2009 volkswagen jetta california edition review

Body Style Sedan. Engine 2. Seating 5. Drivetrain FWD. Read More. The driver's seat features eight-way adjustment with power recline and manual lumbar support. The engine links to either a five-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic, and pushes the Jetta S from 0 to 60 mph in 8.

Performance-related features for the Jetta S include speed-sensitive steering, a dual exhaust system, an electronic stability program, traction control, and four-wheel antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution. Dual front, front side, and side-curtain airbags also come standard. Reviews No additional major features. The Volkswagen Jetta SE comes equipped with a number of features not found on the base Jetta S trim, including a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a leather shifter, a power sunroof, The Jetta SE also adds V-Tex seating surfaces, chrome window trim, and a rear center armrest with storage.

Other standard interior features include cruise control, four cupholders, three power outlets, and power windows and door locks. For power, the Jetta SE comes with a 2. The engine links to a either a five-speed manual or an available six-speed automatic transmission. Other standard features include traction control, an electronic stability program, speed-sensitive steering, dual exhaust pipes, and antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution.

The Jetta SE rides on inch Mugello alloy wheels with all-season tires. Wolfsburg Edition. Reviews 3. The Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg Edition provides plenty of horsepower, thanks to its 2. The engine links to either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed DSG direct shift gearbox automatic transmission with a Sport mode and the Tiptronic manual-shift feature. This powerplant pushes the Jetta Wolfsburg Edition from 0 to 60 in about 7.

Performance-related features include traction control, an electronic stability program, and four-wheel antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution.

The Jetta Wolfsburg Edition rides on inch wheels with all-season tires. Outside, the Wolfsburg edition comes equipped with unique badging, as well as dual exhaust tips and a chrome front grille. V-Tex leatherette seating surfaces, cruise control, power windows and door locks, and a rear center armrest with storage also come standard.

Standard safety features include dual front, front side, and side-curtain airbags. Options include a touch-screen navigation system. The most fuel-efficient Jetta sedan trim available for , the Volkswagen Jetta TDI posts fuel economy numbers of up to 41 mpg, thanks to its turbocharged 2. The four-cylinder powerplant, which runs on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, produces hp and lb-ft of torque and links to a six-speed manual transmission.

A six-speed DSG direct shift gearbox automatic transmission, also with Tiptronic and a Sport mode, is available as an option. Other performance-related features for the Jetta TDI include traction control, an electronic stability program, and antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution. TDI Loyal Edition. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Loyal Edition comes equipped with such standard features as a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel with audio controls, V-Tex leatherette seating s Cruise control, air conditioning, and eight-way manually adjustable front seats with power recline for the driver also come standard.

Outside, the Jetta TDI Loyal Edition includes unique badging, dual exhaust tips, a chrome front grille, and inch Bioline alloy wheels with all-season tires. Each subsequent mile per gallon was a hard-fought battle, but we were still seeing meager gains.

We finally reached our destination under the cover of darkness. The limited visibility greatly hampered our ability to smoothly maintain momentum. The fatigue of hours of concentrated driving and the appearance of wildlife at the road's side forced us to shift our focus to driving cautiously, rather than efficiently for the last leg of the trip. As we crossed the city limit into Fort Bragg, some 5 hours after the start of our journey, the Volkswagen's trip computer read It bears mentioning that by the time we parked the car for the night, the average mpg for the day had risen to In the cabin The Volkswagen Jetta's cabin emphasizes substance over style, which is actually a nice way of saying "devoid of character.

The Jetta's upright dashboard is an expanse of flat, black plastic. The seats are flat and unsupportive and wrapped in a black fabric Volkswagen calls V-Tex.

The carpet is also black. The instrument cluster features black gauges on a black backdrop with plain white lettering. You see where we're going with this. The Jetta's interior looks like it was designed by someone who would never have to look at it, perhaps a robot, an algorithm, or a blind man. While everything functions as one would expect it, the Jetta's cabin just isn't a pleasant place to be. We'd like to see Volkswagen add some texture or--gasp--color to the gulag that is the Jetta's interior.

In the center of the instrument cluster is the Multi-Function Indicator MFI , a monochromatic, red backlit display displaying fuel economy, miles to empty, average speed, and audio playback information.

Here users can also adjust a cadre of options for the various convenience features, such as the autolocking doors or daytime running lamps. The steering wheel features buttons for controlling the MFI and for adjusting audio volume. Interestingly, the telephone button is ever-present, even if Bluetooth hands-free isn't equipped.

With nothing to connect to, the button merely mutes the stereo. The drab situation doesn't improve when it comes time to crank the tunes. Audio sources include the aforementioned CD changer, which is MP3 compatible, available satellite radio, and an auxiliary input in the center console. With a total of 10 speakers at its disposal, the stereo does a fairly good job with stereo separation and staging.

Unfortunately, this is one of those stereos that stages the audio behind your head, so all of the music sounds like its coming from the rear window.

The audio system also seems to emphasize volume over fidelity, with boomy bass and mid ranges that muddy the higher frequencies. Users more interested in quantity of sound than quality will be the only ones who could possibly appreciate this. Anyone wanting a slightly more high-tech cabin experience can upgrade to Volkswagen's RN hard-drive-based navigation system, which features touch-screen GPS navigation with turn-by-turn instructions that are mirrored on the MFI in the instrument cluster, 30GB of hard-disk space for ripping audio, and a USB connection for digital-audio players.

Under the hood As plain vanilla as the Jetta TDI's cabin and exterior may be, this is a vehicle that's causing a lot of fuss in the automotive world. The reason lies under the hood: a 2.

Max torque is available as low as 1,rpm. Although the diesel features 30 fewer horsepower than the inline-five of the gasoline variant, the abundance of low-end torque means the TDI gets off the line better.

Sixty miles per hour comes in 8. However, unlike a hybrid, the TDI engine won't automatically get good fuel economy for you, and requires thrifty driving to reach those numbers.

In the hands of a lead-footed journalist, for example, we were able to hit the 41 mpg mark for individual highway trips, but only averaged 23 mpg for the duration of our testing over a mixed testing cycle.

As noted in the "On the road" section, the TDI's chunky low end makes it suitable for low-speed technical courses that would leave a high-revving gasoline engine hunting for gears. Speaking of gears, our Jetta TDI was equipped with a six-speed, manual transmission.