Yesterday I was faced with a choice of taking our Subaru Impreza or our 2005 Volkswagen Jetta. Considering that I had to drive through rush-hour traffic to get crosstown to Hollywood I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of driving stick, regardless of the car.
However, I went with the Jetta and was pleasantly surprised. As Erin had mentioned in a previous post, the clutch take-up is user-friendly. I had none of the newbie-reminiscent jerking that I have had with other manual transmission cars in our fleet. ::cough, cough:: Subaru ::cough, cough::
Enduring stop-and-go traffic wasn't painful on my legs or the back of my head. Rather, the VW's shifts were smooth and the clutch light. Needless to say, I was very grateful.
BTW, if you're wondering why I used a picture of the gauges, it's because looking at previous posts, I noticed that there were already shots of the car's pedals and the stickshift. So something different for you to check out.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 62,604 miles
sgude says:
10:31 AM, 10/ 3/08
You guys are doing a lot of coughing in these posts...
sabastian says:
10:32 AM, 10/ 3/08
I really like the blue gauges in the VW Jetta/Golf, but the blacked-out area where the screen should makes it seem like it's missing something.
sabastian says:
10:33 AM, 10/ 3/08
*where the screen should be...*
::sigh:: I miss the edit function...
greenpony says:
11:13 AM, 10/ 3/08
I like the VW's gauges. Simple, but with a German engineering feel. The previous-gen Jetta was better though.
Does the car really idle around 900 rpm? Seems kind of high to me. Of course, I'm used to 500-700 rpm.
dougtheeng says:
11:21 AM, 10/ 3/08
I am of the opinion that VW has the best, classiest looking gauges available. I also like the blue and red combination.
jasond52 says:
11:48 AM, 10/ 3/08
Driving a stick in traffic is not bad at all if you learn to shift without the clutch. You'll only need to use the clutch when you come to full stop.
After driving the DC Beltway for several years, I became a pro with clutch-less shifting and rolling the car along as slow as possible w/o stopping in heavy traffic. This oil-burning V-Dub's high torque should make it even easier.
stingray454 says:
12:43 PM, 10/ 3/08
I think there was a post with the Jetta's gauges before - very early on in the car's fleet time. I think one of the editors did a comparison of this Jetta's gauges with a newer model Jetta, or something like that.
bepperb says:
01:08 PM, 10/ 3/08
That big rectangle in the middle is just a black piece of plastic? It isn't filled with idiot lights or anything? If so, what a waste of valuble space. Still, they are a good looking set of gauges, though a bit bland I'd take them.
carfreak8394 says:
01:52 PM, 10/ 3/08
I always found it weird how VW/Audi put their clocks in the gauge cluster like that. Kind of odd. And on a random note, everytime I read a blog on this website, I want to be able to drive more and more :D. Only 10 more months :P.
mercedesfan says:
02:51 PM, 10/ 3/08
carfreak it is a German thing. Mercedes has been placing clocks in their gauge clusters since the late 1970's and BMW since at least the early 1990's. The logic is that the clock is more easily visible from the gauge cluster than down on the radio somewhere. It places all pertinent information in one place, these are driver's cars after all.
mikeolan says:
03:07 PM, 10/ 3/08
Electroluminescent Gauges > Volskwagen's "Der Rave" Gauge coloring.
cx7lover says:
06:54 PM, 10/ 3/08
There should be a display in that blank space but they may have cut it to save costs.
cwc1 says:
10:26 PM, 10/ 3/08
That area between the two gages *is* for warning lights and such, like low fuel, etc.
autoboy16 says:
05:27 AM, 10/ 4/08
Only the GLX Models and some GLI's got the trip computer screen(MFC in VW Speak. Multi Function Computer).
I was looking at Used MKIV Jetta/Golf in my price range... But I have to Choose between the 2.0 and the 1.8T (Manual of course!). I prefer the 1.8, but my friends dad being one of the head mechanics at the local VW dealer says he hates that engine and it is very unreliable and isn't a wise choice...
Would anyone buy that engine after a top mechanic gives you that advice... 115hp seems soooo low after coming from 170hp...
Still I love the gauges!! But I prefer the ones without the silver rings...
-Cj
brn says:
06:45 AM, 10/ 4/08
"Considering that I had to drive through rush-hour traffic to get crosstown to Hollywood I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of driving stick"
What do you do for a living again?
I drove a stick, with a four banger, through rush hour traffic for eight years. It wasn't a big deal. I don't understand why someone who works for an auto publication would think twice about it.
Full disclosure: I now drive an automatic and prefer it.