Volkswagen Jetta…The Perfect Match

While attending a conference I found myself in the catbird seat with a potential buyer. This unfiltered insight proved to be a goldmine of information. My new friend riding shotgun was looking for a car for her daughter. She always liked Jettas and was looking for something around $20,000. Laughing to myself, I told her this was a Jetta 1.4T SE that fit the bill…and the barrage of questions began.

 

vw_backseatI could tell she loved the roominess of the passenger seat as she wiggled her hips back and forth. When I told her they were heated, it struck a chord with her being from Ohio and dealing with those horrendous winters. Surveying the interior, she added that moving her daughter into the dorm would be doable with the split-fold rear seats. The size was a factor as well. She didn’t want anything too big and the Jetta was the perfect size and a 4-door.

 

As a mother, she was very concerned about safety and as the buyer, she was concerned about fuel mileage; both would soon be quelled. I told her there were a plethora of airbags (front, side and side curtain), 3-point safety belts and the ABS Disc Brakes, ESC (Electronic Stability Control) not to mention the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. If the safety features weren’t enough, the Intelligent Crash Response System takes it over the top…and yes it is standard. This cool feature springs into action when a collision occurs. After impact, the doors are unlocked, hazard lights come on and the fuel pump is disabled. All she could say was, “I hope we never need it, but how cool is that?’ The combined 32-MPG (28-City/39-Hwy) would not deter her daughter from popping up on the weekends.

 

Then she hit me with the proverbial emissions ‘elephant’ in the room question. She didn’t hold back either. This model wasn’t a diesel, so it wasn’t affected by the diesel/emissions drama. She smirked and continued on with her assessment of the Jetta 1.4T SE.

 

vw_dashWith that out of the way she moved on to nostalgic thoughts of her beloved Bug she had in college and how she always liked the VW brand. Fiddling around the console and dash, she mentioned that she liked the standard rearview camera, 6.3” touchscreen, push button start and Bluetooth connectivity.

 

More than a ‘getting from point A to B’ car for her daughter, she was pleasantly surprised with the “VW Car-Net” features like: App-Connect/Smartphone Interface and Integration. I also advised her that if she more options and features like a Fender sound system, she could check out a higher trim level.

 

vw_engineEven though I was just dropping her off at the airport (approx. 3 miles away) she loved the smooth drive, even from the passengers’ seat. I told her the 1.4 TSI® 4-cylinder direct injection engine, 4-wheel independent suspension, and the electronic mechanical speed-sensitive power steering provided an easy ride with enough power to get around in most driving conditions.

 

As she grabbed her bags, she smiled and said, “Great talk and I’ll let ya know!”

 

MSRP $20,915

Written by The Car Diva