My Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI turns 12: Likes & dislikes

I've previously owned cars like the BMW 523i, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and even the HM Ambassador.

BHPian speedracer recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Today is 2nd January, marking the 12th birthday of my precious German beauty: Volkswagen Jetta

This car is the best car I've owned to date with few to no problems except the occasional ABS sensors going off. In the past, I've owned a BMW 523i, Hyundai Elantra (currently being used alongside the Jetta), Toyota corolla and the lovely HM Ambassador but none of them was so easy on me. I remember sending my BMW to the service centre every weekend for some of the other issues and ended up selling it at a loss after 3 years, but that's what you get when you buy a second hand car

Coming to my ownership experience, the Jetta was purchased for 19.99 lakhs on the 2nd of January 2011. This is the top model, the Highline with the 2.0 TDI engine which is truly a magnificent beast. So far I've managed to clock 81k km on the odometer, with many more to come. My driving involves a daily 35-40 km commute to my business and the occasional Mumbai-Lonavala drives with the family on weekends.

Likes

• Silent and smooth engine with good fuel economy(gives 8kmpl in the city and about 15 on the highways)
• Good quality and plush interiors with a wide range of features
• Properly insulated cabin. Outside noises sound far away.
• Huge boot for luggage.
• Comfortable suspension that does not compromise on handling.
• Small steering wheel, weighs up nicely in dynamic mode.
• Automatic Headlights and Wipers are truly a blessing!
• Strong and Sturdy build quality, as expected from a VW
• 6 airbags
• Quite feature loaded with an 8-inch anti-glare display with phone connectivity and navigation inbuilt.

Dislikes (keep in mind that this car is 12 years old and was way ahead of its time with the features )

• No rear-wheel/ all-wheel drive.
• Strictly average sound quality from the 10 speaker system.
• The car is front heavy. Can be easily felt at high speeds if the boot is empty.
• The gearbox is slow in the regular drive mode. Changes to fast shifts in the 'S' mode, however, you can take manual control with the gear lever or paddle shifters.
• I feel the paddle shifters are a tad bit small for my liking.
• A small horn is hard to reach and requires a hard press to work.
• Space is pretty good at the rear, however, a 3rd passenger would be uncomfortable due to the central hump.
• The alloy wheel design is nice but would've preferred bigger wheels

Just wanted to share my experience with my baby, attaching a few pics too, enjoy.

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