2011 Volkswagen Jetta unveiled in New York

Volkswagen has taken over New York's iconic Time Square for its official unveiling of the all-new 2011 Jetta sedan. 

Featuring a more dynamic, longer and sharper body, the new Jetta draws inspiration from the NCC Concept shown at the Detroit Motor Show in January, the new design signifying an end to the Golf-shared styling of the current model. Volkswagen says the new Jetta is more 'balanced' in appearance, its precise lines and athletic muscular surfaces lending the body a 'timeless elegance'.

The front end, featuring the new 'horizontally stacked' VW family face incorporates a high-gloss black grille flanked by trapezoidal headlamps, while a colour-coded bumper houses a larger intake and tray-shaped front spoiler for a sportier finish. In profile, sharper front guards flow rearward into a high shoulder, or 'tornado' line in Volkswagen speak, to emphasise more powerful wheel wells, now accommodating alloy wheels up to 18-inches in diameter. At the rear, Jetta's sporty shoulders dominate the rear guards, leading to tail lamps that are more visually distinctive than before, losing the rounded look of the older Jetta in favour of two sections split between the guard and boot lid.

Growing significantly, the new re-proportioned Jetta is 90mm longer than before, its wheelbase also stretched by 70mm (for a total of length of 4640mm). The new car measures 1780mm in width and 1450mm in height to liberate more interior space, especially where rear-seat passenger legroom is concerned (growing 67mm to 967mm).

The re-designed interior, although familiar, has been completely re-moulded and allows greater individualisation by the customer, many of the cabin's classy accents now fully customisable. High-quality interior finishes with soft-touch surfaces replace the hard plastics found in the previous model, while the common-sense layout of Jetta's ergonomic, driver-orientated design is maintained.

New steering wheels, optionally with multi-function keys, are designed to be impressive both visually and to the touch, while instrumentation remains simple and easy to read with a multifunction display sitting between two round gauges. Similarly intuitive controls are also found in the centre stack controlling Jetta's infotainment and HVAC systems, closely resembling those found in Golf Mark VI. All models include a 60:40 split-fold rear seat and up to six airbags.

Powertrain options have also been expanded, a new range of highly efficient petrol and diesel engines, all Euro V compliant, available with both manual and DSG (automatic) transmissions.

For the US market, the entry-level 103TDI (103kw turbo-diesel) will offer a combined fuel economy figure of 6.9L/100km while in Europe -- and possibly Australia -- a 77TDI (77kw turbo-diesel) engine, similar to that found in the locally available Golf Mark VI, will start the range.

Engine specifications (North America):
- 85TSI (85kW) 2.0-litre petrol
- 103TDI (103kW) 2.0-litre diesel
- 125TSI (125kW) 2.5-litre petrol
- 147TSI (147kW) 2.0-litre petrol
Engine specifications (Europe):
- 77TSI (77kW) 1.2-litre petrol
- 77TDI (77kW) 1.6-litre diesel
- 90TSI (90kW) 1.4-litre petrol
- 103TDI (103kW) 2.0-litre diesel
- 118TSI (118kW) 1.4-litre petrol
- 147TSI (147kW) 2.0-litre petrol

The 77TSI variant, which is not a strong prospect for the Australian range, is the one Jetta that won't be offered with the option of a DSG transmission. All other variants will provide buyers the choice of a manual transmission or a DSG -- six speeds for the 77TDI, 103TDI and 147TSI, or seven speeds for the 90TSI and 118TSI.

The 77TSI and 77TDI are deemed by Volkswagen to be 'BlueMotion' models, incorporating auto-stop/start and regenerative braking. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, based on the European NEDC standard, are 4.1L/100km and 109g/km for the 77TDI and 5.3L/100km and 123g/km for the 77TSI.

Volkswagen has announced that the Jetta will be available in three levels of trim: Trendline, Comfortline and Highline, with prices in the US starting from US$15,995 (equivalent to AUD$18,510). Prices, specifications and the model mix for the Australian Jetta range will be revealed closer to the car's launch later this year.

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