While the reviews on the open road were good, around town the Jetta’s transmission and the car’s turbo lag drew complaint after complaint. Instead of the three-pedal manual, we’d ordered the two-pedal, dual-clutch automated manual DSG, a $1100 option on our $24,190 test car.

From a stop, the DSG automatically engages a clutch when the driver toes the throttle. But the engagement is slow enough to allow the engine to rev up, and once the clutch does engage, the car lurches forward. Often the lurches were severe enough to break the traction of the front tires, which then summons the traction control into action, which, in turn, shuts down the power. Previous experience with a DSG in our long-term 2006 VW GTI [December 2007] did elicit complaints about slow clutch engagement, but some of the blame must attach to the lag of the TDI’s 2.0-liter turbo-diesel. At best, it’s an annoyance, but editor-at-large John Phillips did experience the car’s complete refusal to move when the Jetta acted as though it had slipped itself into neutral. "Turning against oncoming traffic, the Jetta refused to move. Full throttle and zero movement; happened twice . . . If this were my car, I’d sell it." No other drivers had the same experience, so we chalked it up to an exaggeration about the slow-to-respond transmission.