Volkswagen Jetta Takes On Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Octavia, Renault Fluence, Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Cruze

As the Volkswagen launches Jetta facelift in the price band of Rs 13.87 lacs to Rs 19.77 lacs, the competition in the luxury saloon gets more interesting. Up until now, Toyota Corolla Altis was the latest updated car in the segment but now the ball is pretty much in German carmaker's court. Since the car is pitched in the premium D-Segment, it lock horns with Hyundai Elantra, Skoda Octavia, Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Corolla Altis and Renault Fluence.

Now since the Jetta is offered in both the fuel trims, Renault Fluence and Chevy Cruze loses some edge as they are only offered with diesel powertrains. While in terms of gearbox, all except Altis and Fluence offer automatic gearbox in diesel lineup. Let's compare all the car to have a clear picture.

Exterior 

On the exterior front, Volkswagen Jetta getting inspired from the Passat features three-slat chrome front radiator grille and tweaked bumper along with the Bi-Xenon headlamp units with brand’s Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS). Jetta also boasts a set of the new L-shaped daytime running lights (only in the top-end trim) while the rear receives a new bumper and redesigned LED taillights. 

Moreover, the next-gen Toyota Corolla Altis gets chrome grille and large headlamps featuring Bi-Xenon lights with day-time-running-LEDs and LED taillamp cluster. Same is with the Renault Fluence which too gets DRL's around fog lamp housing. Chevy Cruze being the oldest does not offer any LED attachment, but sure looks sporty and muscular.

Hyundai Elantra featuring its fluidic design philosophy looks impressive but is in dire need of minor updates like DRLs and touchscreen infotainment system to name a few.

Interior and Features 

Coming to interiors and features, Jetta embraces a new sporty multi-function flat-bottomed steering wheel along with new twin-tube instrument cluster with a slightly larger screen. The updated Jetta also flaunts its premium leatherette upholstery and 12-way adjustable driver’s seat, ‘Climatronic’ dual -zone air conditioning system with rear AC vents and touch screen music system with 6 CD changer and most importantly a new feature called Fatigue Detection which detects fatigue in driving and alerts you to take a break - A segment-first feature! The only thing missing in Jetta is the panoramic sunroof.

Hyundai Elantra as seen in Verna gets waterfall like interior design and premium quality material gives Hyundai an extra mark, but does not offer any exclusiveness for a car in the price range of Rs 13 to 17 lac.

On the other hand, Corolla Altis offers black-beige and brushed aluminum finish interiors with retro style central AC vents. The complete package looks stunning and is complimented by a blue back-lit instrumentation cluster. The vehicle features auto lamps and wipers, 8-way power adjustable driver seat with first in class - reclining rear seats, touch screen infotainment system with USB, Aux-in and Bluetooth phone support and auto AC amongst others.

Now, the interior that impresses us the most is of Octavia’s as it gets black and beige color theme with piano black and wood inserts. Apart from this, the car gets four-spoke multifunction steering wheel, 12-way adjustable driver seat with 3 memory settings, touch screen infotainment system with all the connectivity options, dual zone automatic climate control AC, beige leather upholstery and panoramic sunroof, to mention a few. Fluence interior does not make that much impact, though it too gets infotainment system with satellite navigation, R-link infotainment module along with a 3D sound system with eight speakers. Cruze boasts black leather seats, dual tone interiors and Corvette inspired dual cockpit design which makes the interior look very attractive. 

Engine and Performance 

Since Jetta gets a mid-life facelift, the engine specs remain same. The petrol model is powered by the 1.4-litre TSI engine which churns a power of 122bhp while the diesel model gets 2.0-litre TDI engine which produces a power of 140bhp. Even the gearbox choices remain same with 6-speed manual and dual-clutch automatic (DSG) transmission (diesel only).

Skoda Octavia belonging to the same family gets the same engine but churns slightly more horses. Toyota Corolla Altis is the most under powered car in the segment as with its 1.4 D-4D engine, the saloon gets 87.2bhp of power. While the mightiest Cruze with its 2.0 VCDi musters 163.7bhp, max in the segment. Renault Fluence again lagging in power development gets 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine good enough to produce 108.5bhp while the Elantra with its 1.6 CRDi gets a power of 126 horses. 

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