With reference to the GLS Wagon, in Canada, you need to get the leather package to get the steering wheel controls. Also, in Canada, you cannot get leather alone (must get luxury as well). This one confused me. Both dealerships in my town told me this, however when I goto vw.ca I can "build" a '04 GLS Wagon with just the leather. Weird.
The '04 Wagon GLS does have the new gauges (I think, are they the ones with the brushed aluminum accents? They do look sweet). Just picked up mine (2.0 L) last night!
Odd...must be a running change for the wagon, because 2 wagons that we have on the lot are 2004s and they have the old style cluster...
Oh well...
The luxury and leather packages are combined, and if you go to vw.com you will see that selection of the leather package requires selection of the luxury package. There is no such vehicle that has leather without luxury.
Thanks for the clarification. Did the old style cluster have the brushed aluminum accents? I don't know. Perhaps I too have the older cluster. I do seem to recall the sales guy telling me that the '04 do have the new style, but I am not certain.
The Jetta wagon I was in was a company car. 2.0L, cloth seats, multifunction steering wheel, with CD player, side airbags, moonroof, don't recall it having an ESP button or Traction control button (ASR?). I think it was a
The 2003s did not have the chrome instrument cluster.
Rob: as for the wagon you were in, it sounds like a base GLS with a luxury package. Side airbags and CD Player are standard on all Jettas from 2002 up.
As clearned noted by the sig file, I can safely speak first hand about the Jetta Wagon with a TDI engine...
I have found the new TDI PD (or at least new to the US market) a real joy to control. Plenty of power under the hood to get you into traffic and pass the slower dorks in front of you. The engine really wakes up at 2000RPMs and kind of peaks out at 4000RPMs... not a wide range of RPMs, but that is what upshifting is for. You can go though the gears quickly and be up to speed just as quickly, pretty amazing for a "eco" engine.
I lowered mine with the VW lowering springs (Eibach) after driving the car about 25 yards and it was a very wise move (aside from pissing my wife off to no end, but that is another story). The car rides somewhat firm, but not harsh, and handles sooo much better than stock. Not to mention it closes up the wheel gap a little, the way it should be.
The brakes are fair, IMHO. 2 of my older Jettas have some major front brakes going on and can stop on a dime. The one with the ABS brakes has crazy stopping power... the new Jetta wagon doesn't have crazy stopping power and I can tell but I've got a higher standard here, you may find the stopping power is amazing in it's stock form.
General driving around is strange because you know it is a diesel, but all of the crazy black smoke and loud knocking noises are missing. The engine runs very smooth, like a gas engine. When you are at a stop light, if the radio is off, then you can hear the diesel engine some.
Speaking of radio, the 2004 comes standard with the Monsoon system. It isn't the most rocking system in the world, but it does pretty good for an OEM system. I'm going to add a single 8" woofer to round things out and leave the rest of it alone.
Drop your rear seats and you have a good amount of space to carry your junk. We took home some 8ft trim pieces for our cabinets. The boards were between my wife and I, but the car did it's job, got us home with our wood.
I could ramble on and on about how great the car is, but to truely know is to own one. I had always said I'd never buy a new car, but I'm soo glad I purchased this Jetta.
I think it comes down to the choice between diesel luxury and AWD. I have both - a 95 Outback with 190+K mi and a 02 TDI with 60+K mi. I much prefer driving and traveling in the TDI but in deep snow I would only use the Suby.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.