THE 1998 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

Volkswagen's Jetta isn't North America's best-selling European nameplate by chance: it just happens to be the only car in its class that delivers the invigorating performance of a German-bred sedan without delivering the high-status price. Add this to the Jetta's large, flexible cargo area and you begin to understand why so many people chose this spirited four-door alternative.

NEW FEATURES - Buy The Jetta Here

And for 1998, there are more reasons to get behind the wheel of a Jetta. Starting this year the Jetta becomes the first car in its class to offer optional side-impact airbags. The Jetta's superior passive safety system now includes the option of side airbags integrated into the front driver and passenger seats to better ensure that no matter where the front occupants adjust his or her seat position, the airbag maintains its protective relationship. This cannot be assured if the side airbag is installed in the door or the roof pillar. Also new for 1998 is a standard radio-frequency remote central locking system that operates a standard anti-theft alarm system, panic button and trunk release.

MODELS - Buy The Jetta Here

Multiple models in the 1998 Jetta lineup include the highly acclaimed, VR6-powered GLX, the boldly appointed GT, the highly equipped GLS and the crowd-pleasing GL. There is also the phenomenally economical Jetta TDI, which is powered by Volkswagen's high-tech, award-winning Turbo Direct Injection diesel engine. As you would expect from a German-engineered car, all Jetta models are first and foremost driver's cars. In the GT, GL and GLS this performance comes by way of Volkswagen's fuel-injected, high compression,115 horsepower, 2.0 liter four-cylinder that provides a wide and responsive torque band for power on demand. This spirited and economical four-cylinder engine is mated to a standard five-speed manual transmission that uses rod linkage, resulting in a positive shift feel and short throw for precision driving. An optional four-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission-which employs newly refined adaptive technology to better personalize shift patterns according to individual driving style-is also available.

STRUCTURE - Buy The Jetta Here

Every 1998 Volkswagen Jetta expresses the German engineering passion of designing and building cars with exceptional road-holding qualities. It begins with the extra rigid body structure that not only allows the suspension to work more precisely, but also helps give Volkswagen Jetta models their rock-solid road feel that is unlike anything else in its class. That connected-to-the-road feeling and precise handling also comes from Volkswagen's use of a transverse engine design and front-wheel drive layout, an engineering philosophy pioneered by the German automaker.

SUSPENSION - Buy The Jetta Here

The Jetta GT, GL, GLS and TDI employ a four-wheel independent suspension system. The Jetta's front suspension uses a strut design with control arms, stabilizer bar and coil spring struts. The rear suspension uses a "V" profile independent torsion beam axle with integral sway bar and trailing a,rms. The torsion beam rear axle is mounted to the vehicle with Volkswagen's unique track-correcting bushings-a feature designed to minimize unwanted steering effects.

BRAKES AND TIRES - Buy The Jetta Here

The Jetta GT, GL, TDI and GLS come standard with power-assisted rack and pinion steering, power-assisted brakes and all-season tires. An Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is optional, and standard stopping power is provided by large, power-assisted, dual-diagonal circuit 10-inch ventilated front discs combined with self adjusting rear dru.m brakes.

SPACIOUS - Buy The Jetta Here

All Volkswagen models are designed to be compact on the outside and big on the inside. The Jetta's compact exterior belies a distinctively roomy and practical interior. Remarkably, the Volkswagen Jetta models offer an EPA total interior volume of 103 cubic feet-considerably more than a Honda Civic four-door or Nissan Sentra. And cargo space in the Jetta is simply best in class. At 15 cubic feet, the Jetta's trunk is the industry's top hauler for the money offering more cargo space than a premium luxury car like the BMW 7-Series (13 cu. ft.). And, entry and expansion of the Jetta cargo area is made easy by a space-saving hydraulic hinge design and a standard rear folding seat (lockable, split in GLS and GLX). Even cargo lighting is standard.

CONVENIENCE - Buy The Jetta Here

The Jetta GL, GT, GLS and TDI lists of comfort and convenience features include a remote electric trunk release, vanity mirrors, a folding armrest for rear seat passengers, adjustable headrests for outboard rear seat occupants, tinted glass, two-speed electric windshield wipers with intermittent wipe feature, an anti-theft vehicle alarm system, interior lighting with time delay feature, passenger reading lamps, front and rear door storage pockets, and beverage holders for front and rear seat passengers and a lockable compartment with padded lid.

OPTIONAL FEATURES - Buy The Jetta Here

GL owners can specify options including ABS, CFC-free air conditioning, power tilt/slide glass sunroof, a newly designed, more ergonomic AM/FM CD-capable cassette stereo sound system, a 6-disc CD changer or metallic paint. Silver Arrow and Windsor Blue are new optional color choices for 1998.

AMENITIES - Buy The Jetta Here

The well equipped Jetta GLS offers an even longer list of standard comfort and convenience features. New for 1998, the GLS adds power windows with "a one-touch revolutions per minute, but even more impressive is the way it delivers this power on demand with nearly 85 percent of its top torque-173 lbs. ft. of pulling power starting as low as 2,000 rpm and running all the way up to 6,000 rpm. The VR6 is connected to a close-ratio 5-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic transmission with adaptive shift control is optional.

