An all-new look for the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.

There was a time when Volkswagen was the most successful import brand in the country. These days, it lags well behind the top Japanese marques, as well as Korea’s Hyundai.

So, it can’t be understated just how important the launch of the new 2011 Jetta is to the German maker – which hopes to more than double its U.S. sales volumes, in the coming years, to 800,000 annually.

Along with the New Midsize Sedan, or NMS, the codename for the all-new model that will be built at the new VW plant in Tennessee, the sixth-generation Jetta will play a critical role in rebuilding the Volkswagen brand here in the U.S.  And to get things rolling, the German maker is lifting a move right out of the competition’s playbook.

The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta line will feature a new base model, the Jetta S, which carries a base price of $15,995, nearly $2,000 less than the starting price for the 2010 sedan.

That also puts it within easy reach of the best-selling entries in the U.S. compact sedan market, the $15,655 Honda Civic and $15,450 Toyota Corolla – both of which offer a fair bit less for the money, it should be pointed out.

But the question we asked as we got off the plane in San Francisco, recently, for the first drive of the new VW offering was just how well it would stand up to the crowd-pleasing Asian competitors.

Very well, we quickly discovered, whether you’re looking at the relatively stripped-down 2011 Volkswagen Jetta S, or the more lavishly-equipped SE, SEL and TDI models.

The extra three inches of wheelbase yields a back seat with nearly as much room as many midsize and even larger.

models.
For 2011, Volkswagen has done a virtually ground-up redesign of the compact Jetta.  And with the wheelbase stretched by a full three inches, that means one of the largest offerings in the segment, rivaling the all-new ’11 Chevrolet Cruze in terms of interior and cargo space — and measuring bigger in virtually all key dimensions when compared to the Civic and Corolla.

That’s great news for passenger and driver, but especially for those sitting in the back seats.  Rear leg and knee room rival most midsize models and even some in the large car segment.

The look of the new models is more subtle and seductive, with fewer of the harshly teutonic lines of previous-generation Jettas.  Credit VW’s Italian design chief, Walter de’Silva, who played an active role in sculpting the new model.  Perhaps the most notable difference in the downsizing of the old car’s oversize grille.  There’s a maturity to the new design; this is much less the boy racer of the old Jetta.

The overall interior is well-executed, though the lack of a leather option was surprising.

The interior of the ’11 sedan, even on the base car, appears more stylish than the Asians, with less of that cut-rate plastic feel that so disappointed us when the latest version of the Corolla, in particular, debuted.  On the other hand, the 2011 Jetta’s cabin is not quite as chic as the surprisingly well-appointed interior of the 2011 Chevy Cruze.

But it does have some nice features, includes one-touch power up/down windows.  And for those who hated the old rotating knob VW has traditionally used to adjust the recline of the front seats, the maker has given Americans what they expect: a lever that allows you to quickly reposition the seat.

One surprise was the lack of a leather seating option, though the standard fabric and optional leatherette should more than satisfy most buyers.

Where VW still dominates is in ride-and-handling, especially on the models using the German marque’s updated 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder engine.  Pumping out 170 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, it’s gutsy yet smooth, with little of the raspy roar many competing I4s deliver when you push the throttle to the floor.

The design of the Gen-6 Jetta is subtler, more mature than the prior model.

Better yet, you can opt for either a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed stick, the latter something that has all but vanished in the segment.  You’ll actually lose some fuel efficiency in the EPA’s City cycle, at 23 mpg, with the manual, but you make it up on the Highway, where you’ll get an estimated 33 mpg versus 31 for the automatic.

To deliver the $15,995 price of the base S model, buyers get an iron-block 2.0-liter I4 that makes a modest 115 hp and 125 lb-ft.  Fuel economy doesn’t get the bump that you’d expect, and the heavy metal engine is one reason.  While the EPA hasn’t finalized numbers, look for something in the range of 23/32 with the automatic and 24/34 with the manual box.

VW is offering the base Jetta S for $15,995, though this model will likely make up only a fraction of its sales.

Riding on 15-inch steel wheels, it’s obvious the automaker has cut corners to deliver the S model’s $15,995 price, but it’s still an attractive offering for those on a budget who want something with a distinctively European feel.  VW officials admit this is largely a loss-leader and will likely account for a fair share of dealer advertising but perhaps no more than 10% of overall 2011 Jetta sales.

We didn’t get to drive the S, but that traditional Germanic feel was obvious from the first tight corner we maneuvered as we wandered up the Pacific Coast highway, through trendy Marin County, past Tomales Bay and up into Sonoma wine country.

To be candid, we were worried that the 2011 Jetta might lose some of its traditionally German ride and handling, what with the new model adopting a semi-independent torsion beam rear suspension versus the old car’s multi-link fully-independent rear.  But despite that switch and the new model’s added size and bulk, it proved surprisingly nimble and fun to drive.

(And for those who want the traditional independent rear, hang tight for next year’s GTI.)

There’s a third powertrain package available for the 2011 Jetta, the TDI featuring a 2.0-liter, 140 hp clean diesel.  What’s particularly impressive is the oil burner’s 236 lb-ft of torque.  We didn’t get to drive the TDI at the Jetta launch, unfortunately, but we experienced the 2.0-liter diesel during last year’s Golf preview and all indications are that it’s equally sporty in the larger car.

A fully-loaded 2011 VW Jetta SEL will set you back about $30,000.

The TDI features large 17-inch wheels and four-wheel disc brakes, like the high-line gas-powered SEL package.  Part of the cost-cutting with the base car means the front discs are paired with disc drums on that model.

Overall, our impressions are quite positive.  Sure, there are some obvious places where Volkswagen has cut corners hoping to keep prices of the new Jetta in line with the competition.  But from our time in the car and several hundred miles driving some challenging California roads, we’d be hard-pressed to find where the 6^th-generation Jetta doesn’t compare favorably with the outgoing model.

In all, the 2011 VW Jetta is an attractive, well-engineered sedan that should put the German back in the running as it takes a serious shot at the Japanese brands that have long dominated the compact sedan segment.