We spent a week with the new 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid to see how well the Germans pull off the electrified car. Volkswagen has long offered their Jetta in a clean diesel TDI version which had us seeing to find out why also a hybrid.
The Jetta Hybrid takes a slightly different route than many in its class with a 1.4 liter turbo-charged gasoline engine paired with an electric motor sandwiched between it and a 7-speed DSG (robotic manual) automatic transmission.
The result is a car that offers up a very traditional driving experience that feels like a normal car which shifts gears and responds as you expect. The power curve on the turbocharged engine is pleasing to the foot, the engine refined in its note and its feel at all times – even under hard acceleration.
In fact this hybrid is fun to drive as it can offer up strong acceleration at the asking with its 170 system horsepower. The 7-speed DSG automatic transmission offers a manual shift mode that lets you row through gears with the same stiff shifting feel of a manual. It's a joy.
The power-train allows for electric only operation (EL mode) up to 44 mph for a little over a mile officially. We however found in our rolling hills that it can coast in EV mode at speeds higher for much longer.
Transitions between gasoline and electric propulsion was one of the most refined and unobtrusive we have tested yet. There was little of the shudder and harshness associate with engine start and stop, and the engaging of gas power.
The EPA rates the 2013 Jetta Hybrid at 42 mpg city, 48 mpg highway and 45 mpg combined. We found that achieving these numbers and better was no sweat. In fact on one highway trip we trapped a 53 mpg average just rolling along with traffic. Our observed week long average was 45.8 mpg.
On the road the Jetta Hybrid handles sublimely German. This means a solid feel to the steering, firm brakes and a responsive chassis that hides the low rolling resistance tires well. Cornering grip and response on curvy roads remains playful despite the base 15” tires that lean toward fuel economy instead of adhesiveness. You can upgrade to 16” and 17” wheels and tires with trim upgrades if you desire.
Beyond performance, what also sets this hybrid apart from all of its competition is its German engineered feel and execution. The interior is simple and purposeful, and yes as Jetta's have been maligned for in recent times, a bit plain. It is however comfortable with fit and finish that is hard to match.
The leatherette seating in our SE tester was supportive an comfortable, and felt premium enough a material we had to check the option list to make sure it wasn't genuine cow hide. The instrument cluster is down to business, and offers up a number of displays including hybrid system information if you must watch where your power is coming from.
Our car had the standard touch-screen display audio which sounded great and was easy to use. The screen can also display graphics and charts for your hybrid fuel economy and system activity but can be distracting while on the road. The HVAC system was intuitive to use and worked well.
We liked the start button located on the center console, it brings a bit of quirk to an otherwise traditional car. The rear seats were comfortable as well as had plenty of leg room. The trunk does lose a small bit of cargo area to the Li-ion battery pack but it's such a small bite that you hardly will notice it. A full size spare still resides under the cargo floor too.
In the end result we came away impressed with the Jetta Hybrid as one of the best executed we have driven this year. It brings you the fuel economy you pay the premium for without all the drawbacks so many hybrids bring.
It drives and handles like a real German car, giving you the fun factor and the smile quotient they are known for. It is built like a solid block of steel and offers up a style that doesn't scream to the world you're a wild-eyed enthusiast of all things green, discretely showing only a few HYBRID badges.
At $26,990 our 2013 Jetta Hybrid SE was easy to rationalize as a good financial choice, even compared to the Jetta TDI clean diesel. The TDI costs a bit less, but also gets less fuel economy on more expensive fuel.
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