2011 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Volkswagen Jetta overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, and includes safety, reliability, and fuel economy information for the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.

The redesigned 2011 Jetta Sedan is no longer based on the smaller Golf. With a new platform and new sheet metal, the Jetta Sedan is longer and larger, yet lighter than before. It continues with a 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine or a fuel-efficient turbo-diesel that’s rated to get 42 mpg on the highway, but the new, $15,995* Jetta S has an underpowered 2.0-liter four-cylinder with just 115 horsepower. The Jetta SportWagen is now a separate model, continuing as a station wagon variant of the previous Jetta model.

*Price does not include destination charge of $770.

For 2011, the new Jetta Sedan is sold in S, SE, SEL and TDI (turbo-diesel) trims.

The base Jetta S is equipped with air conditioning with a pollen filter, a four-speaker stereo with CD/MP3/WMA playback and an auxiliary audio input jack, power windows with one-touch operation, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power heated side mirrors, an outside temperature display, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, six-way manually adjustable front seats, and cloth upholstery. Volkswagen also includes a free maintenance plan for three years or 36,000 miles. The only option on this model is an automatic transmission.

Volkswagen thinks the Jetta SE will be the most popular model, and it’s not hard to see why. It comes with a more powerful engine and larger 16-inch wheels, plus better “comfort” front seats with a center armrest covering a storage console, nicer interior trim, “leatherette” upholstery, cruise control, and floor mats. The Jetta SE also includes details like body-color side mirrors with signaling indicators, illuminated visor vanity mirrors, reading lights, a locking and illuminated glovebox, front seatback storage pockets, and a rear seat center armrest with a trunk pass-through.

The Jetta SE is also offered with more than just an available automatic transmission. The Convenience Package gives you 16-inch aluminum wheels, heated seats and windshield washer nozzles, satellite radio, two additional speakers, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth, and leather wrapping a multi-function steering wheel, the shift knob, and the parking brake handle. For a few dollars more, you can also get a power sunroof and a premium touchscreen sound system with a six-disc CD changer and SD card reader.

The Jetta SEL comes with everything that’s standard or optional on the SE, except for a power sunroof. Additionally, the SEL has 17-inch aluminum wheels, chrome exterior trim, fog lights, 4-wheel-disc brakes, a trip computer, keyless ignition, and a touchscreen navigation system with SD card slots. An automatic transmission and power sunroof are optional, the Jetta SEL can be equipped with a Sport Package that includes stiffer suspension tuning, sport seats and aluminum pedals.

At the top of the lineup sits the Jetta TDI, pricey mainly because of its fuel-efficient engine. It is equipped like the Jetta SE, but includes the SEL model’s rear disc brakes and trip computer, as well as a power sunroof and a unique set of 16-inch alloy wheels. The manual transmission offers six speeds rather than five, and the optional transmission is Volkswagen’s excellent Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) automated manual instead of a Tiptronic unit with a Sport mode. An optional navigation package includes a touchscreen navigation system, keyless access with push-button ignition, fog lights, chrome exterior trim, and lumbar support for the driver’s seat.

Every 2011 Jetta is equipped with a standard manual transmission; five-speed units in the S, SE, and SEL, and a six-speed gearbox in the TDI. The S, SE, and SEL can be equipped with a six-speed automatic featuring Tiptronic manual shifting and a Sport mode. The TDI is available with a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), which is a manual transmission that behaves like an automatic in that there is no clutch pedal and the driver does not need to manually shift gears.

One way that Volkswagen is chopping cost out of the 2011 Jetta Sedan is by installing a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine in the base S model. Rated at a paltry 115 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 122 pound-feet of torque, this engine makes fewer ponies and just 10 more lb-ft of torque than a tiny little Ford Fiesta. Think about that when considering how the Jetta S will be used for carrying passengers and cargo, or for the type of terrain you’ll be traversing. That’s not much in a car that is as roomy as some midsize sedans. And if you think you’ll be able to get the EPA-rated 24 mpg city/34 mpg highway gas mileage with the manual transmission, you’re likely to be disappointed because this engine is going to spend plenty of time close to redline while you strive to make it go faster than the Prius in the next lane. The automatic is rated 23 mpg city/29 mpg highway.

We strongly recommend buying the Jetta SE for no other reason than it comes with an adequate engine. The 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine, which is also standard on the Jetta SEL, makes 170 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 177 lb-ft of torque. That means the SE and SEL models can accelerate out of their own way. Fuel economy is expected to be 23 mpg city/33 mpg highway with the manual and 24 mpg city/31 mpg highway with the automatic. No. That’s not a typo. The bigger, more powerful engine gets better fuel economy with an automatic than the pathetic 2.0-liter motor.

