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First, there was the CRX. Then the Sentra SE-R. Eventually came the Civic Si, and recently, the segment reached full form with the all-conquering Impreza WRX and Lancer Evolution. But amidst all the sport-compact madness, few probably know that the first one to make an interesting, fun-to-drive small car wasn't Honda, Nissan, or even Subaru. It was Volkswagen. A German. Who else?
As any cosmopolitan knows, the restrictions of European streets and gas prices inspire a continent of smaller-scale mainstream transportation than found here. Like Japan, compact cars have long been their specialty, but unlike Japan, going fast was always a top priority, and the tuning of most Euro cars reflects this. This goes for the car that's credited as being first on the scene: the 1983 Volkswagen GTI.
Where's the GTI now? Somewhat forgotten in this day and age, it's still alive and kicking. Still a two-door hatchback, it's part of the Golf family, which is part of a larger family that includes VW's Jetta and Beetle. In terms of country or continent, the family is rather small, consisting only of this trio of vee-dubs and BMW's beloved Mini Cooper.
Among these four Bavarians, only one has mass appeal, and its name is VW Jetta. One law of our automotive marketplace is that significant sales can only be achieved with a four-door body, and that the Jetta has. It added an optional wagon form three years ago, and deciding between the two is only the first of many buying decisions. The three different trim lines - GL, GLS, GLI - contain various combinations of the four available engines that mix and match with the four transmissions.
Even on the Jetta GL (starting at $18,005), power windows, locks, cruise control, CD, antilock disc brakes, keyless entry, side airbags, and a telescopic steering wheel are part of the deal. The Jetta GLS charges about two grand (depending on model) for adding an armrest, a sunroof, a Monsoon sound system, and alloy wheels. Both GL and GLS share the same six powertrain combinations. The base 2.0-liter engine (horsepower 115, torque 122) connects to a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic. An uplevel 1.8-liter turbo engine (horsepower 180, torque 173) on the GL/GLS 1.8T comes with the same manual while the optional transmission gets upgraded to a 5-speed manumatic ("Tiptronic" in VW-speak). These same transmissions can be paired to the diesel engine on GL/GLS TDI models - available in all states but California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont - making it the most European Jetta available, one of the most miserly forms of transportation short of a hybrid, and the nation's only diesel car in 2004. Horsepower is a mere 100 but torque is way up at 177, ensuring plenty of thrust in low-speed driving. The cargo-friendly Jetta wagon (52 cubic feet) nearly mirrors the sedan lineup except for the mysteriously missing GL 1.8T, which leaves five choices: GL, GL TDI, GLS, GLS 1.8T, GLS TDI. And so ends coverage of all Jettas available with an automatic transmission. For the dwindling few who prefer to shift for themselves, the two most interesting Jettas are still to come.
For those more partial to instant speed than gas mileage, there's the Jetta GLI VR6, which, in addition to setting the suspension to "sport," boosts cylinders to six, horsepower to 200, torque to 195, and price to $23,785. Tires get increased to 225/45-17 to handle the more serious power and suspension. Curiously, Volkswagen's top Jetta (the $24,375 GLI 1.8T) cuts cylinders back down to four by employing the motor that powers the downscale GL 1.8T and GLS 1.8T models. Output might be down from the Volkswagen's V6, but thrills are up thanks to that high-pressure turbocharger. Drivers who don't mind waiting for their kick in the pants will be rewarded with a more forceful one than the V6 can supply. The Jetta GLI 1.8T also takes the suspension a level up - by lowering it. Wheels are maximized at 18 inches (wearing Y-rated 225/40-18 tires!), the most monstrous in this entire field. By the way, the manual attached to these cars has six speeds to play with, not five. This is the frenetic Jetta.
Volkswagen's decision to limit the racer-minded GLI 1.8T to a manual transmission is sensible if inconsistent, since this pairing exists on lower models. But it's strange that Volkswagen took out the GLX V6 automatic, which has been integral to the Jetta lineup since 1993. As it stands, automatic Jetta shoppers are stranded with either the gutless 2.0 models or the uneven power delivery of a mismatched turbo engine. It looks like full enjoyment of the Jetta is strictly reserved for those willing to use their left hand and foot. When Volkswagen says "Drivers Wanted," they mean it.
The Jetta's similar-but-shapelier sibling tells its own story. As a possible concession to this VW's relative unpopularity, the Golf comes only with the Jetta's lower-end machinery, taking the form of GL, GL TDI, GLS, and GLS TDI. All come as 5-door hatchbacks; the base GL also has a 3-door body. The identical-in-appearance Volkswagen GTI gets the good stuff. Its two trim lines - 1.8T and VR6 (both 3-doors) - complete the lineup with the Jetta's two missing engines, superior transmissions, and firmer suspensions. Together, the Golf and GTI mostly mirror the Jetta lineup, though if you want to get picky, there's no equivalent to the Jetta GLI 1.8T with its 6-speed stick, 18-inch wheels, and hardcore suspension.
"Hardcore" is a term better reserved for a new model that stands above all Jettas, Golfs, and GTIs. If 200 horsepower just won't do, the Volkswagen R32, as its name implies, stretches the V6 to 3.2 liters for a total of 237 horsepower and 236 pounds-feet of torque. And knowing the futility of feeding so much through two wheels, VW's 4MOTION all-wheel-drive is standard, as is a more advanced multilink rear suspension and quicker steering lifted from the most princely version of these cars, the Audi TT. The 6-speed manual and 18-inch tires from the Jetta GLI are standard here, where they're put to much better use. The company estimates 0-60 times in the mid-6s, which would mean trailing the competition (Mitsu's Evo and Subaru's WRX) by almost two embarrassing seconds.
