As a car enthusiast right from my childhood I had a great fascination for Volkswagen as a brand and as a leader in the German Automobile industry. As a high school student a decade back I had the good fortune to drive a friends Volkawagen Golf (diesel) 1994 or 1995 model on repeated occasions, the experience was like a shot of adrenaline in the arm, It was a like the forces had been unleashed.
So when Volkswagen finally launched the "Jetta" in india I went for test drive and had very high expectations from this car as I considered it as an epitome of technolgy and German engineering at its best. I am in the travel industry and cars are a passion for me and trust me when I tell you that I can differentiate between Junk and quality.
After driving both the automatic and manual variant (diesel only) I have just 01 word to say "Pathetic". Everything about the car the drive, pick-up and accelleration, engine noise, interiors, gear shift and the clutch was a big dissapointment. I actually took it for a very long drive all the way from Lajpat Nagar to Noida and back and could not believe that I was actually driving a Volkswagen. Anyway who ever sitting there on the higher seats of the Management of Volkswagen I would like to say that Indians are no fools so stop dumping crap in this country.
At a price tag of 15 lakh (on road) for the manual and 18 Lakhs (on road) for the automatic what you get is a complete junk with a big brand name. I really think foreign car makers think we Indians are really dumb to buy crap just because of the brand name and anybody buying this car would really prove the point.
I have come to the conclusion that Volkswagen is using India as a dumping ground for junk that does not sell anywhere in Europe or US and we Indian with all the money in our pocket and the dream to own a good luxury car with a brand name are taking the bait.