JETTA GLX - Buy The Jetta Here

The GLX uses a four-wheel independent suspension employing a wishbone lower control arm, stabilizer bar and McPherson struts. The rear uses torsion-beam-linked trailing a.rms, gas-charged shock absorbers and a performance-rated stabilizer bar. The agile handling and powerful responsiveness call for strong, fade-free braking power. The Jetta GLX comes standard with an advanced ABS system using powerful 11-inch front disc brakes-ventilated for extra resistance to fade-and solid,10-inch rear discs. This ABS system includes traction control to help prevent wheel spin on quick or slippery starts. The Jetta GLX sports seven-spoke 6-1 /2 x 15" light alloy wheels fitted with low aspect ratio 205/50R-15 H tires.

In addition to the performance look of seven-spoke alloy wheels and low-profile tires, the Jetta GLX exterior features a rear-wing spoiler, integrated Eurostyle halogen headlamps and halogen fog lamps, color-keyed mirror housings, bumpers and side moldings, darkened tail lamp lenses and a roof mounted, flexible black whip antenna.

Volkswagen's high performance concept for the Jetta GLX doesn't stop with under-the-skin hardware. The cabin of the GLX is meant for serious drivers and provides an extra helping of class-leading accommodations. Fully reclining, height adjustable sport seats for driver and front seat passenger are standard. Together with the height adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, the GLX's driver seat makes finding a comfortable in-control position a snap. Optional leather seating surfaces are available as well.

To all the extensive features offered by the multi-equipped Jetta GLS, the GLX adds a multi-function trip computer and a power glass sunroof with dual tiltlslide open control; optionally, a cold weather package is available with heatable leather front seats, and heatable windshield washer nozzles.

JETTA TDI - Buy The Jetta Here

With the TDI engine, Volkswagen set out to shatter the perception of diesel cars. What they created was a diesel that doesn't know it's a diesel-one that's clean, fun-to-drive and remarkably frugal. In the Jetta TDI, this engine provides some of the best EPA fuel mileage marks possible, with ratings of 49 mpg during highway driving and 40 mpg in the city. With a 14.5 gallon fuel tank, that's a lot of miles between pit stops.

ENGINE - Buy The Jetta Here

The Jetta's 1.9 liter, 90 horsepower TDI engine is capable of achieving a top speed of 109 mph. Its exceptional performance over the entire rpm range results from a remarkably flat torque curve which peaks at 149 ft. lbs. at just 1,900 rpm. This low-end torque performance gives the Jetta TDI surprising acceleration and the broad range allows for good mid-range performance for passing.

EMISSIONS - Buy The Jetta Here

The Volkswagen TDI meets stringent exhaust emission standards in the U.S. and Europe. In fact, the super efficient TDI emits 20 percent less carbon dioxide than a comparable gasoline engine. The TDI's remarkable performance characteristics are the result of a major advance in diesel technology whereby fuel is injected and ingnited directly in the engine's cylinder head. Previous diesel engines ignited fuel in a separate combustion prechamber, offset from the cylinder head, which resulted in a significant heat loss. This inefficiency is not the case with direct injection which uses an advanced electronic diesel control. In simple terms, it can be said that Volkswagen's TDI vehicles are "drive-by-wire," from fuel pedal to fuel distribution, with no mechanical controls. This sophisticated electronic control, which oversees everything from the position of the accelerator to the intake air amount, makes it possible to manage the powerful efficiency of the direct injection process. As the TDI name implies, Volkswagen also employs exhaust turbocharging and charge air cooling to further enhance the efficiency of this compression ignition process. With the help of a special diesel catalytic converter, which further reduces Nox, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, the Jetta TDI meets the strict clean air standards set by the state of California.

RECOGNITION - Buy The Jetta Here

Recognition of the TDI's revolutionary technology includes a 1995 Popular Science magazine "Best of What's New" award, a Popular Mechanics "Design and Engineering Award", and Ward's "Ten Best Engines for 1997" award.

SAFETY - Buy The Jetta Here

Active safety comes from precise handling, the security of front-wheel drive and other accident avoidance aids like daytime running lights (DRL). Passive safety can be found in the standard front passenger airbag supplemental restraint system. Both front seat occupants can adjust the shoulder belt height of the three-point safety belts which are also equipped with emergency tensioning retractors. To help secure a child safety seat, which should only be used in the rear seats, automatic locking retractors (ALR) and emergency locking retractors (ELR) are provided. Other safety features include anti-intrusion side door beams, protective side door reinforcement and padding, and Volkswagen's safety cage construction that works in conjunction with energy-absorbing crumple zones to help protect the occupants during a collision. Additional frontal impact protection comes from the steering system via a collapsible steering column and a steering wheel designed to absorb impact energy. Further details of how the Jetta interior provides occupant protection are found in the absence of sharp interior edges, recessed handles and control switches, crushable sun visors and a foldable rearview mirror. Volkswagen also employs a high-mounted stop lamp in the rear window and open door warning reflectors for all doors.

PROTECTION PLUS - Buy The Jetta Here

All Volkswagens come standard with one of the most complete and comprehensive warranty and maintenance protection packages available to U.S. new car buyers. Volkswagen's Protection Plus includes a two-year/24,000 mile new vehicle limited warranty, the industry's best limited powertrain warranty at 10-years/l00,000 miles and a six year/unlimited mileage corrosion perforation limited warranty. In addition to the extensive warranties, Volkswagen dealers will perform all scheduled maintenance service at no charge for two years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. Two year, 24-hour roadside assistance is provided by the Professional Dispatch Group at no extra charge.

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