson strut setup in front and a Twist-beam rear suspension in the rear. It shared its 2.4 meter (94.5 in) wheelbase with its hatchback counterpart although overall length was up by 38 centimeters (15 in). The capacity of the luggage compartment was 377 liters (13.3 ft3), making the Jetta reasonably practical.[9] To distinguish the car from the Golf, interiors were made more upscale in all markets.[10] This included velour seating and color coordinated sill to sill carpeting.
Engine choices varied considerably depending on the local market. Most were based on 827 engines of the era. Choices in Spark-ignition engines ranged from a 1.1 L four-cylinder engine producing 37 kilowatts (50 hp) to a 1.8 L I4 which made 67 kilowatts (90 hp) and 142 Newton metres (105 ft·lb) of torque. Some cars were equipped with Carburetors, while others were fuel injected using K or KE Jetronic supplied by Robert Bosch GmbH. Diesel engine choices included a 1.6 L making 37 kilowatts (50 hp) and a turbocharged version of the same engine which produced 50 kilowatts (68 hp) and 130 Newton metres (96 ft·lb) of torque.
Volkswagen briefly considered producing the Jetta in a plant located in Sterling Heights, Michigan in the USA.[11] However, due to declining sales in North America, the decision was postponed and finally scrapped in 1982.[12] The site was subsequently sold to Chrysler in 1983 and is still in operation as of 2007.[13] This generation was also produced in Bosnia under the joint venture Tvornica Automobila Sarajevo (TAS) for the Balkan area.[14]
Safety
Volkswagen was an early adopter of passive restraint systems. The first generation cars could be equipped with an "automatic" shoulder belt mounted to the door. The idea was to always have the belt buckled thereby doing away with the requirement that the driver and passenger remember to buckle up. Instead of a lap belt, the dashboard was designed with an integrated knee bar to prevent submarining underneath the shoulder belt.
In crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Mark 1 received five out of five stars in a 56 km/h (35 mph) frontal crash test for both driver and passenger protection.[15]
Testing and Review
North American specification
The first generation was met with generally positive reviews. Testers found the car handled precisely, however the lack of power steering contributed to heavy steering when parking.[16] The brakes worked well for a car of the day, but some brake fade was evident. The ride was taut but firm in the typical style of German cars, with large bumps being well absorbed by the suspension but smaller undulations coming through. Reviews differed on noise levels, some found the car fairly quiet, while others thought the engine contributed to higher noise levels.[17] Critics found the seating comfortable, but noted that the rear seat lacked sufficient head room. Most major controls and displays such as the speedometer and climate controls were well liked, but some secondary switches were not well placed or intuitive. The aforementioned automatic seat belts in some markets that were attached to the door frame made it impossible to forget to buckle the belt, but it was difficult to enter the car with a package in hand. Writers liked that the luggage space was generous, especially for a car of its size. Additionally, numerous storage areas also gave practicality to the sedan. In one test, the car scored nearly as high as the more expensive Passat/Dasher and the Audi 80/4000.
Continues...
Comment