2016 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Test Drive Review

While you won’t see turbo in the name, the 2016 Jetta Hybrid (with Car Dvd Player) scoots down the road with a combination of internal combustion, forced air induction and an electric motor with its juice provided by a battery. The only turbocharged hybrid in the compact-size segment, the Jetta Hybrid is also the only model to feature a dual-clutch automatic transmission in the class. Add an independent rear suspension borrowed from the sporty Jetta GLI and you have a hybrid car that can be appreciated by enthusiasts who may have trepidations that going green means driving boredom. For a hybrid this size, Jetta’s EPA fuel economy rating of 42-mpg city/48-mpg highway and 45-mpg combined is just OK. And yes, unlike most hybrids, city mpg is lower than the highway. As potentially attractive as it is however, we don’t understand why car companies continue to offer hybrids only as fully loaded models. Volkswagen follows this thinking and the 2016 Jetta Hybrid SEL Premium is the sole choice. The price of $31,120, plus $820 destination charges, is hefty for a car without a premium reputation. However, it does have an impressive arm’s-length list of included convenience and safety features. Driving the Jetta Hybrid is a hoot. I think it’s the best handling hybrid south of $50K and, it has two personalities. It can be a fuel-efficient car that does fairly well against other hybrids or, it can be on the threshold of a sports sedan, carving corners on your favorite backcountry roads. What about install Android Car Gps? Choose the latter and the four-cylinder engine shows its moxie. The 1.4-liter aluminum block four features a 10:5:1 compression ratio, direct injection and a single intercooled turbocharger to spit out 150 horsepower. It’s torquey for a tiny engine, with 184 pounds feet available at just 1,600 rpm. When extra power is needed, the water-cooled electric motor/generator tucked between the engine and transmission adds 27 horsepower and a constant 114 pounds-feet of torque to the mix. Combined, the hybrid system output is 170 horsepower, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in the low seven seconds. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!