By Matt Keegan
As seen in AutoTrends
Volkswagen is well known for its diesel models, but it has a stake in the hybrid game too. The 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid brings excellent fuel efficiency to the small car segment and does so by employing an innovative seven-speed DSG automatic transmission and pairing that with a new gasoline engine. The Jetta Hybrid is priced from $27,260 to $31,445 with three trim levels offered.
Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Models
The 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid is offered in three trim levels: SE, SEL and SEL Premium. Standard 15-inch alloy wheels give way to 16-inch alloy wheels in the SEL and 17-inch Buenos Aires alloy wheels in the SEL Premium. All models come equipped with four-corner independent suspension, heated side mirrors, keyless entry with push button start, LED tail lights, a touchscreen sound system with HD radio, Bluetooth connectivity, climate control, cruise control and two 12-volt outlets.
A 6-speaker audio system in the SE and SEL is upgraded to a 9-speaker Fender audio system in the SEL Premium. The SEL brings in a power tilting and sliding sunroof, a rear view camera, heated windshield washer nozzles and heated front seats. The SEL Premium adds LED daytime running lights, adaptive headlamps and fog lights.
All Jetta Hybrid models come with anti-lock brakes, rear disc brakes, power assisted front brakes, hill hold control, electronic stability control, and engine brake assist. Electronic power steering, electronic brake-force distribution and braking assist are included.
Hybrid Drivetrain
The 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid is powered by a 1.4-liter, inline four cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged and intercooled, TSI engine. This gasoline engine makes 150 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 184 foot-pounds of torque at 1,600 rpm. An additional 27 horsepower and 114 foot-pounds of torque is contributed by the electric motor for a combined 170 horsepower.
A seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission is part of the Jetta’s hybrid drivetrain. Volkswagen employs a 1.1-kilowatt battery pack, a lightweight unit that Car and Driver says weighs less than 80 pounds.
Volkswagen Jetta Dimensions
The Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid sits on a 104.4-inch wheelbase and measures 182.8 inches in length. This front-wheel drive sedan is classified as a compact model. Its width measures 70 inches and it is 57.2 inches tall. The front track measures 60.7 inches, the rear track 60.9 inches. Ground clearance is 5.5 inches.
The Jetta Hybrid weighs from 3,312 pounds. Passenger volume measures 94.1 cubic feet; cargo volume is 11.3 cubic feet. Front head room measures 38.2 inches to 37.1 inches in the rear. Front shoulder room measures 55.2 inches to 53.6 inches in the rear. Front leg room comes in at 41.2 inches to 38.1 inches in the rear.
Model Fuel Economy
The EPA reports that the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid is rated at 42 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway. It is outfitted with an 11.8-gallon fuel tanks and requires premium grade gasoline for a maximum driving range of 552 miles.
Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Considerations
Volkswagen’s offers a new vehicle warranty for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. A five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty and a 12-year corrosion perforation warranty are included.
Each model is covered by no charge maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles of ownership. A roadside assistance plan provides three years and up to 36,000 miles of coverage.
The Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid has few competitors. The Toyota Prius family is its nearest competitor, especially the Prius Two. Buyers might also compare the Ford C-Max line.
The 2013 Chrysler Town & Country has earned a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, placing it in an elite class for Safety & Security. The 2013 Top Safety Pick designation recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rear and now rollover crashes based on "Good" ratings in Institute tests. It offers over 40 available safety, security and technology features, providing customers the safety they expect to ensure peace of mind when traveling. Standard safety features include ParkView rear back up camera, front seat-mounted air bags, a driver-side inflatable knee blocker, advanced multi-stage driver and front passenger air bags, side-curtain air bags for all three rows, and electronic stability control, including Brake Assist and all-speed traction control. Optional on Touring and standard on Touring L and Limited models is the SafetyTec Group consisting of rain-sensitive windshield wipers, Smartbeam headlamps, ParkSense rear park assist system, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection.
It is the Most Awarded Minivan, with the highest owner loyalty in the segment, and the most innovative seating and storage system with Standard Stow ‘n Go Seats. Town & Country’s award-winning powertrain delivers best-in-class horsepower without sacrificing fuel efficiency. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine is a two-time “Ward’s 10 Best Engine” winner and produces 283 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. The V-6 is mated to the 62TE six-speed automatic transmission. A fuel economizer mode helps the driver maximize fuel efficiency, and premium, lower-rolling-resistance tires, and low-drag brake calipers and rear bearings make great fuel economy possible. Town & Country achieves 17 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city, 25 on the highway.
Town & Country’s latest minivan innovation is the new dual-screen Blu-ray DVD rear-seat entertainment system; a system that plays both Blu-ray and standard DVDs, and has High Definition Media Input (HDMI) connectivity and standard higher-resolution second-row and third-row screens.
Ourisman Bowie will be shipping the new C7 Corvette at the end of the month. In case you missed the Corvette Annapolis and classic car show on Sunday September 15, here’s a breakdown of this new Corvette.
Throwing off the constraints of tradition, Corvette’s world-class engineers started over from scratch to build a revolutionary lightweight vehicle with the aesthetic impact and performance prowess worthy of the Stingray emblem.
