If you still think Volkswagens are second-rank to BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, you're five years out of date. Volkswagen has never looked so hot, first with the Golf GTi (from $293,000), then the hip Polo GTi ($198,000) and recently, the swish Passat (from $298,000).
Rolling up at $298,000, the fifth-generation Jetta is about to spoil the $379,875 Lexus IS 250's summer, and remind you of the cost of bridling a BMW 323i ($359,000), Mercedes-Benz C 230 (from $417,000) or Audi A4 2.0T ($389,000) in Hong Kong.
The Jetta (below) isn't as pretty as the Audi, and you can buy a basic Volvo S40 2.4 for less, ($278,000) but the sleek, black Sport model gave its rivals the jitters at the Hong Kong Hotel, in Kowloon, last Saturday. You'll impress petrolheads in this Jetta, because the car formerly known as the Bora offers lots of greasepit buzzwords, such as the GTi's 200-horsepowered 2.0 Turbo fuel stratified-charge injection (FSI) engine, and a direct shift gearbox that can whack 0-100km/h in 280Nm of torque at 1,800rpm.
It seems good value with ABT bodykit and sport suspension.
Up to 17.8cm longer and 4.6cm wider, and said to be 15 per cent stiffer than its predecessors, the Jetta Sport 2.0 T FSI makes a boss look sharp for less. And the new V-shaped radiator face shoves it to the snobs. The seats are comfy enough for commutes.
Made in Puebla, Mexico, the Jetta in November was named a Top Safety Pick by America's Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, having 'proved to have good performance in the front and side crash tests plus acceptable seat and head restraint ratings', say the dealers.
The 527-litre boot is big, but the depth makes it potentially awkward on backs. The extra 6.5cm of legroom make the Jetta's rear seats more comfortable than the Bora's, and we could swing our size-11 feet out without scuff.
