5 days and 1300 miles in a 2014 Jetta SE

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 7, 2004
Messages
702
Location
Ilinois
took my 2 month old to me jetta on a road trip from Chicago to Pigeon Forge TN last week. All I can say is I'm very happy with my purchase. It rides smooth and the 1.8L turbo gave plenty of power on the interstate and had enough pep to keep driving fun.

The seats (leatherette) were very comfortable for a 9 hour car ride and the wind noise wasn't too bad but I'm used to a softtop wrangler so I can't judge that just yet.

The only con I have found with this automatic transmission is 1-2 gear is kind of "clunky" but it then is very smooth after that. I found letting off the brake a second or so before you accelerate from a stop can help smooth out the clunkyiness

I also averaged 37.7 mpg with 95% interstate driving with my cruise control set at about 80mph.

All in all, I am very happy with my purchase, now I just hope that VW is still around in a few years for any warranty claims.......
 
We had one to go to NYC. It was a nice car. The transmission took a bit of getting used to. It neutrals when sitting with the brakes on, engages the gear when you let off, then locks the torque converter one it gets rolling.

The 1.8T appears to get better mileage than the 2.5 I5. The one we had couldn't get above 30
 
I found if I remove my foot from the brake and give it a second or two before I accelerate from a stop, it's fine. The awkward clunk is from 0-10 mph but almost non existent if you take your foot off the brake and give the torque converter a chance to lock before you start moving.
 
Last edited:
There is an update out that programs the t/c to stay locked when at a stop. This resolves that clunk you get when leaving a stop, however the 1-2 shift and 2-1 shift still isn't the smoothest. Seems to be normal for this transmission. Good little car otherwise though.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
What do you do with such transmission performance? ....just take it light on the gas pedal when the light turns green? Kira


It seems to engage the gear on the way up with the pedal. So by the time your foot is off the brake and on the gas, it's in gear. They make an awkward clunk somewhere between 0 and 10 from the torque converter locking.

Quite annoying in NYC traffic.
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
VW will be around,

Yup. It's one of those "too big to fail" kind of things.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Can you imagine the awesome lean companies and products we'd enjoy if companies were allowed to fail?


Well, speaking of lean ...

If we didn't have the out of control EPA, we would have 50-60 mpg Civics. And non-urea injection TDIs that also got 50-60 mpg
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Can you imagine the awesome lean companies and products we'd enjoy if companies were allowed to fail?


Heh, if you think so. IN reality companies failing just means the remaining companies get bigger to fill the gap left by the ones that went out of business.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Can you imagine the awesome lean companies and products we'd enjoy if companies were allowed to fail?


I'm not a fan of artificially propping companies up, but at the same time, competition drives efficiency. Fewer manufacturers probably doesn't mean they get leaner. In contrast, it probably means the opposite. For better or for worse, as the American personal vehicle market has gained more successful manufacturers over the past few decades, the products of all of them improve (or they die).
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
We had one to go to NYC. It was a nice car. The transmission took a bit of getting used to. It neutrals when sitting with the brakes on, engages the gear when you let off, then locks the torque converter one it gets rolling.

The 1.8T appears to get better mileage than the 2.5 I5. The one we had couldn't get above 30


That likely doesn't have a torque converter.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: Miller88
We had one to go to NYC. It was a nice car. The transmission took a bit of getting used to. It neutrals when sitting with the brakes on, engages the gear when you let off, then locks the torque converter one it gets rolling.

The 1.8T appears to get better mileage than the 2.5 I5. The one we had couldn't get above 30


That likely doesn't have a torque converter.


It is an Aisin 6 speed torque converter auto in the one I had. Not a DSG.

Edit: Whoops - you were comparing mine to the 1.8T misread your post. I believe the 1.8T also uses a slushbox type Aisin transmission as well.

Which is fine, Aisin makes a darn good transmission.

Edit2: Looked on the configurator and the 1.8T comes with the "Tiptronic" which is the Aisin 6 speed torque converter auto
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Can you imagine the awesome lean companies and products we'd enjoy if companies were allowed to fail?


Yep - and can you imagine the unemployment numbers in the states where the assembly lines are located? And I bet most dealerships probably employ 100 people or so.
 
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Im sure V.W. will still be around although their quality is not good at all

Compared to what?
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Im sure V.W. will still be around although their quality is not good at all

Compared to what?


I enjoy driving the GF's 2014 Jetta 1.8 TSI. Its a torquey little package and it has decent handling also...all the while getting great gas mileage. However I too have doubts about long term reliability. It has a possible oil leak, I noticed the coolant was low, there is an odd whirring sound when coming to a stop at low speeds, the screen in the instrument cluster has gone out a couple times, door handles stick sometimes, transmission absolutely slams for no reason at times, now the drivers door lock makes a high pitched squeaking sounds when locking. It only has 13K miles. I can attribute most of these to VW "quirks", but it just makes me wonder how it will be when it hits 100K. I joke with her that I'll trade it in for a Honda, but in reality they already have poor resale value, and with the VW scandal resale is even worse even for the gas engine models. So we will probably just keep it for the long haul.
 
I think it's the luck of the draw. Honestly, my brand new 2000 Accord had pretty bad fit&finish both when compared to my wife's 2000 Jetta as well as to my 2001 A4. VAG has made some quality improvements in recent past. Statistically, they are not at the same level as the Japanese, but probably no better or worse than most American brands. That's why I asked "Compared to what?"
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
There is an update out that programs the t/c to stay locked when at a stop. This resolves that clunk you get when leaving a stop, however the 1-2 shift and 2-1 shift still isn't the smoothest. Seems to be normal for this transmission. Good little car otherwise though.


How can the torque converter be locked while the vehicle is stopped? Serious question, I don't know what is special about this auto transmission that would allow that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top