What's Wrong With This Picture: Two Jettas, No Choice Edition

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: October 27th, 2010

what s wrong with this picture two jettas no choice edition

Notice a difference between these two pictures? No, not the fact that one is a sexy press shot and the other is a bush-league amateur snap. Both pictures show the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, but one of them has a torsion beam rear axle, the other has a variation of the Golf’s multilink setup. One has a 2.5 liter blunt instrument of an engine and a slushbox, the other has a high-tech “twincharger” engine that won the International Engine Of The Year award two years running, mated to a dual-clutch ‘box. One has a nasty, plasticky interior, the other offers “higher quality materials and trim.” By now you’ve probably guessed that the less desirable of these two Jettas is the US version, and the fancy-pants version has just been announced for the European market…

So, how much extra are the continentals paying for their technology-laden versions? Autocar says the Euro-fun starts at £17,000, which given the current exchange rate would approximate close to $27,000. And that’s for a 100 horsepower version of that technically impressive, turbo- and supercharged engine. America’s 115 hp base model (featuring the ancient “two point slow” engine and rear drum brakes) starts just under $16k. Now, these numbers aren’t directly comparable for a number of boring reasons, including purchasing power, tax structures, and more. Still, for fans who know what Volkswagen is capable of engineering, this has got to be one of the most frustrating comparisons ever.

#2011 #Engines #Europe #Jetta #Marketing #NewCars #Pricing #Technology #Volkswagen

Edward Niedermeyer

More by Edward Niedermeyer

Comments

Join the conversation

5 of 69 comments

Carguy on Oct 28, 2010

This is really an odd strategy from VW - usually going upmarket is what improves profitability not competing in the bargain basement. European image or not - at some point this product is going to have to compete with the new Focus and even Scion Tc and that is going to be an uphill battle. It will also erode their semi-prestige image which will not help them to sell their more upmarket products.

Like Reply
Fred on Oct 28, 2010

You want a fancy VW? Buy an Audi.

Like Reply
- Rain on Oct 28, 2010
  
  The new Jetta sure does have a bit of "Audi" styling
  
  Like
Tedward on Oct 28, 2010

I don't see what the big deal is about this. To make this comparison stick you have to willfully ignore the tdi Sportwagen or the upcoming GLI 2.0T, both of which have different dashboards from the car you lampoon, independent suspensions and far more appealing drivetrains. Hell, the tdi wagon can even run over $27k, and I'd sure as hell rather have one of those than a twincharged 100hp sedan.

Like Reply
Tom on Oct 28, 2010

Volkswagen is simply giving American consumers what they want: A cheap, decontented product. What's the big deal?

Like Reply