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First Drive: 1999 Volkswagen Jetta, Golf and Cabrio
The New Jetta, Golf and Cabrio are Improved for '99, But Will Drivers Want Them?
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By John Clor
Date posted: 01-01-1999
In the wake of the successful launch of the Volkswagen Passat and, more recently, the New Beetle, VW chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech stood before more than 100 auto journalists the company had assembled from across North America and officially unveiled the rest of VW's revamped lineup. ''We do not intend to be the 'Beetle Company' in the future, with only one successful model,'' he said. ''Today, we want to make this very clear to you by showing our new products.''
With that, Piech carefully outlined the corporate template that gave birth to the all-new 1999 VW Jetta and Golf as well as the revised '99 Cabrio. VW's goal, he explained, was to bring the rest of the model range up to the standards embodied in the new Passat and Beetle. Piech said the basis for the higher positioning of the Volkswagen marque would be adding standard features, delivering good value and improving build quality. He asked that we look closely to find evidence of this new ''Volkswagen Standard'' of features, value and quality in the '99 Jetta, Golf and Cabrio. He challenged us to appreciate the cars' upgraded standard equipment and to the detail that was paid in the production process. He assured us we would notice the improvements in the areas of safety, comfort and quality.
It became immediately obvious that Piech was confident of what we would find when driving his new cars. And why not? Piech-the grandson of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, creator of the original Volkswagen-deserves all the credit he's been given for turning the once-struggling German automaker around. Almost overshadowed because of the debut of these three new models was word that, with worldwide sales of 3.8 million cars this year, Volkswagen has passed Toyota to become the third-largest auto manufacturer in the world behind GM and Ford.
The Volkswagen Group now includes eight car and commercial-vehicle marques: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. This combination ensures that the company is represented in almost all market categories. Thanks in no small part to Piech, VW offers a versatile and attractive model range from practical small cars to luxury models and 22-ton trucks. Volkswagen employs some 290,000 people, more than half of them working in Germany, where VW enjoys a market share of nearly 30 percent.
That's a long way from where VW is in the United States, and light years from where it was back in 1993, when the company stumbled out of the blocks during the U.S. launch of the last-generation Jetta and Golf. Labor unrest and mass firings at its Mexican assembly plant forced the shutdown of the factory and cut off the supply of cars to the American market. By the time new people were hired and the plant revamped, an entire model-year of Jettas and Golfs had been lost. Consequently, the bottom fell out of U.S. sales, which, at under 50,000 units, were less than one-tenth of what they were during the Beetle's heyday in the 1970s. Reeling from the lack of sales, Volkswagen dealers began dropping like flies.
But rather than simply pull out of the North American market entirely, Piech decided to take control of his foundering company before it was too late. After a thorough reorganization, VW began its turnaround based on solid product decisions. Just half-a-decade later, VW expects to reach 220,000 in U.S. sales for 1998 and even more next year, when the 1999 Jetta, Golf and Cabrio will have a chance to make their mark.
If our daylong drive is any indication, VW should do extremely well with these cars, perhaps better than their best estimates. We drove all three models over different legs of our journey, which began in Palm Springs, headed across the California desert, went up over the mountains and wound up on the waterfront in San Diego. While the Jetta was clearly the headliner in this group, we saved it for last on our drive because we felt we could best evaluate it by sampling its lesser brethren first.
Understand that it's quite a departure for an automaker to launch three new models at the same time and in the same place. We've seen two at a time, sometimes, sister-vehicles and the like, but rarely three. The marketing types will tell you that combined launches often dilute the amount of attention the vehicles may have been able to garner in separate programs. In this case, these cars have so much in common and are so closely related to one another that VW decided to introduce them together. For instance, the new Jetta and Golf are built off the same platform as the New Beetle, as well as a few other models including the Audi TT Sports Coupe (and upcoming Roadster), Euro-market A3 hatchback and Skoda Octavia. Despite their shared underpinnings, there's no mistaking a New Beetle for a new Jetta or Golf-the personalities are that distinct. The Cabrio, based on the old Golf platform, has been restyled inside and out, adding content and corporate design cues to help it appeal to a wider audience. For the sake of review, we'll start as we did on our drive, with the Golf.
