Fantastic gas mileage and a sweet car with attention to detail!

I've owned many cars, including a 2002 Audi A4, but I recently purchased a 2001 Jetta GLS TDI with a manual transmission and have to say it's a great little car! The VW Jetta is a tight car as it's steered around corners and it has that European response, it's hard to believe this car is built in Mexico.

The Jetta also has many interior refinements and accessories like heated seats, map lights (front and rear), and interior lights that gradually increase in brightness or dim as you remove the key from the ignition. The attention to detail is thoughtful.

Other options such as cruise control, air conditioning that's CFC free, the monsoon 8 speaker sound system, a power adapter in the trunk and a sun visor over the rear view mirror to name a few make this car very generous in accessories. The Jetta is loaded with plenty of options.


The interior of the Jetta has six airbags and a rear seat that folds into a 60/40 split arrangement to fit long items while seating a third person. The rear seating is cramped in leg room but not enough of a problem to be a deal breaker unless you're shuttling the basketball team. Attention to detail in the engine compartment is phenomenal and trimmed out with manifold covers in plastic that give a very clean and tidy look. The spare tire compartment is organized and in all, this makes the Jetta a very respectable car without having the pretentious stereotype.

But why the TDI?

The TDI (Turbo Diesel Injected) is a fast little car. Don't be worried about the horsepower or torque this car puts out. It's every bit as impressive as the 42 to 49 mpg the car gets. It has no problem accelerating onto the freeway or passing other cars. Additionally, you can't hear the engine because the cabin is very well insulated.

Other comments:

I live in California, and couldn't get my hands on a new TDI. California recently outlawed new diesels from being sold in the state until 2006. Apparently, because the diesel fuel has sulfur and burns dirty, so the state thinks filling Hummers up with 50 gallons of super unleaded makes more sense than filling a TDI Jetta up with 12 gallons of diesel to drive 600 miles whereas the Hummer only travels around 250 miles on a tank. If you purchase a diesel, make sure you replace the timing belt, the roller tensioner, the water pump and serpentine belt at 90,000 miles. The price quoted for this work was $1400.00 from the Audi, VW dealer and $700.00 from the independent VW mechanic.

In conclusion, the Jetta is a great car perfect for someone who wants a hybrid without supporting unleaded gasoline. I noticed the cost of the TDI in California was substantially more and I had to fly to Ohio to buy the car cheaper. I drove the car for about 15 hours a day during the course of 3 days for a total of 2100 miles and it only cost $80.00 in fuel. I never experienced fatigue or discomfort while driving and I'm a 6 foot male, 165lbs.
I would recommend this car to a friend.