2014 Volkwagen Jetta 1.8T First Drive

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now Volkswagen has taken plenty of ribbing in recent years for its 2.5-liter I-5 engine, offered as a lower-cost alternative to the more favorable 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 in the SE and SEL trims of the Jetta (as well as Golf and Passat models). With a reputation for being somewhat rougher than more modern I-4s and lacking low-end torque, the 170-hp, 177 lb-ft five-cylinder black sheep just hasn't gotten much love since its U.S. introduction in 2005. Why couldn't the cut-rate engine behave a little more like the 2.0T? Well, now it does. For 2014, among other improvements to the Jetta range, Volkswagen has ousted the 2.5-liter mill in favor of a 1.8-liter turbocharged I-4, based on the new third-generation 2.0 TSI engine, code-named EA888. Essentially the same engine, just downsized, the new 1.8T gets all the benefits that the larger 2.0T does, including the trick integrated exhaust manifold which, in addition to being more efficient, also aids in engine warm-up and weight savings. While skeptics may note that the new engine makes the same horsepower as the old I-5 and torque is only up 7 lb-ft, the full 184 lb-ft comes in at a measly 1500 rpm, improving drivability greatly. View the original article here

2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI First Test

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI joins a diesel fleet that, according to the automaker, represents 75 percent of all diesel-powered vehicles sold in the United States. Although the broader numbers show that diesel-powered passenger vehicles have never enjoyed the sweeping success here that they’ve had in Europe, some brands continue to plod ahead with oil-burning engines and reap relatively strong sales. Volkswagen is one of these brands, having sold more than 1 million diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. since the first Rabbit diesel was sold here in 1977. VW’s current 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine, found under the hood of the 2013 Jetta, has enjoyed years of relative success, with Volkswagen often claiming that sales are limited mostly by production capacity. Waitlists at dealers and high TDI resale values seem to back that up. The engine produces 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, enough to propel our Reflex Silver Metallic example from 0 to 60 mph in 8 seconds flat, then on to the quarter-mile in 16.2 seconds, with a trap speed of 86.3 mph. Those figures might not sound too impressive, but keep in mind that: View the original article here