Driving a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta TSI Budget Hire Car Was a Pleasant Surprise

Let me be clear: Driving the car was a nice surprise. But that had nothing to do with Budget as a car hire company. More on that as we go...

Image credit: Edmunds.com

I recently needed to rent a car in the US and since neither size nor luxury were important factors I went with the low-cost option which was listed at the time of booking as a “Ford Focus or similar.”

I don't book the smallest class of cars offered by rental companies ever since I drove a rented Chevrolet Spark from Enterprise. The Spark is the worst car I have ever driven and I decided that absolute rock-bottom price wasn't the top priority for future rentals.

Price was still an important consideration with this particular rental so I entered my required dates and preferences into AutoSlash.com and chose to book with Budget after AutoSlash sent me an email with the best deals they could find.

At the time of booking my cost for for 3 days was set at $79.59 but AutoSlash later emailed me a notification indicating prices had dropped and recommending I make a new booking and cancel the original. I did this right away and my final cost came to $66.96 for the 3 day period.

I Receive My Car...and Spot a Celebrity

When I arrived at the rental counter I was able to check in almost immediately...Incidentally the single customer in front of me turned out to be 10-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton wearing one of his trademark hats.

Image credit: AnthonyHamilton.com

You virtually never know what type of car you'll be receiving with car rental companies like Budget so I was curious but not hopeful. At the counter the agent offered me a Ford Escape and seemed surprised when I declined it for the VW Jetta. Bigger isn't always better and I had no need for a crossover SUV.

So the car of the hour turned out to be a 2016 VW Jetta TSI with approximately 25,000 miles on the odometer. While not an old car it was obviously having a rough life as there was some curb rash on the front, passenger-side wheel and the interior was frustratingly dirty with stained seats and sticky patches on the steering wheel and other trim bits. As an extra bonus -I assume- the car smelled strongly of weed.

I typically take what I'm given so I didn't request an alternate vehicle especially since I was ready to get to the hotel after a long international travel itinerary.

What's the Mk 6 Jetta Like?

Cleanliness aside let's focus on Volkswagen's handiwork: my first impressions of the car were positive. The tilting telescoping steering wheel was a nice feature compared to previous generation Jettas I've driven and I found the eager throttle response fantastic for navigating through traffic as I left the airport area.

The 2016 base Jetta features a 1.4L turbocharged four cylinder engine capable of 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. This engine carries over to the 2017 Jetta as well although the 2017 gets a slightly higher EPA highway MPG rating. The 2016 comes in a 28 city/39 highway while the highway figure bumps up to 40 MPG for the 2017 model.

Image credit: MotorTrend

While a 5 speed manual is available my specimen featured the 6 speed automatic transmission.

The horsepower and torque figures might not sound that impressive but they translate into enjoyable, turbo-lag-free power when it comes to daily use. I found it very easy to get some unintentional tire chirp on rapid accelerations from lights or stop signs (which -as I'm fond of dwelling on- should be replaced by roundabouts and yield signs).

When a car feels as fast off the line as the 1.4T Jetta I'm always curious how the power band feels as you floor the accelerator and rev out the engine. After a couple exploratory ventures I can report that the torque-rich, eager acceleration of the four cylinder engine comes on early and continues into the mid-upper range of the rev range before falling off a bit.

Car & Driver reports a 0-60 time of 8.4 seconds. I would say the initial acceleration to 35 MPH gives you the impression you'll achieve 60 in less then 7 seconds but because of the power drop as the revs climb 8.4 seconds to 60 MPH is all you can achieve in reality. Slightly disappointing, but for all practical purposes a perfectly acceptable and useful amount of torque throughout the normal rev range.

My other complaint about the power delivery has to do with the transmission which seems like it should deliver the power in a smoother fashion. The shifts actually felt similar to how a CVT feels when it is simulating a conventional transmission. I don't know if this is a result of managing the power of a small turbo charged engine (keeping it in the power) or what the reason is but I found it a bit less than a 5 star experience on the transmission front.

Same Nameplate, New Precise and Fun Handling

Even more surprising to me than the eager acceleration was the precise feel of the steering and the composure of the suspension. VW update the Jetta line and now even the base model as the four-wheel independent suspension which used to be a GLI-only feature.

The driving route on schedule included rough city streets, interstate highway and curving county roads through rolling countryside. The precision of the steering made it easy to place the car in the bends and my favorite benefit of the new suspension is the lack of body roll in corners. I previously owned a Mk 5 Jetta and this newest iteration of the Mk 6 is far, far superior in terms of ride quality and driving engagement.

Rough patches of road were soaked up with minimal discomfort and the car kept it's line well even in rough corners.

My unit was a base Jetta so there's nothing exciting to report on the interior features front nor in the exterior aesthetics department but the quality of the driving experience does make one wonder how good the package can get.

GLI image credit: Autoweb.com

The GLI with it's 200 hp, 6 speed manual and sport suspension really starts to look attractive. Plus it has a better interior. I look forward to trying out a GLI and/or a GTI of this generation in the future because of my experience with this base Jetta and because of the fantastic accolades the GTI receives from the driving community and press.

What About You?

• Do you like the Mk 6 Jetta?
• Any details I left out you'd like to know? (just ask in the comments)
• Have you owned or driven a Jetta and what's your opinion of the model?
• Do you rent cars often?