LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
This article is from our archives and has not been updated and integrated with our "new" site yet... Even so, it's still awesome - so keep reading!
Published on Mon, Sep 1, 2008
By: The LACar Editorial Staff
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
I jump in and set about adjusting the various controls to my personal tastes and
am pleased to find that the vehicle has Sirius Satellite Radio active, which
means that the first order of business is putting my six favorites on the first
(of three) SAT screens; Eighties, Blues, Traffic/Weather, NPR,
Stones/Springsteen Channels, and Classic (Real) Country. What did we do before
Satellite Radio (or cell phones, email... if you're over 50, this list could go
on for quite some time)? For me, satellite radio is far more than a convenient
novelty. If you spend as much time as I do driving up and down the Interstate 5
corridor between So Cal and No Cal (southern and northern California), and you
are not particularly enamored with Christian Radio or what passes for Country
Western these days, and you don't speak Spanish; then you better have SAT Radio,
or Audio Books.
And before anyone gets their knickers in a knot about my Country Western
comment, understand that I like Country Western music, it's just that I
don't consider most of what is played on CW format stations today to be much
more than Pop music with a cowboy hat. Maybe I'm old school, (about now, I can
hear my daughter chiming in, "Maybe you're just plain old") but Country music
for me is Merle (Haggard), Buck (Owens), Patsy (Cline), Charlie (Pride), Willy
(Nelson), Waylon (Jennings), Johnny (Cash), Hank(s) (the Williamses, father and
son)... another list that can go on for quite some time. When I hear Charlie
Pride singing 'On the Wings of a Dove', or Merle Haggard singing 'Okie from
Muskogee', it's the summer of 1970 all over again, and I'm once again (still?)
that snot-nosed wise-assed kid from Berkeley, California, trying to fit in while
working at Piggly Wiggly in Denton, Texas. but I digress.Have I mentioned that
the Jetta is RED?
The thing that I like most about the Jetta is that it is truly a Volkswagen. By
that I mean that it is tightly put together, the doors go 'thunk', it handles
well, and is in general, fun to drive. The five-cylinder engine puts out 170
horsepower, and 177 pound-feet of torque, which when combined with the five
speed manual nudges the 'fun factor' to above average. The newest iteration of
the Jetta (the 2009), has an option that has the potential for really nudging up
the fun factor: The new, common rail 2.0 TDI diesel engine is really something
to look forward to.
The Jetta has plenty of room in the front seats, and is better than average in
the back seats. Being a large individual myself (once again, I can hear my
daughter chiming in, "...I think that you mean fat, Pops"). I'm average height,
but overweight, with bad knees and a bad hip which means that climbing in and
out of cars is not my favorite pastime. The Jetta is laid out in such a way that
the discomfort level is kept to a minimum.
The EPA estimate for gas mileage for the Jetta is 21 miles per gallon city and
29 highway, with a combined of 24 miles per gallon. In my wanderings, I am
averaging a little better than 25 miles per gallon, so it is a relatively frugal
vehicle. However, this pales in comparison to the aforementioned TDI, which
should have a combined average that is in the mid to high 40s.
All-in-all, I find the Jetta to be a good, small-to-mid-sized vehicle - well
equipped and priced competitively at $20,600.00.
SUMMARY JUDGMENT
A solid European sedan disguised as an inexpensive compact car
For more information about Volkswagen products, go to
www.vw.com.Â
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
Name of Vehicle:
2008 VW Jetta 2.5
Price of vehicle:
$16,990 (base)
$19,850 (SE base)
$20,600 (SE, as tested)
Engine type:
2.5 liter DOHC 20-valve in-line five-cylinder
Horsepower:
170 bhp at 5,500 rpm
Torque:
177 pound-feet at 4250 rpm
EPA mileage specs:
21 mpg/city, 29 mpg/highway
Drive configuration:
Front-wheel-drive
Transmission type:
Six-speed manual or optional six-speed Tiptronic automatic
Front suspension:
MacPherson struts with lower wishbones, aluminum subframe, tubular anti-roll
bar, track stabilizing steering roll radius
Rear suspension:
Four-link with separate springs/shock absorber arrangement, subframe, and a
tubular anti-roll bar
Wheels/tires:
6.5 X 16 inch aluminum alloy wheels with 205/55R16 inch all-season tires
Brakes:
Front: 288-mm vented discs with dual-piston calipers
Rear: 260-mm solid discs with single-piston calipers
Power assisted, ABS, EBD, BA and electronic differential lock
Overall length:
179.3 inches
Overall width:
70.1 inches (without mirrors)
Overall height:
57.4 inches
Curb weight:
3230 pounds
0-60 mph:
8.5 seconds
Top speed:
127 mph
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