The 2011 Jetta has a completely new vehicle design. A look at its fully galvanised body illustrates this most clearly: Never before has a Jetta been this large, this sporty or this independent. Just how independent is evident in the fact that from now on the Jetta will no longer share any body components with the technically related Golf. Rather, the new Jetta is now more of a dominant independent vehicle like the Eos or Tiguan. Moreover, with the Jetta Volkswagen is once again setting completely new quality benchmarks in a market segment.
Exterior styling and dimensions
The new model is 4.64 metres long, 1.45 metres tall and 1.78 metres wide. This makes the Volkswagen nine centimetres longer than the previous model. Through the interplay of its exterior dimensions, this generates a powerful ratio of proportions. In parallel, the new Volkswagen "design DNA" sharpens the car's styling. As a result, clear, precise lines and the tension of athletically-muscular surfaces impart a timeless elegance and dynamic styling to the saloon. The consequences: the Jetta's image communicates such a superior statement in styling that for all practical purposes the Volkswagen is positioned in a higher vehicle class.
Front end: Here it is the coupé-like incline of the windscreen and the consistent use of horizontal lines that define the design. The high-gloss black radiator grille forms a stylistic unit with the trapezoidal headlights. The dual round headlights are subdivided by so-called masking blades to form a large upper area with dipped and main beam lights and a narrow lower area with daytime running lights and turn indicators. The chrome masking blades continue the horizontal emphasis of the front end lines right into the headlights. The results: visually, the Jetta appears wider and more dynamic. In the area of the dipped headlight, new H7 Longlife halogen bulbs are used; they exhibit a significantly longer life. The generally more severely stressed parking and daytime running lights are also implemented in Longlife or Super-Longlife technology. Optimal tuning of the mounting height and size of the dipped beam headlight reflector yield very good and broad illumination of the roadway with greater illumination on the car's own side of the road.
Under the unit consisting of grille and headlights is the cleanly sculpted surface of the fully painted bumpers. On the next lower level, an air intake and tray-shaped front spoiler (in the style of "splitters" used in motorsport) give the front end a sporty finish. In the upper front end section, the transition from the V-shaped bonnet into the side wings produces a powerful effect. The shoulder section implemented here contributes to the car's dynamic-muscular styling.
Side profile: In the saloon's side profile, design characteristics that have defined all new Volkswagens of the past year meld to create another interpretation of the "design DNA" conceptualised by the Italian Head of Design of the Volkswagen Group (Walter de Silva) and the German Head of Design of the Volkswagen Brand (Klaus Bischoff). The best example of this: the so-called character or "tornado" line. Its form intersects the main volume of the large, harmonised surfaces, thereby conveying a strong dynamic. The door mirrors also have a sporty appeal: Their design with integrated turn indicators in the form of narrow stripes follows a stylistic solution also implemented in the new Passat and Eos.
The wheelarches are striking. Thanks to the large track widths (front 1,535 mm, rear 1,532 mm) they form a precise transition as though carved by a knife to accommodate wheels up to 18 inches in size. Another typical design characteristic is the line work in the area of the C-pillars. Here, the trailing edge of the door follows a straight line from the side sill diagonally back into the triangle window; stylistically, this lengthens the door and gives the overall vehicle an even larger and more elegant appearance.
Rear section: Harmonised surfaces and sporty shoulders also dominate the look at the rear of the Jetta. The very wide rear window with its coupé-like angle offers excellent visibility behind the saloon; at the same time it emphasises the car's dynamic lines. Its interplay with the C-pillars, as striking as they are elegant, and the clearly sculpted shoulder section, produces a design that is extremely dominant with a strong street presence. Powerfully illuminating and visually prominent: the rear lights. They are split into two sections, extending from the wing into the bootlid and displaying an unmistakable look both day and night. The bootlid itself has an aerodynamically optimised trailing edge that minimises air turbulence and increases the car's downforce to the road. The vertical surface of the bootlid with its integrated VW logo and segmented rear lights shows a slight flare – a styling tool that further emphasises the saloon's sportiness.
To access the 510 litre boot, the bootlid can be opened by wireless remote control. Perfection in details: A special, patented reflector geometry illuminates the entire lower licence plate and boot area together with a uniform light intensity.
Passive safety
The new Jetta is equipped with six airbags as standard equipment (driver and front passenger airbags, side airbags in front and side curtain airbags in front and rear). Customers can add optional rear side airbags to this package. To ensure that the airbags deploy to their proper positions faster than ever, the new Jetta has a special sensor system for detecting crash intensity and igniting the airbags. The electronics, located centrally in the passenger compartment, evaluate low-frequency "palpable" deceleration signals. In addition, specially tuned accelerometers measure frequency components in the mid or "audible" range. These signal components are generated as car body waves when load-bearing structures in the front of the car deform very quickly. They propagate throughout the vehicle structure at a high speed and make precise information on the severity of the crash available very quickly.
By intelligently interrelating the "palpable" and "audible" signal components, the airbag sensor system obtains a faster and simultaneously more reliable characterisation of the crash. This makes it possible to adapt the deployment performance of the airbags and belt tensioners to the crash situation in order to provide optimal protection for passengers. In Germany, the Volkswagen sensor system has been awarded the Bavarian Innovation Prize.
High-strength, form-hardened steels are also used in the new Jetta. These special steels help to create an extremely safe vehicle structure while avoiding spiralling weight gains. The impact energy is routed through defined load paths according to the crash type, to absorb a share of the energy that would otherwise impact on the car's occupants. These extremely high-strength steels were used to produce such structures as the A-, B- and C-pillars as well as the cant rails.
Notes:
TDI, TSI, DSG and Twincharger are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG or other companies of the Volkswagen Group in Germany and other countries.
Features, technical data and prices apply to models offered in Germany. They may differ in other countries.