1999 Volkswagen Golf - A Solid Performer
We've always liked the Golf, a fun-to-drive, chunky but spunky hatchback that saw its last makeover in 1993. In hatch-loving Europe, the VW Golf has been a best-seller for more than two decades. Here in the States, the Golf does battle against a range of compacts, most of them with far less sporting credentials.
For 1999, the Golf has been redesigned inside and out. Smoother, more stylish, all-galvanized sheetmetal offers rounder edges, with a freshened face and larger, more distinctive taillamp openings. The Golf is available as a base two-door GL, an uplevel four-door GLS, or sporty two-door GTI in either GLS trim or a hot GLX package. This fourth-generation Golf is slightly wider and more than three inches longer than its predecessor, with the wheelbase stretched 1.5 inches to 98.9. This allows for a larger interior, better rear headroom and overall legroom, and nearly a foot more cargo space.
Powertrains include a revamped 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a new cross-flow cylinder head, good for 115 horsepower, and a fuel-sipping 1.9-liter Turbo Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engine, either of which are available with a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmissions. Opt for the GTI, and the GLX five-speed-only version serves up the torquey 2.8-liter VR6. A narrow-angle V6 with a wide torque band, the VR6 has a new intake manifold that offers better breathing for improved high-end power. Horsepower is up to 174 at 5,800 rpm, while torque is bumped to 181 foot-pounds at a down-low 3,200 revs. Silky and playful, the GTI with a VR6 makes for a high-spirited driving experience.
Perhaps most important is Golf's improved structural rigidity, which not only provides a solid, quieter body with precise gaps between the doors and body panels, but an overall feel of quality. That is exactly what Piech had been talking about-the obvious attention to detail during the build process he had mentioned brings a noticeable premium look and feel to the car. It all rides on the Golf's front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones, with new springs for improved stability. The rear suspension employs an independent torsion-beam axle and separate shock and coil-spring mounts to reduce intrusion into the luggage compartment and cut road noise.
Inside, the new instrument panel is stylish yet functional, and the dark wood trim in the GLX model blends well with the high-quality fit and finish of the soft-textured surfaces. Like the New Beetle, gauges are backlit in blue with vibrant red pointers. Piech wanted this combination to be marque-specific, noting that they are the same colors used by international air traffic on airfields at night. Seats are firm and supportive, and the back seat folds down for expanded cargo carrying capacity. As a hatchback, the Golf can function like a mini-wagon yet prove as playful as any sporty coupe.
The end result is a superbly constructed little car with excellent road feel and stability that belies its size. We sampled the GLX five-speed VR6 and were surprised at its composure at speed. In and around town, our GTI cut cleanly through traffic and sprinted from stoplights with ease. Because there were precious few curves and lots of straight, flat interstate on this portion of our drive, we decided to take a detour or two for some off-ramp/on-ramp cornering and acceleration. The Golf didn't disappoint, losing little of its old edge while gaining a sense of heft and balance that few cars in this class can match. We felt ourselves smiling as we turned over the keys at our first vehicle change point.
We'd change little on the new Golf. We're not particularly fond of the climate control knobs, as they're not exactly intuitive and the little icons embossed into the knobs are small and hard to see. And an in-dash CD option would have been nice. We understand VW's penchant for simple mechanical solutions over power accessories, but no one will convince us that the slide handle, height level and two knobs to adjust the seats fore/aft travel, seatback angle, height and lumbar are easy to use. Here's a place where a good, old-fashioned, joystick-style switch would work wonders. Out on the road, we noticed the throttle felt way too light and feathery and the clutch release point seemed rather high and slow to engage. This made for some high-revving, less-than-smooth takeoffs until we could get the hang of it. Of course, more seat time may reveal other minor nits-but at first blush, the Golf's a winner.
The new Golfs come with a long list of standard features, including side-impact airbags, four-disc ABS, 15-inch wheels and tires, clear halogen headlamps, telescoping steering wheel, anti-theft alarm, premium eight-speaker stereo/cassette, remote entry, and a split folding rear seat with three headrests. Options for the GLS include leather and heated seating, alloy wheels and power glass sunroof. The GLX adds 16-inch alloys, dark wood decor and cruise control. All have VW's two-year, 24,000-mile limited warranty with free scheduled maintenance for the same period. The factory includes a 12-year, unlimited mileage warranty against rust-through.
