|
|
|||
| CAR REVIEWS | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS | AUTO SHOWS | CAR BUYING SERVICES |
|
Car Reviews And News.com |
||||||||||||||
|
2007 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Fahrenheit Edition The Good :) 200 horses. DSG Tiptronic 6 speed. 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds. 128 mph top speed. Great exhaust note. The Bad :( The price you pay for having fun.
Volkswagen introduced the GLI series back in 1984 to fill the demand for compact performance sedans. Then it was a 1.8 Liter engine that produced 90 horsepower. The latest version of the GLI puts out 200 horses and can rocket to 0-60 in just 6.9 seconds. But it's not just the engine, but rather the entire package that makes this car so much fun. The GLI Fahrenheit edition is for those seeking all the fun of an exotic sports car but at a much more affordable price with seating for four adults. The GLI Fahrenheit edition in a color as bright as the sun, called Fahrenheit Yellow, is spectacular. Walking around the exterior gets your heart beating fast. Outside notice the slight touches of power; red brake calipers, the Fahrenheit logo in back, and pin strips in the front grille. The vehicle is low to the ground with wheels tucked close to the body for an amazingly sporty look. Overall the front end looks sleeker than previous versions, while we still think a more aggressive design would do wonders. Peak inside and you see the hot paint scheme brought inside as well. Just looking at the steering wheel makes you want to climb in and take off. The F1-style flat-bottom steering wheel looks and feels like it was taken out of a Ferrari. While a regular Jetta costs $17,565 with only 150 horses, and a GLI model with 200 horsepower and DSG transmission starts at $25,185, a Fahrenheit GLI model with DSG costs $28,955. This is quite a high price when you can have a Passat for close to $21,000 with a little bargaining. But the Fahrenheit version offers a lot,; leather seats, bigger wheels, Xenon lights, performance upgrades and all the costly little tweaks that a local tuner shop with charge you a bundle for. Building a performance sedan doesn't mean you need 500 horsepower to make it great, as the GLI demonstrates. The key things that any great car needs is good exhaust note, precise steering feel, a firm yet comfortable suspension, a responsive and peppy engine, solid brakes and good exterior looks. This Jetta GLI has many of these characteristics rolled into an exclusive package that you can buy direct from the manufacturer. So much of what separates the GLI Fahrenheit from other vehicles is how it feels behind the wheel in the driver's seat. The servotronic electro-mechanical steering is tight and offers amazing feedback. The GLI's 2.0 turbocharged engine is a real monster. There is so much low end push that you can burn rubber easily at every red light. If the Jetta were a traditional rear wheel drive vehicle this would be a BMW 3 series contender. The engine produces 200 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 210 lbs.-ft. of torque at 1,800 rpm. The Jetta also offers a deep grown from the exhaust to further your experience. Making a fun car is more about how the driver feels rather than how fast he can go and this GLI delivers in that respect every time you pull out of your driveway. At highway speeds, the GLI is confidence inspiring and can easily reach triple digits. And getting there is half the fun with a DSG transmission that switches gears like a hot knife carves through butter. With the DSG transmission you can drive in regular 'D' mode which acts like a standard automatic. Here the driver can relax without noticing any gear shifts at all thanks to the dual-clutch system. Move the lever to the right of 'D' and the driver can shift up and down to change gears yourself or use the click of the paddles on either side of the steering wheel. Put the transmission stick into 'S' for Sport mode and the fun really begins. The sport mode tells the computer transmission to use the engine for maximum top-end driving. You are taken from being in a regular smooth shifting sedan to a monster track competition car that wants to do everything well above 3500 RPMs. The vehicle downshifts as you slow down, just like a racing driver would, and upshifts near redline as you stomp on the gas. It is the most fun you will have in any car and more like a video game than anything you will experience in daily life. The DSG is the best transmission on the market today and just a blast to have on a production car. Watch our video for a demonstration on this. The GLI Fahrenheit comes standard with 18 inch alloy wheels that are wrapped in 225 R18 performance tires. Tire pressure monitoring is also built into each wheel. To get even more aggressive styling, buyers can opt for an optional Sport Styling Kit that includes front spoiler, side sill extensions, rear valence, and silver tail lamps, rear lip spoiler and exhaust tips all for $2,099. The feel you get behind the wheel is further enhanced by the F1-inspired flat-bottom steering wheel. It is curvaceous, thick, and loaded with 8 buttons and two paddle shifters, as well as a yellow Fahrenheit logo and beautiful yellow stitching. This yellow stitching is carried over to the brake lever and shift knob as well. This level of