But Volkswagen stands for more than raging power, smoking tires, and other such machismo. Sometimes VW runs in the opposite direction; does transportation get any less manly than the Beetle? This final variation of Volkswagen's A-platform, like its far-more-useful stablemates, showed up in 1998 with both the engine and drive wheels in front - exactly opposite of the version Adolf drove. A droptop version of this rolling dome was released a year ago, further broadening the Beetle's carefree appeal. The main model is available in GL, GL TDI, GLS, GLS TDI, GLS 1.8T, and Turbo S trims. It's all familiar stuff (minus the V6), but note that 1.8T models gets a detuned, 150-horsepower version of the turbo engine. The 180-horse version is reserved for the Turbo S, which gets the 6-speed stick plus some body decals donated by VW's buddy company, Porsche. Strangely, Beetle TDI models get an optional 6-speed Tiptronic - the only 6-speed auto available in any small car, and the best one in Volkswagen's empire. A Jetta derivative getting better hardware than the Jetta itself? That's a first. The Beetle convertible ditches the diesels and the Turbo S to leave consumers with GL, GLS, and GLS 1.8T, all available with the 6-speed Tiptronic.
If there are three complaints that are frequently hurled at these cars, they would probably be about the back seat, price, and reliability. True, back seat space varies from barely adequate in the Jetta to nearly nonexistent in the Beetle. The Jetta is priced a few thousand above all competitors, though value is a personal decision. Volkswagen did a little to quell reliability fears when it stretched the basic warranty to 4 years/50,000 miles back in 2002; powertrain coverage lasts an extra year and 10,000 miles. Still, the Jetta's repair record scored at 104% below average in Consumer Reports' latest survey. Feeling lucky?
What's better than a BMW? A BMW for $16,999. It's been around for two years, and an anxious following developed soon after the first batch rolled off the boat. But hmm, with a twin-kidney grille and quad lights absent, it doesn't look like a BMW. With its four cylinders, it doesn't much go like a BMW either. Heck, with a name like Mini Cooper, it doesn't even sound like a BMW. Nonetheless, the same guys who brought you the world's most envied sports sedans (and recent Rolls-Royces) are also responsible for this once-British reincarnate. Buying one even calls for a trip to the same dealership.
Perhaps you've noticed that nostalgia is in? Prowler, Beetle, PT Cruiser, Thunderbird, Mustang, and now this; will it never end? Thankfully, this is one of the more stylish and practical revivals, and being the most miniature car on the road length-wise, the Mini Cooper is true to its name. It also has one of the most talented engineering teams behind it. The famous front strut and rear multilink suspensions that made BMW's mainstream cars famous for their driving prowess have found their way into the Cooper. Combining sophisticated hardware with lighter-than-Civic weight paints an optimistic picture for handling, somewhat let down by the engine's modest 115 horses; torque is even lower at 110. Neither number is unacceptable, but buyers in this price range may not be so accepting of the demand for premium fuel. Premium fuel is usually meant for premium engines, although at least the Mini has one in the supercharged S model.
But the Cooper S starts at $20,449, and the closer it gets to fully loaded, the more its bargain Bimmer status starts to fade. Even some colors carry a $400 surcharge, so try to keep the options under control. All Minis come equipped with power everything, CD, keyless entry, rear wiper, "leatherette" upholstery (feels like leather, actually vinyl), 15-inch alloy wheels, antilock disc brakes, and side airbags for the body and head. The Cooper S, in addition to boosting horsepower and torque to 163 and 155, upgrades the alloy wheels to 16 (17s optional still), gives the 5-speed manual an extra gear, and adds traction control and sport seats. S models are set apart visually by the big, air-swallowing nose punctured into the hood and by dual-exhaust tips. Adding to the difference in feel are the S's slightly stiffer springs, fatter stabilizer bars, and lower ride height. The automatic transmission is reserved for the base model, and it offers the best of all worlds. Mechanically, it's a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) whose infinite ratios take efficiency as far as it can go. It also employs the best feature of a manumatic by offering a manual mode with six "gears" - which means fixed-number ratios that act like gears. The Cooper's base engine might not be a standout, but its transmissions and suspensions give up nothing to the competition. As the Cooper's final dose of extremity, it offers a lightning-quick steering ratio of 11 to 1, restricting the steering wheel to 2.5 turns from one lock to the other. Turning the wheel a few degrees on the freeway results in an instant lane change.
Cars as sporty and stylish as this are often accused of sacrificing practicality. There's some evidence of that here. For one thing, the interior designers went overboard by sticking the speedometer in the center of the car; isn't this cliché by now? Consumption of gas is a mixed bag: the Mini Cooper doesn't drink much, but orders the most expensive kind. The most clear-cut drawback involves the back seat and trunk. Make that the back seat or trunk. As in VW's Beetle, it basically comes down to using one or the other, but not both. It might be a better idea to stick cargo back there more often than humans, knowing the danger of having one's backside being so directly exposed to rear-enders.
But most cars spend 90% of their running time with only one seat occupied anyway, right? The Mini gives more than it takes, and it should give all but the most active-lifestyle owners more to enjoy than to complain about.
There's no clear-cut best here; each shot was fired with a slightly different target in mind. Between the three Volkswagens, its mostly a matter of style vs. utility, since it's the same basic car with three very different-shaped wrappers. The Mini is unconvincing on a dollars-per-inch basis, but for those who don't need a lot of space, want a lot of utility, and don't mind paying for it, it might make a great match.
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