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Automotive Traveler’s Rich Truesdell went a hunting down into Death Valley and caught this lardy-looking VeeDub pulling a trailer through the desert. Rich reckons the German automaker may be planning on building not one but two new sedans down in its Chatanooga, TN plant: XL and XXL. We shall see.
16 Comments on “New VW Jetta Hauls Ass (or Something)...”
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ughh
looks too big…
ie – ‘mericanized…
just like they said they would :(
Looks kinda like a Cruze…
It does look Americanized. Maybe some fuzzy dice are in order to go with the disguised dash.
Also, we seem to be entering a fashion trend where the front snouts of these family cars are becoming more massive. Oink! Oink!
With the 2016 CAFE rules fast approaching when will the bigger is better trend finally stop? Which manufacturer will be the first to design a smaller car than the one it replaces with a smaller motor and better mileage?
If the Jetta is getting bigger, where does that leave the Passat?
Also, we seem to be entering a fashion trend where the front snouts of these family cars are becoming more massive. Oink! Oink!
Maybe it’s related to some pedestrian protection regulations… provided they’re in effect in the US.
Go check the new Peugeots or some other mainstream euro brand for more pig noses. They offer free lipstick in the sites.
I guess my Jetta Mk4 is doomed to be the last of the handsome Jettas. The Mk5 wasn’t as nice looking as it’s predecessor and now we have the shoe box shown above.
Given the recent Honda styling abominations… jeez, doesn’t anyone make a stylish, good-looking small car anymore?
So we can assume the trailer is full of spare parts,tools and sevice manuals. Maybe a list of local dealers,and an air mattress to sleep on.
All the requirements needed for a VW road trip.
Maybe it’s related to some pedestrian protection regulations… provided they’re in effect in the US.
European regulations do require designs to help protect pedestrians. Since the Golf/Jetta is a world car, one would assume it’d be built the same for us.
It’s hard to tell how the car looks under all that camoflage, but it doesn’t seem to look ALL THAT different from the current Mark V Jetta.
As a driver of the Mark V Jetta, I’d like to know why the windshield header is so low. It’s like my old Saabs at stoplights — gotta crook my neck to see the light. I presume it’s got to do with structural and/or crash safety considerations.
I too have an Mk4 Jetta, and it’s much nicer looking than the newer ones, which I though suffered from some serious bloat.
I also like the fact that the Mk4 models don’t look like every other car on the road. It’s a distinctive style. The new ones look like Hondas.
BTW, I’ve always thought a good article idea for TTAC would be to focus on car bloat. This happens to just about every car model. They might start out sleek and slender, but as the years go by, they always blow up. Just look at the Bimmer-3 series from the 80s to today.
I doubt if there’s a donkey in the trailer – no ventilation.
dingram01: “As a driver of the Mark V Jetta, I’d like to know why the windshield header is so low. It’s like my old Saabs at stoplights — gotta crook my neck to see the light…”
It’s the trend of high-beltline designs – the low roof comes with the package.
Even though the windshield of my 4th gen Camaro was three feet long, I still had to pull up well short of stoplights to avoid neck spasms.
I’m the person who shot the photo above and while getting the shot, looking through the viewfinder, I thought the car was big enough to be a Passat. And like everyone else who shot the car Monday and posted photos, I initially identified it as the next Passat but I’m not so sure any more. It may be what has been referred to in some published reports as the VW New Mid-sized Sedan (NMS). I invite those reading this to click over to Automotive Traveler to take a look at the larger hi-res photos we have posted and leave comments on what you think it is.
Rich Truesdell
Contributing Editor, The Truth About Cars
Editorial Director, Automotive Traveler
Editor, Chevy Enthusiast (Coming this fall from Amos Automotive)
@Samuel L. Bronkowitz :
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:14 am
Given the recent Honda styling abominations… jeez, doesn’t anyone make a stylish, good-looking small car anymore?
Alfa Romeo
It’s the trend of high-beltline designs – the low roof comes with the package.
Actually, my car’s roof isn’t any lower than any other car I’ve driven. And surely the styling mavens wouldn’t have been put off by continuing the windshield glass panel a bit higher up into the roof?
I’ve got to believe there’s something structural that limits the size of the windshield panel!
On the subject of the high waistline, is it possible that side-impact performance considerations make shoulder-height windowsills preferable?
Just thinking out loud.
autotronic : I invite those reading this to click over to Automotive Traveler to take a look at the larger hi-res photos we have posted and leave comments on what you think it is.
I invite you to go easier on your watermark so we can actually see the photo, and not just read your Web URL.
mikey :
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
So we can assume the trailer is full of spare parts,tools and sevice manuals. Maybe a list of local dealers,and an air mattress to sleep on.
All the requirements needed for a VW road trip.
Mikey – The air mattress is actually for the mechanic himself (part of the Extended Range Service Package option)
@autotronic, based on the photos on your site, I’m pretty sure it is indeed the New Midsize Sedan (NMS), aka next-gen Passat, which will be built in Tennessee.
The New Compact Sedan (NCS), aka next-gen Jetta, has been confirmed to be produced in Puebla, where the current-generation Jettas are being built.
Both the NMS and NCS, as well as the new Jetta, are being built on the MQB (Modularer Quer-Baukasten) architecture, which replaces the PQ35/PQ46 etc platforms, scales from the Polo to Passat and reaches across half a dozen brands.