Road Test With an extra cylinder and more horsepower and torque, the 2005.5 Jetta’s 2.5-liter engine provides much needed power to Volkswagen’s entry-level sedan. However, lousy brakes and outmatched tires thwart an overall positive driving experience.

Compared with the previous Jetta, the new model’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine offers an additional cylinder, 35 more horsepower, and another 48 lb.-ft. of torque. The result is a vehicle that feels adequately powered instead of underpowered. Upon planting the gas pedal against the floorboard, we were pleasantly surprised at the 2005.5 Jetta’s ability to get up and move. And those 150 horses made it easy to maintain a very comfortable cruising speed on the open road. Plus, with 170 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, speeding away from red lights and performing high-speed passes on the highway can be done so fearlessly. For an added touch of fun, we usually left the gear selector in “S,” or sport mode, which by holding the lower gears longer allowed for the best possible acceleration. However, sport mode also brought with it significant engine braking, serving to steal speed at times we didn’t necessary approve of it being stolen. Overall fuel economy was a disappointing 19.5 mpg.

Those are just a few of the powertrain’s lowlights. Fire up that five-cylinder and let your ears feast on an unpleasant exhaust tone, common to the industry’s other five-cylinder player, Volvo. Open ‘er up on the open road, and the engine’s coarse melody sounds like it’s coming from a sand-filled tuba. Also chiming in are the wind whistles from the sunroof and driver’s window, front console rattles, and a fair number of notes from the tires.

Those 16-inch Michelins switch from a low hum in normal driving to an outright scream when subjected to aggressive driving, and prove to be the weak link on an otherwise capable handler. On the highway and sweeping back roads, the ride is smooth and comfortable, with all but the largest potholes being quietly absorbed. We did unearth front-end plow when pushing the Jetta in corners, yet there was little body roll, and the traction control was effective though not intrusive. The variable assist rack-and-pinion steering was tight and composed, requiring little input at slow speeds and more at higher speeds. After our bout of canyon carving in the 2005.5 Jetta, we couldn’t help but wonder how much improvement could be realized with a better set of tires.

The 2005.5 Volkswagen Jetta’s brake system also caused us a fair amount of consternation. Despite the excellent hardware – discs all around, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, and our tester’s electronic brake assistance – the new Jetta could use some attention in this area. Around town, the binders worked well, and after several miles on sweeping mountain curves, the brakes held up well. But it was during a spirited drive, accented by several sharp turns, that we discovered the Jetta’s strong affinity for brake fade. In particular, on one downhill run the stoppers met each corner with less efficacy, culminating to a point where there was little resistance prior to the shuddering activation of the ABS system. Admittedly, most owners won’t push their Jettas to these extremes, and after a short cool down period everything was back to normal. However, of the countless vehicles we have tested on this route, the Jetta’s brake fade was among the worst.

Our test loop also exposed the automatic transmission’s desire to hunt for the appropriate gear. After exiting a turn and punching the throttle, there was often a lengthy hesitation as the Jetta lumbered along in a high gear, finally kicking down a cog and unleashing the desired power. Consequently, the confused gearbox often saps the new engine’s potential.