The fourth-generation 1999 VW Golf and GTI will be unveiled at the Detroit auto show and will appear in U.S. dealerships beginning in January, which is more than a year after its European debut. The 1999 Golf GL starts at $14,900, which is just $30 more than a comparably equipped '98 model. Drivers, start your engines.
1999 Volkswagen Cabrio - For Beetle Convertible Wannabes
Next up for us was the Cabrio, which VW touts as America's best-selling European-designed convertible. For 1999 it comes in two flavors: a value-packaged GL priced just under $20,000, and a high-end GLS model. New styling mirrors the Golf's, with a front end that is more aerodynamic than last-year's Cabrio, but the old, basket-handle rollbar still arches over the center of the interior to connect the B-pillars.
Inside we find new seat fabrics and the same, high-quality dash and trim materials used in the new Golf put to use in a revamped cockpit, blending ''soft'' touch zones with modern chrome accents. The VW-signature indigo blue backlit gauges with red needles provide an upmarket look in a surprisingly comfortable environment. The Cabrio still boasts eight cubic feet of cargo space, and features an interior trunk release and standard fold-down rear seat to help load and tote oversized items.
The Cabrio's integrated roll bar ties together the body structure and helps reduce cowl shake over broken pavement, smoothing out the ride atop 14-inch wheels and tires while tightening handling ability in fast corners. Convertible purists, however, will tell you a rollbar detracts from the open-air experience, especially for passengers who try to cram into the little back seats. Steering is quick and communicative. Fresh looking and fun-to-drive, the '99 Cabrio has a far more modern appearance than last year's model.
For '99, side-impact airbags, antilock brakes and air-conditioning have been added to the standard equipment list, which includes a premium eight-speaker stereo/cassette, a real glass rear window with defogger, remote locking and an anti-theft system. The GLS adds such niceties as a power top (in cloth or white vinyl), power windows and leather seats.
Both the GL and GLS are powered by VW's previous-generation 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which (unlike the revised version in the Golf and Jetta) is a carryover motor for '99. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, and the four-speed automatic can be had as an option on both models. Despite its 122 foot-pounds of torque, this 115-horse inline four is no barnstormer, and will feel downright sluggish underfoot if mated to the automatic.
We selected a Cabrio GLS with the five-speed stick and piloted it through the mountains with the top down the whole way. Wringing out the little motor in the esses, we wished we'd had the chance to flog the GTI through the twisties instead. The new Cabrio is smooth but not fast, capable but not athletic. Wind noise wasn't bad at highway speed, but air seems to seek out the rollbar-mounted seatbelts and then flaps them incessantly against the plastic trim directly behind your ears. But hey, what do you want for a base price of $19,990?
To its credit, the Cabrio retains its fun-to-drive character while adding a new sense of sophistication. But will any driver mistake this car's behind-the-wheel experience for a Miata? Nope. Not even close. Which brings us to a larger question about the new Cabrio: Why? Why didn't VW just spend the money on a New Beetle Convertible and serve up an instant classic?
Although the Golf-based Cabrio replaced the old-Rabbit based ragtop back in 1995, they both can be traced back to the much-loved Beetle Cabriolet. With a far more capable New Beetle on the market, we think it would have made more sense to offer an open-air Beetle instead of a revamped Cabrio. Let's face it, even the much-improved '99 Cabrio doesn't have the personality of the New Beetle. We told VW officials about aftermarket conversion companies being swamped with orders to cut New Beetles into Cabriolets, but they said there are no plans to offer a factory New Beetle convertible. Go figure. The '99 Cabrios are arriving at dealers now.
Jetta - Has It Sold Its Soul for Refinement's Sake?
VW chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech took great pains to distinguish the 1999 Jetta from its VW stablemates during his pre-drive comments at the press launch. Many media members figured he would try to distance it from the Golf as a model worthy to stand alone in the spotlight. But Piech was actually more concerned that the new Jetta-the car VW expects to net as much as 65 percent of next year's U.S. sales-would get lost amid America's renewed love-affair with the New Beetle. So-adamant that VW wasn't content to be known merely for the Beetle-Piech targeted his remarks at what makes the 1999 Jetta special. But just before he described for us the dynamics of the new Jetta, Piech said, ''Ladies and gentlemen, let me now describe the driving characteristics of the New Beetle.''
