First Drive: 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

MarcusW

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TDD Reviews 2013 Jetta Hybrid

Interesting review from The Diesel Driver and great irony (I think) in the photos. Not that I would trade my diesel in for one of course...
2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid – First Look and Review


by Jonathan Spira
The current Volkswagen Jetta first made its appearance a little over two years ago with diesel and petrol variants. Designed for the American buyer, who might consider a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, the Jetta has been very competitive in its market segment.

Volkswagen is the leader in the diesel passenger car market in the United States and offers compression-ignition variants in not only the Jetta but also the Passat, Golf, Jetta SportWagen, Beetle, and Touareg lines, and a diesel-powered Beetle Convertible will soon be offered. Indeed, one out of every five Volkswagens sold is a diesel.

So why offer a hybrid? , …
Read the full story »

 

No More Buffalo

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Probably the most interesting bit I see in there is that Jetta TDIs are getting recontented a bit for either 2013.5 or 2014, with soft touch returning.
 

kjclow

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It looks like the author only tested the hybrid on the hilly highway. Where the mileage for the city? What's with the comment that the US is not ready for start/stop technology? Isn't that available in a lot of cars on market today?

I was surprised to see the hybrid option offered in all trim levels. According to a quick glance at Edmunds.com, the hybrid starts at $2000 US over the base diesel and about $4000 over the top end.

I was also surprised to see the mention of the beetle convertible diesel. If I can put a hitch on it, I may just let my daughter have my JSW.
 
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MarcusW

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What's with the comment that the US is not ready for start/stop technology? Isn't that available in a lot of cars on market today?
I too found it odd that VW isn't offering start/stop but I found VW's comment (as mentioned in the article) that the U.S. isn't ready puzzling. It's on almost every car here in Germany I can think of and I'm sure the folks in the U.S. are equally capable. ;)
 

jbright

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Other popular hybrids sold here, like the Prius, have start/stop, so I don't know why a prospective buyer for a VW hybrid would "not be ready" for it.
 

atc98002

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As others have said, virtually all hybrids in the US will stop the engine when possible. There's something wrong about that statement. Without shutting the engine off, how on earth can the economy be that high?
 

TDIMeister

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One thing that is missing is auto stop/start, which turns the engine off (and on) when the vehicle is stopped. Volkswagen’s explanation is that American buyers aren’t ready for the feature, although it is becoming far more commonplace these days.
Wow, if this statement is true, it is an incredibly retarded, insulting and cynical attitude on the part of VW of American buyers. When they first came out, ABS, ESP and traction control were also considered features ahead of drivers' acceptance of them, so there were switches to turn them off. VW could just do a start/stop switch (like my rental BMW X1 2.0d two weeks ago had) and leave it off by default at delivery and let us drivers decide whether we're "ready" for it or not. :rolleyes: :mad: Geez, start/stop is one of the main reasons why hybrids get such good urban fuel economy.
 
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GTIDan

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My question about start/stop on a non-hybrid vehicle: Can this function be switched off?
Have you driven a Prius or BMW Hybrid? If you had you would know how annoying this feature is especially on the BMW which makes a thump every time. Not ready for prime time in my opinion. I definitely would not want this feature. MPG goes up about 1mpg in most cases at best.
 

oilhammer

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There are just too many to list....
One of the most annoying things to me about the hybrids is the engine starting and stopping. No way I would put up with that in a non-hybrid car. It would be fine if there was no connection to the drive wheels from the engine (like a Volt). But that sudden bump or jerk when the engine kicks in, especially when it is 200+hp of engine like the hybrid RX, can really be a turn-off (no pun intended).

I would imagine this feature in most cases is easily defeated via software, if no dashboard switch was available.

In my case I rarely ever sit stopped in traffic anyways, though.
 

NarfBLAST

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I am guessing there is no "plug-in" recharging option or electric vehicle mode as Americans are not ready for those either?

Still waiting for my diesel electric plug-in hybrid.
 

kjclow

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From the Chronicle Herald:
"The second difference is that when you come to a full stop for more than a second the engine shuts off — it remains in this zero emission/consumption stage until you lift your foot from the brake pedal. At that point the engine starts instantly."

So it appears that the Germans gave us stop/start afterall. Or maybe this reporter is looking at the gas motor shutting off at slower speeds leading to a stop. I'd like to assume that the people at VW don't think we're all too dumb to come in out of the rain and that we'll drown ourselves looking up at the sky wondering what's falling on our heads.
 

MarcusW

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Look what I found in the Diesel Driver article - this sheds light on what we've been discussing!

