Wait… my hat is identical to this interior…
“Clark cloth”, the standard interior fabric on VW’s all-new GTI.
Camo! You can’t see me!
Hands Up if you Think my Jetta is So Beautiful
So beautiful, my Jetta.
It’s a 1999 VW Jetta, Wolfsburg edition.
A 2.0 L 5-spd manual, outputting 115 hp and 122 lb.ft.
Hit this milestone this week.
That’s miles, so therefore: 286,101 km.
Well, almost hit.
2 miles away from a great photo for a blog header, that my airhead self totally forgot to take, until I was 30 miles too late.
The GSR – A Special Edition of a Special Edition
In the 1970s, VW produced a Special Edition Beetle, a GSR – Gelb Schwarzer Renner – Yellow Black Racer.
40 years later, it’s the 2014 GSR.
Only 3,500 made.
Went for a quick run while in Napa, California last fall. It was at VW’s 1.8L Diesel Turbo & Jetta launch, so once around the drive loop at the day’s end. That drive loop.
It’s a 2.0 TSI 4-cylinder engine, outputting 201 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.
Handles and launches, all of it, exactly as you’d expect; VW’s heart went into this car.
The 2014 GSR Beetle
Starting at $33,635
VW’s All-new 1.8L Turbo in the 2014 Jetta
Driving in Napa Valley CA looks like this.
[another video: Driving Elation]
I was with Volkswagen, to test their all-new 1.8L engine, and the 2014 Jetta.
Plenty of kick, handles precise and direct, nice note.
1.8L TSI Turbo – 170 hp & 184 lb.ft
Note: to get the new 1.8L engine, you have to bump up to the 3rd trim level, Comfortline. The base 2.0L Jetta is starting at $14,990, the 1.8L Comfortline is +$7,000-ish, totalling about $22,000.
Do it, never mind the old 2.0L engine, spend the money with an art-of-long-view. Here’s my full review on Autonet.ca.
NO SCREEN
Yes I’m yelling, it’s that rare. And that tipped me over: I’d buy this car, this model year. I’ll guess this will be one of the last times that a Jetta can be ordered without a screen.
Plus, the new 1.8L engine; VW’s ergonomic elegance; and an exterior styling that will wear well over time, because it too, is minimal. No GPS; barely any aids, with cruise control being the fanciest; and available in manual.
Then tada – this would be my car for the next 15 years. An great commuter between test vehicles, and a fun week-off car. And I’d seriously consider the diesel.
It was maybe my best-test-day to date.
They had 50! cars lined up, more than half were manual, rare; and also rare was, there were more cars than journalists, so I was alone all day… no passenger time, no passenger.
Called this video, “Driving Elation”.
Beetle Dinner Art
Spotted in Napa Valley, California.