Last week I did two things I'll never do again. First and worst was the hour I spent watching the Batchlorette when my wife highjacked the living room TV. Damn Yankees had the night off.
Then I drove our long-term 2009 VW Jetta TDI up Glendora Mountain Road. While not as bad as an hour of Jillian-and-the-I-have-abs-but-no-brains-brigade, the TDI on GMR was no treat. This car is not a sports sedan despite its DSG transmission and abundant bottom end torque.
The same suspension that feels pleasantly firm around town falls apart in the hills. By turn two you realize that the Jetta is underdamped, underbared and poorly tired. Body control is terrible as the Jetta refuses to settle down after any sizeable road irregularities and the thing leans over so much you swear the sway bars fell off somewhere down on the 210 Freeway.
Then there's the tires. The Jetta wears Bridgestone's Turanza EL400 H M+S in the 205/55R16 size. They might be good for maximizing mileage, but on GMR they felt like somebody doused them in Z Max. Grip? What grip? The Jetta's front end plows through every turn at anything considered a pace. Somebody at VeeDub likes understeer because it's this cars only cornering attitude.
Nothing, I repeat nothing, will get the rear end to rotate, partially because VW won't let you completely disable the stability control and partially because the little sedan has zero roll stiffness built into its rear suspension.
Even the DSG trans is let down in the twisties. It won't let you hold a gear even in "Manual" and it takes about a month to deliver that downshift you just asked for.
I'm not sure big mileage and long range is worth is lack of athleticism. Cars still need to be fun.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
slowevo says:
01:11 PM, 06/30/09
GMR is a good road. Lots of slow tight turns. Good times if you take the right car. When you get up enough, take the right fork, that road is good fun.
stovt001 says:
01:20 PM, 06/30/09
GMR is the one thing I love about living in Azusa. Perhaps the greatest driving road in America 5 minutes from my apartment? I'll take it. GMR -> East Fork Road -> San Gabriel Canyon = hour well spent.
sptsdn says:
01:27 PM, 06/30/09
At least many of those problems can be resolved with other bits from the GLI or aftermarket suppliers. Unlike the Prius, the TDI can be fun with some slight modifications.
canadaphant says:
01:28 PM, 06/30/09
Sounds like someone wants a GTD.
mrryte says:
01:59 PM, 06/30/09
The TDI's primary goal is to be PRACTICAL; not fun. People who buy them aren't thinking about performance.
"First and worst was the hour I spent watching the Batchlorette when my wife highjacked the living room TV....."
Coulda been worse Scott-you could have been forced to watch VH1's "Rock/Flavor/Daisy of Love". Now those shows are unbearable.
mikeolan says:
02:15 PM, 06/30/09
That's also because this car weighs a good 300 pounds more than it should.
jeepsrt says:
02:18 PM, 06/30/09
Coulda been worse Scott-you could have been forced to watch VH1's "Rock/Flavor/Daisy of Love". Now those shows are unbearable.
She used to be a stripper at Shotgun Willies in Denver, seen her a few times and she looks much better in black light.
stovt001 says:
03:42 PM, 06/30/09
"Sounds like someone wants a GTD."
I do. If VW brings it here I'm about sold.
misterwuf says:
09:42 PM, 06/30/09
I have the station wagon version of the Jetta TDI with a 6-sp manual, factory 17" rims and factory Michelin tires and it's huge fun on the twisty roads, even with 300lb of cargo in the back (or perhaps because of it). I'm surprised that there would be such a difference between the Edmunds test vehicle and mine. I wouldn't have it if the handling was as described here.
seppoboy says:
05:46 AM, 07/ 1/09
When shopping my 2006 Jetta TDI I test drove very briefly one car on Continental tires and deemed it acceptable. At another dealership I took a longer test drive on a car with the desired equipment and color and was appalled at the handling and braking and tire squeal at even parking lot speeds. Yup, Bridgestone Turanza EL400 tires. They ruined the car utterly.
Later that same day I bought my TDI at a third dealer, one with a competent sales department, after making sure it had Continental ProContact tires. They were really satisfactory for 50k miles, though they were somewhat hard, and I upgraded to a grippier replacement tire. Unfortunately that grip and quietness comes at a steep price, my fuel mileage dropped 4 mpg immediately. Tires really make a big difference, especially on smaller cars.
kellman says:
10:17 PM, 09/ 8/09
I have a 2006 TDI Jetta, These cars don't hug the pavement nearly as well with the 16" wheels as they do with the 17", or 18" with lower profile tires. I think alot the softness you feel is in the tires not the suspension.