Fourth Generation (A4, Typ 1J)
| Also called | Volkswagen Jetta Volkswagen City Jetta (Jetta City in 2009) Volkswagen Bora Classic Edition (China) Volkswagen Clásico (2010 onwards in Mexico) Volkswagen Bora (Argentina) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1999–2005 - Europe 1999–present - China, Mexico & Argentina |
| Model years | 1999–2005 Canada,US,Europe |
| Assembly | Bratislava, Slovakia Changchun, China Poznań, Poland Puebla, Mexico Solomonovo, Ukraine Uitenhage, South Africa Wolfsburg, Germany |
| Body style | 4-door saloon/sedan 4-door estate/wagon |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Platform | Volkswagen Group A4 (PQ34) |
| Engine |
Petrol engines: |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual 6-speed manual 4-speed 01M automatic 5-speed automatic 6-speed automatic 09G |
| Wheelbase | saloon/sedan: 2,510 mm (98.8 in) estate: 2,520 mm (99.2 in) |
| Length | saloon/sedan: 4,380 mm (172.4 in) estate: 4,410 mm (173.6 in) |
| Width | 1,730 mm (68.1 in) |
| Height | saloon/sedan: 1,440 mm (56.7 in) estate: 1,490 mm (58.7 in) '08 City Jetta sedan: 1,445 mm (56.9 in) |
| Related | Volkswagen Golf Mk4 Audi A3 Mk1 SEAT León Mk1 SEAT Toledo Mk2 Škoda Octavia Mk1 |
Production of the fourth generation car began in July 1999. Carrying on the wind nomenclature, the car was known as the Volkswagen Bora in much of the world. Bora is a winter wind which blows intermittently over the coast of the Adriatic Sea, as well as in parts of Greece, Russia, Turkey, and in the Sliven region of Bulgaria. In North America and South Africa, the Jetta moniker was again kept on due to the continued popularity of the car in those markets.
The Mk4 debuted shortly after its larger sibling, the Passat, with which it shared many styling cues. The rounded shape and arched roofline served as the new Volkswagen styling trademark, abandoning traditional sharp creases for more curved corners. A distinguishing feature of the Mk4 is its Whiptenna, a trademark for the antenna on the rear end of the roof, which claims to incur less drag than traditional antennas due to its short length and leeward position. For the first time, the rear passenger doors differed from those of a 5-door Golf. The car was also offered as an estate/wagon (whose rear doors are also non-interchangeable with the others). New on this generation were some advanced options such as rain sensor controlled windshield wipers and automatic climate control. However, these were expensive extras and many buyers did not specify them on their cars; as a result the used market is full of sparsely equipped models.
Although slightly shorter overall than the Mark 3, the fourth generation saw the wheelbase extended slightly. Some powertrain options were carried over. Nevertheless, two new internal combustion engines were offered, the 1.8-litre turbo 4-cylinder (often referred to as the 1.8 20vT), and the VR5 (a 5-cylinder derivative of the VR6 engine). The suspension setup remained much as before. However, it was softened considerably in most models to give a comfortable ride, which was met with some criticism as it was still quite hard in comparison with rivals such from French makers.
Read more about this topic: Volkswagen Jetta
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