At a recent full line VW drive event that we here at Gaywheels.com attended in Napa, we started our morning grabbing the keys to the vehicle that we expected the least from as far as thrills and surprises go. We chose to drive a manual transmission equipped 2014 VW Jetta in midlevel (and very affordable) SE trim with the all new VW 1.8 liter base corporate turbocharged 4-cylinder motor. But there is nothing basic at all about this new 170 horsepower/184 lb. feet of torque engine, dear readers, and no longer is the Jetta a bargain basement, built to price economy car with a faint hint of German sportiness about it.
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Last year the Volkswagen Passat had one major flaw that took away from the fact that it is a roomy, well designed, high quality family sedan on every other count. Its entry level engine, a wheezy (no, we don’t mean Mrs. Jefferson) 2.5 liter 5-cylinder, did little but spur any buyer with the means to do so to opt instead for the superior 2.0 liter TDI turbodiesel motor.
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