Test Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta Highline TDI

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Highline

He was a nice guy. Loved to talk. I thought he was actually going to sit down and join us at one point! He couldn’t guess where we were from, though, even when we said it was in North America but was not the US or Mexico. Unfortunately the wine was lifeless and I can’t remember what I ate.

Back at the parking lot the next day, the Jetta sparkled. They’d done the carpets, the Toffee Brown Metallic paint was as good as any brown can possibly be, and my camera was carefully placed in the map pocket. Reassuring.

To get out of the city we headed west to the Henry Hudson Parkway and then north back the the George Washington Bridge. You pay $13.00 to get onto the island but no charge to get off. Traffic was brutal, but amusingly we got behind a cab with a “Drivers Wanted” message on the trunk. It’s wasn’t a V-Dub, though; it was an old Crown Vic’.

Exiting the bridge we stuck to the Interstates all the way, and after 250 km with the trip computer calculating another 150 km worth of diesel in the tank, I blinked and headed for a service station.

We still showed fuel consumption at a rate of 5.2 L/100km and would until arriving in Ottawa. Final calculation was 78L of fuel for a 1,500 km journey. I don’t think there’s a hybrid that I’ve driven that can equal, let alone beat those numbers. Plus this vehicle seems oblivious to high speeds; the fuel consumption seems to actually go down.

Furthermore, the Jetta TDI is a very agreeable car to drive. Dead quiet on the highway; responsive, comfortable, and Jettas still have their signature huge trunk (440L). Criticisms are that the warning lights in the mirrors for Blind Spot Monitoring system could be brighter, the touchscreen display was sluggish and undersized (even though apparently ours is a slightly bigger screen than they get in the US), the location for the push-button start (by your right knee) is unusual and kind of inconvenient, and the deep-set instruments are occasionally not illuminated as a sensor unsuccessfully attempts to adjust for ambient light (tunnels, shadows, other low light conditions, dusk). Rather than sensors and audible alarms, just fit automatic headlights please, and leave the dash lights alone.

Finally, I’d recommend the automatic transmission with the TDI. It’s anecdotal, I know, but every TDI manual transmission owner I’ve met (including myself, for a year or so) complains that they stall the car. I think I know why (not enough throttle when starting), but the auto ‘box is a better match, in my opinion.

Pricing: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta Highline TDI
Base price: $28,290
Options: Technology Package: $2,495
Freight: $1,395
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $32,280