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Petrol prices are on the up and up while petrol car sales are going down and down. So what makes Volkswagen think that the market is in need of a petrol-powered Jetta? The engine is a bit unusual — it is of a small displacement but is turbocharged — and it is being used in a large-ish D-segment car. What gives? Well, read on.
The new petrol Jetta is the same car on the outside, with very little to differentiate it from the diesel version. The badge at the back reads differently and the 16-inch rubber is wrapped around differently designed alloy wheels. That about covers the changes made to the exterior. The Jetta is already a sharp, stunning design, so it didn’t need much there anyway. Step into the cabin and you’ll see that VW has saved some money here. The touchscreen audio system is gone and is replaced by the standard unit. That’s about all that’s changed here though, save for a few trim pieces here and there that are finished in wood instead of aluminium. The seats are comfortable and there’s little to complain about here. The real changes, read the most important ones, are under the hood. The 1.4-litre petrol is aided in the power department by a turbocharger.
Now, the world over, the TSI badge, especially on this 1.4-litre engine, stands for the twincharger system, which debuted on the Golf GT, the car the Jetta is based on. This engine has both a low-pressure supercharger, to aid in low end torque, as well as a turbocharger, which would take care of the mid-range as well as the top end of the engine. This resulted in an engine which had great power delivery and efficiency for its size, not to mention phenomenal performance.
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