Driving is where the new Jetta shines the brightest. The Jetta's ability to take curves at speed makes driving it a shear pleasure. We tested it along California's Pacific Coast. From San Diego to the small village of Mendocino far above San Francisco, the Jetta kept us entertained. It handles long interstate cruises very well -- its stability made us feel like we were driving a larger vehicle.The VR6 engine has more than enough torque to pass a slower vehicle without downshifting from fifth gear. Numerous times we found ourselves caught behind a large truck and the Jetta had plenty of torque to get us to the front of the line in nothing flat. The close-ratio manual transmission makes it a joy to move through the gears. The shifter has a more solid feel than in years past, making it easier to make quick shifts. The steering is very precise with excellent on-center feel -- there's absolutely no play in the steering. This is a real driver's car. The new Jetta is a breeze to drive day in and day out. It is a vehicle that we could just as easily jump into for a long commute or a quick run to the corner market. With its varied road conditions, the Pacific Coast was the perfect place to test the Jetta. The VR6 engine allowed the Jetta GLS to gobble up the miles in a manner reminiscent of larger and more luxurious vehicles. This new Jetta showed its handling prowess on each twist and turn along California's coast. At the absolute limit of adhesion, there's a slight bit of understeer making the Jetta easy to drive quickly. But you have to drive very hard to reach that limit. On heavy-footed acceleration the Jetta tracked true with no detectable torque steer. In high-speed sweeping corners it feels like it's on rails.
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