The Jetta TDI gets a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel, generating 140 hp at 4,000 rpm and a healthy 236 lb-ft of torque between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. Torque is the key measurement here, and the TDI feels gutsy and energetic right off the line. Fuel economy is excellent at 30 mpg city/42 mpg highway with both the manual and DSG transmissions.

All Jettas are front-wheel drive, and the gasoline engines are rated as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (PZEV) in some regions of the country.

Volkswagen equips every 2011 Jetta with dual front airbags, dual side impact airbags for the front seat occupants, and dual side curtain airbags. Stability and traction control are also standard, and the antilock braking system includes electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Volkswagen is also proud of the Jetta’s Intelligent Crash Response System, which unlocks the doors, activates the hazard flashers, and cuts the supply of fuel to the engine when the airbags deploy.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revised its crash-test program for 2011, making it more difficult to achieve 5-Star ratings. The 2011 Jetta receives a 4-Star frontal impact rating, a 5-Star side impact rating, and a 4-Star rollover rating. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash tests, the Jetta Sedan is a Top Safety Pick.

Because Consumer Reports does not rate new or redesigned models, it offers no predictions for long-term reliability. J.D. Power and Associates think the new Jetta will return average dependability in the long run.

If you’re a Volkswagen Jetta fan, the redesigned 2011 Jetta Sedan is likely to disappoint in many respects. Whether the forgettable exterior styling appeals to you or not is irrelevant to the conversation; the interior, where you spend all of your time, is obviously downgraded in what can only be a quest for greater profit margins.

From the glossy hard plastic dashboard and door panels to the flimsy turn signal and wiper controls, the new Jetta looks and feels inexpensive. Comfort has also taken a hit. The ratcheting center armrest has disappeared, and the hard plastic upper door panels are brutal on elbows. Cloth upholstery is offered only on the Jetta S, with other models receiving vinyl (“leatherette”) that’s cold in the winter and sweaty in the summer. Despite our complaints, the Jetta’s seats offer decent support, and the rear seat is roomy enough for all but the tallest adults. And the driving position is just about perfect, thanks to a tilt/telescopic steering wheel that’s a pleasure to grip.

Volkswagen has also ditched the Jetta’s independent rear suspension in favor of a simpler and less expensive torsion beam rear axle. The impact on ride quality is palpable every time you drive the car. If you’ve never owned the previous Jetta, this is not a problem because you won’t know what you’re missing. VW loyalists, however, are going to be unhappy.

The news is not all bad. We sampled a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the model with the fuel-efficient turbo-diesel engine. Glancing at the specifications sheet, its 140 horsepower doesn’t look impressive, but because it makes 236 pound-feet of torque starting at a low 1,750, the car feels quite energetic. Our car had the standard six-speed manual transmission, and we found the clutch tricky to modulate, which prompts us to recommend the available Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), an automated manual transmission that operates like an automatic. During our test drive, we averaged 32.8 mpg, not far off the EPA combined estimate of 34 mpg.

The Jetta’s steering, braking, and handling are excellent, offering plenty of communication to the driver in the German tradition. Ride quality is another matter, as we mentioned before. The Jetta feels jittery at speeds higher than 35 mph due to that simple rear axle. And if you’re choosing the Jetta S or SE, know that the rear brakes are old-school drums, not superior discs.

Volkswagen wants to sell more cars, and make more money doing it. The redesigned 2011 Jetta Sedan is the first of many products that will be designed to appeal to American tastes in an effort to increase market penetration in the United States, and it clearly reflects the target buyer’s lack of automotive knowledge and attention to detail. Long-time Volkswagen buyers will want to examine the Jetta SportWagen, which continues to offer traditional Jetta goodness, or wait for the 2012 Jetta GLI. In the meantime: Attention Civic/Corolla/Sentra cross-shoppers. Your Volkswagen has arrived.

Proceed with caution. For 2011, the Jetta Sedan may finally become the affordable American-style family car Volkswagen always dreamed it would be. With a base price of $15,995 – almost $3,000 cheaper than last year and $4,500 less than in 2009 – VW hopes that by going with a more basic car, it can capture an American buyer who, in a worldwide economic slump, might otherwise try to squeeze another year out of the car they currently own.

But those price cuts come at a cost. While Volkswagen couldn’t completely remove the excellence that has made the Jetta its most popular car in America, the company’s efforts to dumb the car down for lowest common denominator buyers has cheapened the sedan version.

If you like Jettas and want a new one, get a SportWagen. You won’t pay that much more and you’ll get much better quality and driving dynamics consistent with Jetta tradition.

As for the all-new Jetta Sedan, this change in philosophy by the German automotive giant could be a stroke of genius, or a huge fail.

-- By Sam Gallegos and Christian Wardlaw