Volkswagen Jetta review by Topgear

There’s nothing wrong with the Volkswagen Jetta, but why on earth would you get one when the Golf is so much more versatile?

• Comfort

  Great seats, a supple ride and fine refinement mark out the Jetta as a car that cossets you like something from the next class up. It's a good place to be.

  

• Performance

  Any of the 1.4 TSI engines over-delivers - it comes as a 122, 140 and 170 output, but also has generous torque at usefully low revs, so forget about the small capacity. The 1.6 base engine is a bit raucous, and underwhelming. The 2.0 high-power diesel is the noisy TDI design - wait for the smoother common-rail version that's being rolled out across the VW Group.

  

• Cool

  If you need to ask why a saloon is so uncool while the related Golf is much cooler, you've clicked onto the wrong website.

  

• Quality

  The Golf family, of which this is a member, isn't the leader it once was in perceived quality, and there are some uninspiring slabs of hard plastic around the cabin. But the firm furniture and vault-like doors reassure you that it's made of good stuff.

  

• Handling

  The Jetta feels well engineered and always on your side. You always get lots of warning of what's happening, and it's almost always benign. It's not all that light on its feet though.

  

• Practicality

  While the Jetta doesn't have the versatility of a hatch, it does have a colossal boot. And the rear seat backs do flop forwards to extend the bay a bit.

  

• Running costs

  Treat it gently and you can get the Jetta's service intervals up to 20,000 miles. The TSi and TDI engines are pretty careful with fuel, and insurance isn't bad - the 200bhp version is group 15 while a Golf GTI is 17. Because, presumably, no-one wants to steal a Jetta or drive it fast.

  

The Polo makes no attempt to enter into the jocular spirit of its more fun supermini peers. Yet it remains the logical choice, if not the loveable one.

• Comfort

  Fine seats and a reasonably compliant ride keep the Polo at a good-average level for the class. It isn't especially roomy though, as evidenced by the lack of the third rear head restraint.

  

• Performance

  The most intriguing engine is the 105bhp petrol TSI, a turbocharged 1.2-litre. It's torquey and smooth (if a bit buzzy) and always feels willing. It replaces the old 1.6 and goes harder, but according to the EU lab figures, travels nearly a quarter futher on a litre of fuel. The other petrol engines are revised versions of what came before, including a pair of sweet but gutless 1.2 three-cylinders (60bhp, we ask you). There's also a new 1.6 diesel engine in two outputs - 75 and 90bhp. It's smooth and refined and the fuel needle seems magnetised to the F. But the economy star is the brand-new 1.2 diesel Bluemotion that emits a paltry 91g/km of CO2.

  

• Cool

  The Polo GTI looks like a Golf GTI wannabe. Would you dress up like your hero and then ask if you looked cool? Exactly.

  

• Quality

  The Polo makes the same leap as the Mk4 Golf did, the one that really put VW on the map for cabin quality. There's nothing too elaborate, but the whole fascia is executed with lush materials and a watchmaker's tolerances. There's some scratchy plastic on the doors, mind, and some of the nice brushed-alloy trimcomes only if you shell out for the top spec.

  

• Handling

  If you want to go a long way in a small car without your arse aching, skeleton humming and ears zinging, the Polo is your car. There's remarkably little cruising noise, and the suspension swallows that tiring high-frequency patter of the average concrete motorway. At low speed the Polo's ride is nicely pliant when dealing with the craters that are standard on British streets. However, due to the weight of the larger engines the car is hardly fun, although you can have a good time in the 1.2 TSI.

  

• Practicality

  A Polo is boxy and has large doors and is easy to see out of. But actual cabin and boot space is merely average for the class.

  

• Running costs

  No nasty surprises here - all the engines are clean, especially the diesels, which sit in VED Band C (£30) and return 65mpg. But the amazing Bluemotion 1.2 TDI trumps them all with 91g of CO2 meaning free road tax and an amazing 80mpg.

  

The Volkswagen Touareg is a big posh off-roader that can cut it in the muck. Less offensive than the related Cayenne, somehow.

• Comfort

  The seats are big, the engines sound a long way away and most luxuries are to hand. The only problem is a shuddery ride.

  

• Performance

  There's a choice of three-litre V6 and 4.2-litre V8 diesels and VW's first ever hybrid, a 3.3-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine producing 330bhp married to an electric motor generating 45bhp. The hybrid doesn't trouble the smallest diesel on running costs, but what it does do is hand you a V6 petrol version with V8 performance and a sub 200g/km CO2 figure. Perfect for diesel haters, then. They're missing out though, because the V8 diesel is only fractionally more expensive, and it's a powerhouse. With 340bhp and 590lb ft of torque, it more than makes up for the absence of the V10 diesel. The 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds is 1.6 seconds up on the V10. It's impressively quiet at all speeds and you never get any diesel clatter in the cabin. There's also a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, and it's a good 'un. It never feels like it's hunting around for gears and it's so smooth that you don't notice all those changes.

  

• Cool

  Well, at least it's not a Cayenne. Does that count?

  

• Quality

  Nothing to fault in the cabin: VW quality reigns supreme. However, if we were to be picky the all-too familiar layout does scream overgrown Golf rather than a £50k SUV.

  

• Handling

  On air suspension (a £2,000 option on all models), the V8 rides superbly. If you want to do much off-roading in your Touareg you'll need the air system because of the versatility it gives. You can raise it by up to 78mm from a normal 'road' setting.

  

• Practicality

  Unusually in this day and age of massive SUVs, Volkswagen has shied away from adding an extra row and so the Touareg remains a five-seater. But there's plenty of room inside for five adults and a 580 litres the boot is 80 litres larger than the old model. There's also a button in the boot to lower the rear for loading - in this mode, there are hatchbacks out there with higher boot sills.

  

• Running costs

  This new VW Touareg is 220kg lighter than the last one - 10 per cent off the weight. Impressive stuff. And very useful when it comes to making your two-tonne SUV that little bit more economical and eco-friendly. So the V6 diesel manages 38.4mpg, the V8 diesel does 31.2mpg and the hybrid achieves 34.6mpg.