Few in the crowd caught the fact he misspoke-he meant to say, of course, ''of the new Jetta.'' But, as the few who caught the faux pas chuckled quietly, it brought to mind the image-building task that lies ahead for Volkswagen of America. We can tell you that as fine a car as the New Beetle is (Import Car of the Year award notwithstanding), the '99 Jetta should still go a long way to expand the VW brand identity beyond Beetle mania.
For years, the Jetta wasn't much more than a four-door Golf with a traditional sedan greenhouse and a trunk tacked on. It made for a practical little family sedan that could deliver German-bred driving enjoyment for a blue-collar price. As a well-thought-out package that offered a driver's-oriented command of the road, it was easy to like.
But this new, fourth-generation Jetta has its very own fenders, grille, hood and rear doors-and now looks more like a downsized Passat than a sedan variant of the Golf. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, VW's director of technical development, described the Jetta's new, smoothed-out body as a classic European design. We'd call it the cookie-cutter, C-Class Euro-style that everybody is copying-from Ford and GM to the Japanese and Korean makes.
If VW truly wanted to build its U.S. image beyond the Beetle, why not give the Jetta a look as unique as the Beetle's? Would that be too much of a risk for such a bread-and-butter car? Maybe VW saw what Ford's oval-esque Taurus styling experiment did to sales of their once-proud bestseller, and decided to play it safe. Sure, Jetta's almost coupe-like roofline and newly established Volkswagen face are nicely executed, but the large, wraparound taillamps that angle down into the trunk's rear panel have been done as often as Bill Clinton sex jokes. Anybody tired yet?
Much like the Audi line, Jetta's handsome if uninspired styling imparts a look of poise and polish. Its solid road manners and quiet ride offer the kind of quality feel you might expect from more exotic German brands. Getting much of the credit for the stout unibody is a new VW assembly process that employs laser welding techniques and space-age bonding agents to improve structural rigidity and body panel fit.
Piech's new ''Volkswagen Standard'' of features, value and quality is apparent throughout the new Jetta, whether you choose the base GL, the midlevel GLS or top-of-the-line GLX. All come standard with side airbags, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, 15-inch wheels and tires (16 on GLX), adjustable steering wheel, premium eight-speaker stereo/cassette, remote locking and heated remote mirrors. The GLS adds features such as power windows and mirrors, cruise control and a center armrest with neat cupholders. Plunk down the cash for the six-cylinder GLX, and you gain automatic climate control, wood decor, leather upholstery (with power, heated seats), self-dimming rearview mirrors and fog lamps. An optional GLX sport package gets you sport-bolstered seats and alloy wheels.
Inside the new Jetta, the increased attention to detail that Piech noted is clearly evident, with thoughtful design and ergonomics, and the use of premium-look materials throughout. Of course, there's also the blue-lit gauges with red pointers. Plus we found more headroom and legroom in the back seat, which now features headrests and three-point belts for all three seating positions. The seat folds down for expanded cargo capacity via a pass-through to the trunk, which sacrificed a cubic foot of space to allow more room in the back of the cabin.
The engine lineup is identical to the Golf's. The good news it that you don't have to go all the way up to the GLX to get the VR6 engine anymore, as it is now an option on the GLS. The bad news is the base 115-horse, 2.0-liter four is just too anemic in this size of car, especially if you opt for an automatic. Later in the '99 model year (late spring), the 90-horsepower TDI diesel (which makes 33 more foot-pounds of torque than the gasoline motor) will be available in GL and GLS versions. In any case, we'd suggest the VR6 and a five-speed (automatic only if you MUST) for the kind of all-around driveability and performance most people demand.
One neat feature on the GLX is a new rain-sensor automatic wiper system, similar in concept to General Motors' Rainsense® system available on Cadillacs. But we wonder if this kind of high-tech gadgetry is worth developing for a compact family car like the Jetta. Maybe VW should have spent its money expanding the bumper-to-bumper portion of Jetta's warranty beyond its two-year, 24,000-mile limit.
For the final leg of our test drive, we drove a Jetta GLS with automatic transmission powered by the optional VR6. On the highway, the Jetta was a solid performer, tight and stable, more in keeping of what you'd expect from a small luxury sedan. The seats were firm and supportive, but our GLS could be adjusted only via handles and levers and knobs-oh, my! (The GLX power setup is the best way to quickly find the right seating position.) Steering was precise and the
See all the Ratings: 1999 Volkswagen Cabrio 2 Dr GL Convertible Road Test Scoreboard
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