2011VOLKWAGEN JETTA TDI CUP EDITION
BY DAVID COLMAN
The newly introduced 2011 Jetta is larger, and more soft-edged than its predecessor. By upsizing their bread and butter sedan, VW hopes to entice North American buyers into abandoning Camrys and Accords in favor of a more family-oriented Jetta. But this move to the middle has left hard-core VW sports types wondering whether Germany has forsaken them. Wonder no more, because the optional $2,350 Cup Edition of the Jetta Diesel will restore their faith in the sporting integrity of the brand. For the past several years, VW has backed a racing series for beginners in the US called the TDI Cup. They did so for two reasons. The first was to focus American eyes on the performance (and sales) potential of clean Diesel powered sedans. The second motive was to create a professional and affordable series for novice young racers to compete against one another. By all measures, the TDI Cup has been a resounding success. VW finally has acknowledged their brainchild by launching this Cup Edition of the Diesel Jetta. While The TDI Cup may look like a racecar, it still performs like a family sedan.
Reskinned body parts distinguish the Candy White Jetta Cup from the mom ‘n pop SEL sedan. An imposingly deep front airdam flows into ground effects sill extensions below the doors. The tail receives a diffuser-like lower valance plus a full trunk-mounted wing spoiler. This assemblage of pieces help lower the Jetta’s visual center of gravity. Cup Edition checkered flag graphics lend a purposeful air to the resculpted flanks. Inside, you’ll find TDI CUP door sill plates. Heavily bolstered front sports seats are upholstered in handsome plaid Interlagos cloth, named after the famous Brazilian track where Formula 1 once raced.
The Diesel engine package boosts the base price of the TDI Cup Jetta to $24,990, but the surcharge is well worth the extra thousand dollars you’ll pay in lieu of the gas engine. The TDI’s advantage lies not in its 140 horsepower rating, which is actually 30hp less than the base Jetta SEL’s 2.5 liter gas engine, but rather in torque, where the Diesel’s 236 lb-ft really outshine the gas motor’s 177 lb-ft. With that much torque advantage, the TDI Jetta will leave its gas sibling in the dust most of the time. Not only that, but the TDI returns 30 MPG in city running and 42 MPG on the freeway (versus 20/29 for the gas version). In a solid week of running the Cup Edition around town we never managed to sink the fuel gauge below the halfway mark. This bodes especially well for long distance trips, where the Jetta’s exceptional interior comfort combines with its great mileage to make it a prime freeway GT.
If you opt for the DSG automatic transmission, you’ll find the Jetta Cup Edition frees you from ever thinking about what gear you need to select. The DSG shifts unobtrusively through its range of 6 speeds with hardly a thump. In fact, when you combine the DSG with the TDI motor, you have one of the quietest, least obtrusive powertrains on the road. The TDI with DSG is sepulchral. If you crave more driver involvement, however, you can paddle-shift the DSG yourself by selecting “Sport” range. Or you can forgo the automatic altogether and select the 6-speed manual gearbox, and save yourself $1,100 in the bargain.
In a nod to the handling demanded by a race series, VW has provided top-level wheels and tires as part of the Cup Edition package. Ten-spoke, 18 inch alloys feature painted aluminum recesses set off by brightly machined rims. Premium 225/40R18 Pirelli P Zero Nero tires secure each corner to the pavement. Standard Anti-Slip Regulation works with Electronic Differential Lock to harness the TDI’s torque by reducing wheelspin. While the fat Pirellis will squeal at the limit of adhesion, their limit is very high. The race-bred handling of this Jetta pays legitimate tribute to the Cup Series that spawned it.Â
2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI CUP EDITION
ENGINE:Â 2.0 liter, inline 4 cylinder TDI Clean Diesel
HORSEPOWER:Â 140hp
TORQUE:Â 236 lb-ft
FUEL CONSUMPTION:Â 30 MPG CITY/42MPG HIGHWAY
PRICE AS TESTED:Â $31,113