detail inside along with the bright color being carried over to the interior trim is what makes you happy in the Fahrenheit edition of the Jetta. Slip inside and you will notice highly supportive sport seats. We think this is great as long as you weigh less than 180 pounds as they tend to hold you in a cradle position with tall thigh bolsters. These seats would be great for young people but unfortunately, most middle aged Americans will feel a bit uncomfortable. Yellow painted trim all around brings the exterior color inside quite nicely. The fact that you can also see the yellow color around the windows thanks to the exposed door frame was also helpful in providing this color scheme. The interior standard feature list is long which is what you would expect for a Jetta priced at double what you thought you would pay. Four power windows with automatic one touch up and down is standard and very rare for some odd reason in most cars. A full trip computer lies inside the dash giving you control of the basic items as well as additional car controls such as foot lighting levels and a speed warning beep at a speed limit you set. There is an iPod connection jack in the glove box. The steering wheel controls the stereo and trip computer with an array of buttons. Armrests are heavy and move with a feel that few other companies can match; this is where the quality of the VW brand shines through. Up front the armrest can move forward to reach your elbow no matter if you are short or tall and also offers differing levels of height adjustment. The only problem we found is that the window switches were not ergonomically placed on the doors and in a tight car such as this Jetta it is not comfortable opening and closing the windows by having to move your entire body to do so. We liked with quality of the interior door handles which feel strong because they are made of real metal, they are also designed ergonomically. Rear seats also fold 60/40 for longer items. The trunk is deep and cavernous by the way for daily storage. The standard stereo system is simple and easy to use. We had the Sirius satellite radio and the sound levels were quite good from the speakers. The only thing we did not like was the delay when changing stations in the satellite radio, this should be fixed. A large screen navigation system can also be ordered as an option, however we feel it should be standard in this model with such a hefty price tag. A standard climate control system, rather than an automatic system, is included in the GLI, which by the way works much better than those in most other cars. It cools quickly, it heats quickly, it defogs the windows quickly, what more could you ask for? All we wanted was a setting for sending air to our feet and to our face at the same time. Heated seats? Yes those are standard as well up front with 5 heat settings for each side. Standard on the Fahrenheit model are Bi-xenon headlamps with auto leveling beams. Bi-Xenon really helps light up the road and with a very bright high beam everything is lit very nicely at night. A great feature is the pop open trunk lid. Hit the switch on the key fob and the lid opens fully for you all the way up, a very handy and great feature making power operated trunk lids obsolete. You will notice here that the trunk lid also feels quite good, it is heavy and solid in feel, not lightweight like in other cars. Another great feature is that with a tight 35.1 foot turning circle it's really easy maneuvering in and around cities or even on a small street road. Another feature that you are sure to appreciate is a turn signal lever that you only have to tap once but it will blink your side markers 3 times. Fuel economy varied in our tests from 22 when we were driving with the DSG in Sport mode to 30 when moving along on the highway in regular Drive mode. Safety features are abundant in the GLI. It comes standard with dual front airbags, front-side airbags and side-curtain airbags. Also standard is Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) and traction control, which aids the driver by control the direction of the car during emergencies. All new Volkswagens come with a 24-hour Roadside Assistance for four years with unlimited mileage. The new vehicle warranty includes a 5-year/60,000 mile Powertrain Limited Warranty and a 4-year/50,000 mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty with wear-and-tear items excluded after the initial 12 months or 12,000 miles. We invite you to look at some movies on the VW site for safety performances. Click here. Our test car started out at a base price of $27,880. Added to this was the optional 6-speed DSG automatic transmission for $1,075. A Sirius satellite radio costs $375 and the 18 inch alloy wheels with all season tires are a no charge option. A destination charge of $640 brings our total to $29,970. |
Click any picture to enlarge to full large size.
|
|||||||||||||
|
Car Reviews And News.com |
||||||||||||||
|
PRICING |
INVOICE |
RETAIL |
|
Base Pricing |
$27,047 |
$28,955 |
|
Destination |
$625 |
$625 |
|
QV8 Sirius Satellite Radio |
$331 |
$375 |
|
JPK Jetta Protection Kit |
$230 |
$279 |
Shop at Autosupermart.com:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Download
Apple QuickTime viewer 
Talk about this car and other cars on our message board
with other car fans like you.