The C7’s body casts much the same shadow as did the C6’s, but the new car is peppered with more-pronounced creases, larger and more numerous vents, and an angrier front fascia and headlamp treatment. In the front three-quarter view, the tiny hint of Maranello is clearly evident. Both the hood and roof are constructed of carbon fiber. The profile is visceral; a stretching, sinewy form emphasized by the subdued B-pillar and a rakish backlight. There's also a rear quarter window. But the stylistic element likely to draw the most commentary is the treatment of the taillamps; although the quad-lens presentation follows Corvette tradition, the new lights' rhomboid shape and the dogleg cutout in which they reside are certain to be polarizing. For their part, Chevrolet says they wanted them “not only to say ‘Corvette, but newCorvette.’ ” A quartet of trumpet-like exhaust pipes exit from the center of the rear fascia.
A naturally aspirated Gen V small-block 6.2-liter pushrod V-8 sits under the hood; it spins a rear-mounted transaxle via an aluminum torque tube. Dubbed the LT1, GM estimates the engine will make 450 horsepower and 450 lb-ft in base form, making it the most powerful standard Corvette to date and our (and GM's) early estimate has 0–60 times clocking in at less than four seconds. Cylinder deactivation is standard, even with the manual transmission, and Chevy says the C7 will best the C6's 26-mpg EPA highway estimate. Two active exhaust systems are available; the base setup uses its active valves to tame noise during four-cylinder cruising. An optional dual-mode system has extra valves that open a less-restricted path for airflow to both increase performance and sound.
Transmission options are a six-speed automatic or seven-speed Tremec manual—yes, a seven-speed unit, with four shift gates. The manual transmission also features active rev-matching on both down- andupshifts courtesy of patented GM technology. We’re told that it’s fully defeatable for when you’re in the mood to blip yourself. A Z51 performance package will bring an electronically controlled limited-slip diff; closer gear ratios for the manual gearbox; dry-sump lubrication to prevent oil starvation in racetrack settings; additional cooling for the brakes, differential, and gearbox; larger brakes; and aerodynamic bits to increase high-speed stability. Z51s also get 19-by-8.5-inch front and 20-by-10-inch rear wheels and tires, up from the standard 18-by-8.5- and 19-by-10-inch package. Michelin Pilot Super Sport run-flats were developed specifically for the C7.
The C6’s full-length hydroformed rails have been traded for multi-part aluminum assemblies on each side that combine extruded crash structures, cast cradles front and rear, and a section of tubing (at the passenger compartment). The center tunnel was reengineered, too, in order to beef up the chassis sufficiently to again have a removable roof panel. This is, remember, the base car: Among C6s, only the Z06 and ZR1 had aluminum rails, and Chevy says the new setup is 57 percent stiffer and 99 pounds lighter than the old steel frame. Weight distribution is said to be an even 50/50 split.
The standard Brembo brakes incorporate four-piston fixed calipers, 12.6-inch front rotors, and 13.3-inch rear rotors; Chevrolet claims 35 percent more swept area than before. The Z51's discs measure 13.6 inches up front and 13.3 out back, and all four are slotted.
Hollow, cast-aluminum lower control arms in the front save weight and allow finer tuning of the suspension. One feature that does carry over to the C7 is the transverse leaf spring, although Corvette engineers defend its use by pointing out that it’s made from a lightweight, engineered composite and that it packages well. The shocks come in three flavors: 1.4- and 1.8-inch Bilsteins in the base and Z51 cars, respectively, or magnetorheological Magnetic Ride Control as an option on the Z51. Chevrolet tells us to keep our test equipment peeled for 1.0 g on the skidpad from even the basic model.
The steering is an electrically assisted, variable-effort setup, and GM claims to have re-engineered the system from steering wheel to rack, resulting in a five-fold increase in stiffness. Effort is controlled in conjunction with the Driver Mode Selector (DMS) on the center console; it offers setups for snow and rain, eco, tour, sport, and track-only. The DMS ultimately effects up to twelve parameters in each of its settings: gauge cluster info, the throttle, automatic gearbox shifting (when equipped), cylinder deactivation, the active exhaust, magnetic shocks (when equipped), the Z51's limited-slip diff, launch control, and the traction and stability control systems.
Take a Markedly Improved Seat
Driver and passenger space are divvied up equally, but the majority of the dash fittingly is dedicated to the driver. The move to an electronic parking brake let interior designers reclaim some real estate on the console for a storage area, and clears the way for shifter action befitting of a Corvette. Chevrolet says the interior is probably the most fully upgraded part of the car, and you won’t see any molded plastic anywhere. Even the lowliest cars will be “fully wrapped” in vinyl trim, although leather and carbon-fiber accouterments can be specified. The steering wheel is smaller than before, for more immediate steering feel, and the central screen can be motored out of the way to reveal an extra cubby.
Seating, a longtime sore spot for many Corvette fans—including us—has also been addressed. For the first time, buyers will have the option of two different seats: a standard seat engineered for long-range comfort and a true competition-type seat. Both use a magnesium frame in place of the current cars’ composite frame, and have cutouts to accommodate a five-point harness.
This charity provides car seats for infants 0 to 6 months old that would not have them otherwise. Whether it be a new infant seat, cash, check (made payable to Baby's Bounty) or gift cards, please drop off your donations at Ourisman Rockmont Chevrolet. The Baby Car-Go event only runs through Saturday, September 27th so please donate ASAP so we can help these local infants in need! Thank you for your support!
