Having spent a week with our long-term 2005 Jetta TDI, I'm reminded about why we were such big fans of this generation Jetta back when it was new. It's the way the car looks and the way the doors "thunk" solidly when you close them. It's the upscale interior materials and the superb balance of handling and ride comfort. It's the European feel granted by the diesel engine and smooth gear shifter. Basically, it's just a cool car.

There were two major complaints we lobbed at the fourth-generation Jetta when it was new: its small backseat and its higher than typical price. Depreciation has mitigated the latter issue somewhat now. Of course, the car's "splotchy" reputation for reliability (editor Riswick's description) is a concern. But so far our Jetta has been trouble free.

Of the small cars that have gone through our long-term fleet recently, the Jetta TDI is certainly one of my favorites.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor

As James wrote in an earlier post, our 2005 VW Jetta diesel TDI doesn't fare well in the EPA's current ranking system for air pollution. It gets a score of "1." Being the lowest score possible, one would presume this is bad.

But how bad is a "1?" Is it just kinda dirty, like Christina Aguilera's Dirrty video, or is it suitable for the TV show Dirty Jobs?

Well, I did some digging to find out.

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There are those on staff who disagree with me on this fairly technical point, but here I go. I'm just not a fan of six-speed transmissions that (a) don't have a reverse lockout feature, and (b) have the reverse gear slot located immediately to the left of first. Why? Two reasons. First, you might shift into reverse instead of first, especially if you're not familiar with the car. Second, if the resistance separating the reverse gate from the others isn't firm enough, you could accidentally power through it and hang the shifter up in the no-man's land located due south of the reverse gate. This could happen during an overly enthusiastic third-to-second downshift, or perhaps during a rolling shift in traffic from neutral into second (you know, the kind where you slap the shifter over to the left and then down into second gear).

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My very first impression of our Jetta: The brake pedal is mushy! Aside
from the serious diesel-induced vibration (especially when idling),
there’s quite a bit of travel in the pedal when pressure is initially
applied, accompanied by a whooshing sound. When the brakes finally do
bite, they have a tendency to buck you rather unexpectedly forward, then knock you back into your seat.

I’m not really sure it’s the Jetta’s fault; it just feels like the
fluid needs to be flushed. But when I relayed this information to some
of my colleagues, I just got blank stares. Maybe it’s just me.

James says his Jetta’s brake pedal (back when he had a Jetta) had some
“nuance” to it as well, and that our Jetta’s behavior is in line with
his experience. But I still think a good fluid change is in order. I’d
do it myself, if I could only find someone to help pump the pedal.

Laura Burstein, Automotive Editor, Edmunds.com @ 55,298 miles

Here it is, what you've been waiting for -- an update on our diesel Jetta's fuel efficiency.

After nearly 4,000 miles in our hands, and against a combined (city and highway) EPA figure of 35 mpg, our Jetta TDI is averaging 37.9 mpg.  Given our mostly leadfoot tendencies and the fact that many of those miles are spent in L.A.'s perpetual traffic jam, it's doubly impressive.  We imagine that mileage in the low-40s should be easily obtainable by those who live in areas where traveling on the "freeway" means efficient, steady cruising at 65 mph.

John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 55,139 miles.

 

When I left my apartment to go to softball practice the other night, I saw my parking permit sitting on the dash and decided I'd stow it in the little storage area in front of the shifter until I returned home. Imagine my surprise when I pulled back into my parking space a few hours later, reached for the permit, and it was nowhere to be found. Now, I'm a little more absent-minded than the average bloke, so I initially assumed that I had simply misplaced the thing. But after vainly searching all of the Jetta's nooks and crannies (I thought), I still couldn't find it. Weird, I mused. I could have sworn I left that thing right in front of the shifter!

This was a pressing problem, because my parking lot is policed by an aggressive towing company. If I didn't find that permit, the Jetta was going to be forcibly relocated, which I figured wouldn't go over too well back at the office. So I returned my focus to the area in front of the shifter, redoubled my efforts, and..."Hey," I exclaimed, "There's a crack under there!" Channeling Neo ("No way, no way, this is crazy!"), I ran and got a flashlight, and sure enough -- I could just make out the blue corner of my parking permit, trapped in the belly of the Jetta's center console.

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It's nice that our long-term Jetta provides auto-down (and -up) windows for both the driver and front passenger. Not so nice, however, is our car's unwillingness to permit manual modulation of the driver-side window switch when lowering the window. This is one of those things that's more easily felt than described, but here goes.

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This blog has had a distinctly scatological vibe as of late. Not to pile on, as it were, but this morning the titular birds evidently enjoyed what is colloquially known as a "deuce party" while hovering over our long-term Jetta's rear end (appropriately enough). Guess that's what I get for living down on the marina. Parking dockside has its drawbacks.

Be that as it may, I was frankly beside myself with rage when I awoke to find the venerable Vee-Dub in such a sorry state. "I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furrrrrrious anger," I bellowed at no seagull in particular, "those who attempt to poison and de-stroy our Jetta's metallic gray finish!"

Josh Sadlier Jules Winnfield, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 54,760 miles 

Clearing an easy 40 mpg means you don't have to fill up our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI very often. But when you do fill it up, it still doesn't read "full." I filled it up three times over the past week, and never was I allowed to bask in that satisfying sense of having a completely full tank. The tank probably was full, but like my old Mopars, the gauge refused to reflect that (the photo above was taken just after my last fill up).

The wife wasn't too sure of the "clickety-clak" sound it made when started, but then I showed her the fuel log book and all noise issues were forgotten.

Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com @ 54,603 miles

A few weekends ago I found myself at California Speedway for VARA's annual Route 66 Classic. Lunch time had rolled around and the track was silent. I had scoped out most of the cars there were to see and, to be honest, I was losing a little interest. Then, from over the PA system came the call, "The track will now be open to spectators who would like to drive their car on the track. You'll have to drive behind a pace car of course, but just bring your vehicle over to pit entrance and sign the waiver!"

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