CORRECTION
An earlier version of this article included a sentence that stated that auto stop/start, a feature which turns the engine off (and on), when the vehicle is stopped, was missing, and that Volkswagen stated that American buyers were not ready for this feature. While a Volkswagen spokesperson did provide us with this information, a follow-up enquiry by The Diesel Driver resulted in a clarification from Volkswagen that the feature is indeed included and that the statement by the spokesperson had been in error.
 

TDIMeister

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Why VW hasn't done a diesel hybrid... yet

The primary consideration is cost -- not just to Volkswagen, but to the consumer. VW will be charging a premium of about $2,500 for the diesel and $4,500 for the new hybrid -- that's compared to a similarly-equipped Jetta 2.5, by the way, and not the cheapie base model. Regardless of the actual costs, VW would obviously have to charge more for both technologies, less they devalue either one. So now we're talking about a $27,000 Jetta with cloth seats. Even for devoted Volkswagen buyers, that would be a hard sell.
 

kjclow

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Not sure if they are right or wrong, but Edmunds lists leatherette for all hybrid and diesel levels.
 

oilhammer

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Why VW hasn't done a diesel hybrid... yet

The primary consideration is cost -- not just to Volkswagen, but to the consumer. VW will be charging a premium of about $2,500 for the diesel and $4,500 for the new hybrid -- that's compared to a similarly-equipped Jetta 2.5, by the way, and not the cheapie base model. Regardless of the actual costs, VW would obviously have to charge more for both technologies, less they devalue either one. So now we're talking about a $27,000 Jetta with cloth seats. Even for devoted Volkswagen buyers, that would be a hard sell.

Exactly right. I brought this up in a different thread. Compounding pricey technologies means compounding the MSRP of a vehicle right past what most people are willing to spend. Even a $27k Jetta still starts off as that base $16k model... you can tart it up all you want, it is still an optioned up cheap car. Same reason I am blown away that people around these parts pay north of $50k for a pickup truck... but they do. :rolleyes:
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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I'd consider it. It would be ideal for my 5 mile commute, and allow me to use my diesels more appropriately for longer drives. If they put this drivetrain in a Sportwagen I'd be all over it.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Holds no interest for me. In my 2002 TDI, I get as much as 57 Mpg US on the highway. Not bad for a slushbox!
Just finished a 3,000 mile drive from home to Mexico south of Puerto Vallarta. Cheapest Diesel I came across was in Missouri, $ 3.499 for Bio-Diesel. Texas was as low as $ 3.699.

Now a VW Diesel Hy-brid might get me intersted!
 

kjclow

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I'd consider it. It would be ideal for my 5 mile commute, and allow me to use my diesels more appropriately for longer drives. If they put this drivetrain in a Sportwagen I'd be all over it.
I agree. No interest in the Jetta sedan, but a hybrid sportswagen maybe.
 

TDIMeister

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If a hybrid Sportwagen ever happens, it won't in the current legacy platform.
 

kjclow

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Your right, they will probably adapt it to the Jetta sedan platform. Makes it easier to build then. Don't need it now but a little more legroom in the backseat of the JSW would be good.

Or maybe the Golf VII platform, that would be nice too.
 
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GoFaster

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Ummm the hybrid IS in the Jetta sedan platform. But the debut of the MQB platform with the Golf 7 means the existing Jetta sedan platform is now obsolete (and the Mk5-based wagon is obsolete also), even though they continue in production, for now. You can rest assured that the next Golf wagon and the next Jetta sedan will be on MQB along with the Golf 7. Any further development of the hybrid powertrain, if it proves successful, will be on MQB platform vehicles.

I'm pretty sure the hybrid powertrain will fit under the hood, whether it's Mk5 or the Jetta sedan's oddball or the new Mk7. The question is whether the chassis has a place for the batteries and whether the electronics are compatible. The bump in the floor of the trunk in a sedan (where they put the batteries in the existing Jetta chassis) is tolerable up to a point, but it wouldn't be acceptable in a hatchback or wagon.
 

RabbitGTI

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This is kinda OT, but my wife drives 12k a year, mostly city. We are thinking of getting rid of the Jetta 2.5 before the timing chain pukes and we would like a little better mileage. Thinking about Mazda CX-5 http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=CX5#/home Huge cargo area, lots of rear legroom, well equiped for $20,000 dollars and gets 26/35 mpg with six-speed manual and FWD. Now I'm a German carguy to the core, but I cannot justify the cost of a Jetta Diesel or Hybrid when cars like this are available. I should add I have not driven it, but back in my racing and driving instructor days I drove RX-7, Miata and Mazda 3 models and loved them. Discuss or delete as you see fit :D
 
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