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It's hard not to feel sorry for the VW Jetta.
Despite 31 years in showrooms and a not-insubstantial 9.6 million sales worldwide, the four-door saloon sits, in the UK at least, firmly in the shadows of its sister the Golf hatchback.
Despite having switched its name over the years from Jetta to Vento, then Bora and back to Jetta again, those shadows have sometimes hidden what is actually quite a competent car. In 2008, the Jetta enjoyed 6216 fleet registrations, behind most of the rest of VW's range but ahead of the Tiguan small 4x4, which might not have been expected.
VW has high expectations for this sixth-generation Jetta that will arrive on our roads in spring next year, and is hoping it finally breaks away from that 'Golf with a boot' image. A sharp, mean-looking front end together with a two-bar grille separating the headlights gives it a purposeful look that's been arguably lacking in its predecessors.
Unsurprisingly, with fleets accounting for 70% of all Jettas leaving VW showrooms, it's the two turbo-diesels - 105bhp and 140bhp - that are expected to account for the bulk of sales. The 109g/km, 105bhp 1.6-litre Bluemotion will be the best-seller with a 0-60mph time of 11.7 seconds, 118mph top speed and a very respectable 62.3mpg combined fuel economy. The rest of the range is made up of VW's turbo-charged petrol TSI engines in 105bhp 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre 122bhp and 160bhp forms.
On the road, the Jetta feels competent and well set-up. It might not be quite as sharp or as involving as its superb Golf sister, but it can still retain a decent turn of speed throughout a corner and provide a good amount of feedback through the steering wheel. The cabin is well insulated against engine and road noise and the ride quality is comfortable enough, even on broken roads. If there is one area where the Jetta can beat its Golf sister, though, it's with its overall refinement levels, which feel one step up - praise indeed given that the hatch is no slouch in that department.
This latest Jetta is 90mm longer than before, the majority of which has gone towards extending the rear legroom, and it definitely shows. Four six-foot adults can easily be accommodated in the car, and it's not only considerably bigger than the Golf, it's bigger than the likes of the Audi A4 or BMW 3-series. Even better, there's a massive 510-litre boot.
The amount of space really sets the new Jetta aside from the Golf and establishes it as a model in its own right in the VW range. The car now looks, feels, drives and, more importantly, has the interior space to be genuinely considered as more of a baby Passat. Make no mistake, the time has finally come for VW's baby saloon to step out of the shadows - the new Jetta deserves every bit of limelight it can get.
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