View Full Version : Review: Base 2004 Jetta with slushy
My girlfriend is borrowing her sister's Jetta for the summer as a commuter. I drove it to Boston from Connecticut yesterday.
Good:
-It's a nice enough looking car; dark gray with light gray fabric seats.
-The stereo is a far superior unit to the one in my e36. I think it's the upgraded radio because it says "Monsoon" on it. Nice and loud.
-It's nice going over bumps and not worrying about the car falling apart around me, Blues Brothers style.
-I like the glass sunroof.
-Finally, I could really get used to having keyless entry. The fob even has a button to open the trunk.
Bad:
-It's wicked slow. I'm not sure if it has DBW or not, but there is some SERIOUS lag between hitting the pedal and any reaction (not that there's much noticeable reaction anyway). I've driven a good many automatics, and this one sucks.
-The seats are height adjustable, but I just couldn't find a spot where I didn't feel like I was sitting "on" the car rather than "in" it, and still be able to see over the dashboard.
-It actually feels heavier than my car. I'm not sure it is, but it felt very top heavy.
-REALLY wallows around turns. I thought we were going to tip over on one curvy entrance ramp.
-woefully inadequate brakes
Conclusion:
Plaz and TD are right. In bumper to bumper traffic, a manual is easier to control. I got real tired of riding the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of me, and quick lane changes were a gamble due to the throttle lag.
I don't like it.
Conclusion:
Plaz and TD are right. In bumper to bumper traffic, a manual is easier to control. I got real tired of riding the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of me, and quick lane changes were a gamble due to the throttle lag.
Shoot, you don't need Plaz or TD to tell you that. It's something that us manual tranny drivers have known forever.
The sitting "on" rather than "in" the car feeling is what the 9-2X feels like also. Don't like it, but wont kill me. But not as bad as the 1992 corolla my sister used to have.
Nothing like a slushie to completely kill an already underwhelming powertrain. I am pleasently surprised with the low-end grunt of the 9-2X. Very happy we got a stick. Feels lighter than the advertised 3100lbs. Handles ok too.
Get an alarm and you can have a key fob. Get an E46 M3 or a CTS-V and you get one as well.
:)
Your review was really horribly long. After seeing the topic of "Jetta/Slushy," I expected the review to say "it sucked."
rumatt
05-31-2005, 07:17 PM
Your review was really horribly long.
:lol:
Zach, how did you convince your gf to drive this puppy?
Shoot, you don't need Plaz or TD to tell you that. It's something that us manual tranny drivers have known forever.
us manual drivers disagree strongly--it's not even close.
BTW zach, why would you need to make quick lane changes in bumper to bumper traffic?
I got real tired of riding the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of me
:?
as opposed to riding the clutch AND brake with a manual?
Shoot, you don't need Plaz or TD to tell you that. It's something that us manual tranny drivers have known forever.
us manual drivers disagree strongly--it's not even close.
BTW zach, why would you need to make quick lane changes in bumper to bumper traffic?
I had to make quick changes to get into a lane that was moving faster. The slowness of the car combined with the lag from the automatic made the quick decision to action moves sort of risky, as the whole process from my decision to move to actual movement took for freaking ever.
I had to make quick changes to get into a lane that was moving faster.
:nono:
that kind of behavior is what causes one lane to move faster than the other in the first place. just pick a lane and stay there! inevitably when i see a car doing this they end up farther back than I, who just cruises along in the same lane the whole way.
rumatt
05-31-2005, 07:56 PM
that kind of behavior is what causes one lane to move faster than the other in the first place.
No it's not.
inevitably when i see a car doing this they end up farther back than I
Then they weren't looking far enough ahead when making their lane change decisions.
as opposed to riding the clutch AND brake with a manual?
The brake pedal in many automatics takes more force than the clutch or brake in a manual, and you must hold with moderate effort the whole time you're going below say 5 mph. With the manual you need extremely light brake pressure to hold the car still. With the auto, you need to fight it from lurching forward.
lemming
05-31-2005, 08:01 PM
that kind of behavior is what causes one lane to move faster than the other in the first place.
No it's not.
inevitably when i see a car doing this they end up farther back than I
Then they weren't looking far enough ahead when making their lane change decisions.
as opposed to riding the clutch AND brake with a manual?
The brake pedal in many automatics takes more force than the clutch or brake in a manual, and you must hold with moderate effort the whole time you're going below say 5 mph. With the manual you need extremely light brake pressure to hold the car still. With the auto, you need to fight it from lurching forward.
am completely unthrilled with automatics. even the latest and greatest generation of automatics are still so-so (the BMW units are okay; the infiniti ones are so-so).
i find them to be more difficult MOST of the time in heavy traffic.
I had to make quick changes to get into a lane that was moving faster.
:nono:
that kind of behavior is what causes one lane to move faster than the other in the first place. just pick a lane and stay there! inevitably when i see a car doing this they end up farther back than I, who just cruises along in the same lane the whole way.
There was an accident further up on the highway in the left lane (the lane I was in). I suppose I could have stayed in that lane until they moved the crashed cars, but it would have taken a while. Meanwhile, traffic was flying by on the right and I needed to wait for a large gap.
ah, I see.
You made it sound like you were going back and forth a lot
that kind of behavior is what causes one lane to move faster than the other in the first place.
No it's not.
often it is
that kind of behavior is what causes one lane to move faster than the other in the first place.
No it's not.
often it is
I concur.
lemming
06-01-2005, 06:01 PM
i think it's a highly fluid situation.
if it's normal daily commuting, then it pays to stay in your lane because the people surrounding you are professional commuters and don't pull any dumbass maneuvers like trying to weave through traffic. your fellow commuters will shut you down if you drive like that and you'll also quickly get nailed by the state police chopper who relays down to patrol cars about aggressive driving.
on weekends, when people who don't normally drive in the city such as the elderly, commuter rail peeps and tourists, it often pays to slice through traffic. more often than not, there will be someone on a celllphone in a giant SUV or minivan holding up the fast lane.
but i agree. the jetta with the four banger (non turbo) plus the automatic is a complete waste of time as far as driving enjoyment goes. honestly, who buys those cars? think about it. it's a german cavalier/neon/civic. basically, they care enough about appearances to project a "sophisticated" european exterior, but not enough to actually get a decent driving vehicle. and somehow, they sell well.
:flame:
blech.
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