The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

2011 Jetta bigger in every way except the price Story and photos by Lorne Drury Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine Volkswagen has its sights set on being the worlds largest automaker and the redesigned 2011 Jetta sedan could go a long way in helping the German automaker reach that goal. With prices starting at just $15,875, Volkswagen Canada expects to sell signifi- cantly more Jettas in the 2011 model year than in the past. In fact, they have a very aggressive target of 24,000 units this year for the new model that went on sale here Sept. 27. That figure is well above the 9.500 Jetta and City Jetta models that had been sold as of the end of September, helping make the Jetta the second best-selling Volkswagen model ever here, trailing only the original Beetle. In all, more than 400,000 Jettas have been sold in Canada in the five generations since introduction in 1980, helping make it the most successful European brand sedan in North America and one of the best in the world with all-time sales of 9.6 million units since 1979. But its not just the price that is impres- sive about the new-look, front-drive sedan, developed in Germany and built in Puebla, Mexico. The 2011 Jetta is bigger, more comfort- able and certainly more stylish than ever before. The new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta with its highly competitive price starting at $15,875 becomes the entry model to the Volkswagen brand in Canada, said John White, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. It is completely redesigned inside and out and offers best-in-class cargo space and rear legroom. And, it offers the only Clean Diesel sedan in the compact segment in Canada. The car sits on a new platform that it no longer shares with the Golf. It is 4.63 metres (182.2 in) in length, 7.3 cm (2.91 in) longer than the outgoing model. The four-door, five-passenger model also has increased rear seat legroom with 96.7 cm (38.1 in) overall, an increase of 6.7 cm (2.6 in). Trunk capacity is also best in class, according to Volkswagen. So what do you get for the $15,875 base price? Well, in reality, not a car that will be the volume leader, but one that is more than competitive price-wise with the compact class leaders, Honda Civic, Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla. The entry price gives you a five-speed manual Trendline model with a 115-hp, 2.0- litre in-line four-cylinder engine. Add air (Trendline+ trim) and the price jumps to $17,275 ($18,675 with a six-speed automatic with Tiptronic). Meanwhile, a Comfortline 2.0L with five-speed manual starts at $19,075. However, Volkswagen Canada officials expect 40 per cent or more Jetta buyers to opt for the TDI Clean Diesel engine (a 2.0- litre turbodiesel making 140 hp and a whop- ping 236 lb/ft of torque. This version is avail- able only in Comfortline ($23,875 with six- speed manual) and Highline ($26,655 with six-speed manual). A six-speed DSG auto- matic with Tiptronic adds $1,400 to the tab. A third engine available is a 170 hp 2.5- litre five-cylinder that starts at $21,175 in Comfortline trim. During a recent ride-and-drive north of Toronto, I had an opportunity to sample both the 2.0L and 2.0L turbodiesel models. The 2.0-litre gas model was in Trendline+ trim, with features such as 15-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, four-wheel ABS, 60/40 split folding rear seats, six-way manu- ally adjusting front seats, electronic stability control, tilt/telescopic steering column, power windows/ door locks and four-speaker audio system with single in-dash CD player. With air conditioning, six-seed automatic transmission and keyless remote, it was priced at $18,675. This is a lot of car for a very reasonable price. However, to keep the price down, the Jetta in this trim level doesnt come with four-wheel disc brakes. It has discs up front and drums on the rear. You have to move up to the Sportline and Highline models or any of the TDIs to get discs all-round You also get a torsion beam semi-independent rear axle instead of the more common these days multi-link independent setup. But neither of these compromises should be enough to dissuade a buyer from the Jetta at the lower end of the price scale. Continued on page 25 Car Name At A Glance: BODY STYLE: four-door, five-pas- senger compact sedan DRIVE METHOD: front engine, front- wheel drive ENGINE: 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (115 hp, 125 lb/ft), 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine (170 hp, 177 lb/ft), 2.0-litre turbocharged four- cylinder diesel engine (140 hp, 236 lb/ft) FUEL ECONOMY: 2.0-litre manual 9.1L/100 km city, 6.0L/100 km high- way, automatic 9.6L/100 km city, 6.9L/100 km highway; 2.5-litre manu- al 9.2/6.2, automatic 9.1/6.5; 2.0-litre TDI manual 6.7/4.6; automatic 6.7/4.6 PRICE: $15,875 to $28,055 WEB SITE: www.vw.ca Now on sale at Volkswagen dealerships across Canada, the 2011 Jetta sedan starts at just $15,875. If you want air conditioning, the price jumps to $17,275. 345 Speers Rd. (at Dorval), Oakville 905-842-9299 Valid at all GTA locations. any oil change package $8OFF Expiry: Nov. 30, 2010 Code: 5691 w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, O ct ob er 2 0, 2 01 0 2 4