Turbocharged Heat Keeps Jetta Cooking

Take a responsive chassis, add turbocharged heat, plenty of room for five along with abundant trunk space while keeping the price

Take a responsive chassis, add turbocharged heat, plenty of room and a reasonable price and what do you get? The all-new 2006 Jetta. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

reasonable, and what do you get? If it's from Volkswagen, you get the 2006 Jetta 4-door sedan equipped with VW's new 200-horsepower 2.0-litre (122 cu in) DOHC, turbocharged, intercooled, inline four-cylinder powerplant affixed to a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) automatic transmission featuring Tiptronic manual-mode actuation. That may be a mouthful to repeat three times in rapid succession, but as a drivetrain it's an engineering achievement that keeps the Jetta cooking with some pretty intense heat. For those wanting to stand a little closer to the stove, a six-speed manual gearbox is standard equipment with the turbocharged mill.

The current generation Jetta was introduced in mid-2005, but with only the less energetic 150-horsepower 2.5-litre 5-cylinder. The 2.0T is a more recent

What makes the 2.0T such a standout among the Jetta lineup is the stunning performance, unleashed by the small but potent weapon under its hood. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

arrival of the completely revised fifth generation of VW's compact sedan, which is the largest Jetta yet and therefore currently, designated a midsize model - in fact only one cubic-foot smaller in the passenger compartment than last year's Passat. What makes the 2.0T such a standout among the Jetta lineup is the stunning performance, unleashed by the small but potent weapon under its hood. This engine replaces the 1.8-litre (110 cu in) turbocharged unit found in previous VW Group products, which produced a respectable 180-horsepower in its Jetta application. Torque in this engine was rated at 180 foot-pounds in contrast to the 207 foot-pounds generated by the 2.0T.

Worthy of particular praise is the 2.0T's ability to expel its maximum torque at an impressively low 1,800 rpm, outgunning

The Jetta 2.0T manages an impressive 0 to 100 km/h time of only 7.1 seconds when equipped with the DSG autobox. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

many V8 engines in the sub 2,000 rpm range. Believe me, with only a slight dip into the throttle the torque lights-up the Jetta's front wheels like Roman candles. Although the car's electronic traction control tries its best to mitigate wanton spin, it's unfortunate that VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive technology is not available on the Jetta to eliminate such a waste of energy. With 4Motion, this car would be a rocket off-the-line, which would undoubtedly improve its already impressive 0 to 100 km/h time of only 7.1 seconds when equipped with the DSG autobox. But don't get misled into believing the turbo'd Jetta looses its juice once the wheels find traction, it doesn't.

Throughout a rousing run from standstill to highway speeds or greater, VW's

The Jetta 2.0T's 6-speed DSG transmission is a very sophisticated autobox. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

hot little 4-banger repeatedly winds its way to redline as the 6-speed DSG transmission inserts gear after gear in the blink of an eye. This is a very sophisticated autobox. Using a dual clutch system, the transmission keeps the next gear in the ladder engaged but not active. When time comes to move up a gear, the transmission activates the already engaged higher gear in just hundredths of a second. The process results in gear changes without the momentary loss of power inherent in conventional automatic transmissions. This technology shines brightest when combined with VW's Tiptronic manual-mode shifting. Race-bred manual up shifts are Formula 1 fast; they even mimic F1 racers in sound. Down shifts are no less exhilarating, with the transmission's brain automatically kicking up the revs to match the vehicle's speed; talk about shifting like a pro with nary a lesson!