Volkswagen Jetta test drive since 2010 sedan

The importance of the right choice

Nowadays, the right choice is more important than ever. Especially in the case of acquiring such an expensive thing as a new car. Today, almost every mass model is offered in several bodies, with different engines and gearboxes, not to mention impressive lists of additional equipment.

 

Therefore, often we are not talking about a specific model, but about the whole family from which the buyer needs to choose the only machine that corresponds to his own ideas about comfort, his taste and temperament of Volkswagen Bora, which belongs to the extensive Golf IV family, which also includes the hatchback of the same name , station wagon and convertible. Bora itself exists in two versions - a sedan and a station wagon with the proprietary name Variant. Cars of this series are equipped with power units with a capacity of 68 to 204 liters. p., drive to the front or on all wheels, five- and six-speed manual boxes or machine guns. On the test test, the sedan visited a fairly atypical design: with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and an automatic checkpoint.

 

In fact, the Golf IV/Bora family is not absolutely independent. It is built on the Volkswagen corporate platform, uniting such diverse machines as the Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen New Beetle and Seat Toledo II, Audi TT and Seat Leon. The release of a bore made in the style of the 1997 Volkswagen concept began in the fall of 1998. He, like his predecessor Vento, received the name of one of the winds blowing on the Apennines. The model has become a confirmation of the trend outlined since the second jetta - breeding a hatchback and a sedan in different niches of the market: Bora is not only decorated more than the golf, but also has no total body details with the latter. The harmonious appearance of the sedan is formed by large flat surfaces - even the rear lights, and they give the impression of monolithic inserts. The industrial orientation of the design in the case of our car is emphasized by silver coloring. Huge wheels and cheekbone wings bring a touch of sports to the appearance of the car.

 

Inside, everything is simple, clearly and functional. I do not want to repeat the battered truth about the close stylistic kinship of the interiors of cars of all companies that are part of the Volkswagen AG concern, but you will not dismiss this fact. Having recently traveled in modern Skoda and Audi, in Bor, we can with our eyes closed with the first attempt to find all the necessary pens and buttons. The only difference is as the plastic used in the interior decoration, and even that is small. The main underwater stone with this approach is that several cars at once with successful solutions are copied and misses - in particular, we more than once blamed the too low placement of the microclimate control unit, forcing the driver to take his eyes off the road for a long time. It must be mentioned that the 2001 modeling machines are slightly different from the early copies: light changes affected optics and design of the dashboard.
 

The location of the dials and signs remained the same, but from now on they are framed by metal edges, which goes well with the brilliant overlay of the gearbox sector. The remark arose to the speedometer scale - there are many numbers, and all of them are tiny, but visual digitizing the indicators of the fuel level and the temperature of the coolant cannot but rejoice. The backlight of the dashboard looks very unusual: crimson-red arrows against the background of neo-blue scales; All buttons in the cabin are also highlighted in red.

 

The ergonomics of the driver’s place is good without any but. An excellent seat with height adjustment, a sports leather steering wheel with three knitting needles, adjustable in both vertical and horizontal planes. Both pedals are shifted under the right leg, a wide platform is provided for the left. We are no longer talking about competent and German headlight management. In place, such attributes of a modern car as electric drives of glasses and mirrors, multi -level heating of the seats plus a mirror with a surface that reduces the risk of blinding. If tall people are in front seats with comfort, the rear passengers will not feel so free. There are not enough places for the knees, and an attempt to take a more vertical pose can complicate the sloping ceiling, especially if you yourself are not from the dwarfs. There are no pockets in the rear doors, but there are two cup holders and a wide armrest with a retractable container. The back of the rear seat folds in parts or entirely, and both parts of it can be locked in order to prevent the thieves from getting to the contents of the trunk through the salon. And the trunk of Bora is roomy and very convenient - both in organizing the internal space and for loading and unloading.

 

The 1.6-liter 16-valve engine is very successful in itself: responsive to the movements of the accelerator, it pulls evenly and confidently from the lower classes, and somewhere from 4000 rpm, an invigorating pickup is observed. It seems that a hundred horsepower should be enough to be briskly move around the city, but the specifics of the machine gun is affected. To work with such a transmission, the engine lacks torque: from the place of Bora, it touches somehow reluctantly, and a sharp press on the gas pedal in motion leads to the fact that the box is conceived, and then, as if catching, connects the lower gear. It helps out that this checkpoint is controlled by electronics with an adaptive algorithm of work, that is, the machine itself is adjusted to the driving style. So, if you slowly travel to your area, the programs switch at 2200 rpm, and if you drive to full speed, then the moment of switching will be transferred to the range of 5000-5500 rpm. In the combat mode of action, the box becomes more predictable, but it does not fully correspond to the ideology of the machine gun. We admit right away: in terms of ratio, controllability - the smoothness with Bora can argue very, very few cars.

 

The muscular suspension of the machine is absolutely not sensitive to all kinds of small bumps, and even in large pits, only smooth tremors are transmitted to the body. At the same time, you can’t call a soft suspension in any way: it still feels in the cabin how it works out the profile of the road. In the turns of Bora is surprisingly reliable - the car is very promptly, but at the same time smoothly responds to the actions of the steering wheel, and the steering wheel, filled with reactive effort, thoroughly informs the driver about what is happening with the wheels and allows him to fully control the situation: you can play the steering wheel and accelerator, holding the car on The edges of the sliding, you can break the wheels and go through the rotation of the front axle. Of course, with the attacks of turns, the machine gun is a weak help, but it also has its advantages: with a sharp discharge of gas in Bora's turns, it does not show the slightest tendency to drift, since the transmission extinguishes the speed gradually. An important circumstance, clearly improving the psychological well -being of the driver, can be considered moderate body rolls. The car looks convincing and on the straight line - with an increase in speed, the steering wheel is heavy, maintaining a clearly tangible zero position. The brakes did not disappoint with their good feedback; If there are not enough opportunities for effective slowdown, ABS with the electronic distribution of brake force through the axes comes into business. During the test, which took place on dusty asphalt, we ran into its work once - deliberately trying to block the wheels; The rest of the clutch properties of wide tires was more than enough.

 

The resume is as follows: Volkswagen Bora can be considered as a car that is potentially able to come to drivers with different requests - the decisive role is assigned to the right choice. A modest motor with a machine gun is perfect for a beautiful half: it is a neat car, understandable, obedient and non-hazardous. On the other flank there are powerful versions with a 150-horsepower turbo engine, VR5 engine and even VR6 that can demonstrate the possibilities of possibilities in the design of the car. And then you and Bora will overtake the wind.
 
 
 
 

 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 47/2001]