Distance: 292km
Location: Vancouver
Date: June 30-July 2, 2022
Up front: I wish cars would keep their dimensions across model years. The 2021 Jetta is the same size as Passats of the early 2000s. Sometimes, people just want a small car that’s easy to park and manoeuvre around the city, but there isn’t anything smaller than a Jetta/Golf in the North American market. The front seats are spacious and the essentials, steering wheel, gear shifter, and pedals are in the right place. It’s easy to get comfortable without needing to stretch an arm or a leg to stay in control.
The mirrors are in the right place to offer maximum visibility when properly adjusted. For a car with a trunk, it’s pretty easy to see what’s behind you. The imitation leather seats aren’t great for long summer trips. The synthetic material sticks to bare skin and isn’t breathable at all, leading to discomfort for those prone to sweat rashes.
In the back: The mid-size sedan can comfortably seat four and their luggage. The seat folding mechanism isn’t the easiest to work out and the ski pass-through isn’t all that useful. Who goes skiing in a front-wheel drive Jetta? The materials in the back are consistently similar to the materials in the front to make passengers feel like the German mass-market marque hasn’t cheated out on them.
Driving: The option to change gears in the automatic gearbox is helpful in Vancouver with all the hills. The driver can choose to be in a lower gear to save their brakes from overheating on long downhill stretches. The turbo four-cylinder has plenty of pick up from 0-60km/h and holds well at interurban speeds, but the tiny 147hp engine starts to strain at 100km/h hauling four adults and four suitcases. The car is great for Vancouver, where there aren’t many highways and lots of traffic, but terrible for the Autobahn.
