Following its international unveil earlier this year in Times Square, New York, the latest generation Jetta has made its European debut at an event held at the home of FC Bayern Munich, the Allianz Arena.

Styled by Klaus Bischoff, Head of Volkswagen Design, the new Jetta has a fresh look but is instantly recognisable as a Volkswagen. Drawing inspiration from the NCC concept shown at the Detroit Motor Show in January, the new Jetta features clean, simple lines and adopts the latest iteration of Volkswagen’s design language seen recently on the new Polo, Passat and Sharan.

Every panel you can touch, both inside and out is new to the Jetta. At the front, a grille similar to the new Phaeton features strong horizontal fins creating the impression that the vehicle is lower and wider than it actually is. The clean, simple lines are complemented with intricately styled light units both at the front and rear.

Styling changes continue inside the cabin bringing the design in line with the Golf with a new centre console, entertainment and climate control systems and steering wheel design among the updates. In addition, the new Jetta has grown in length by 90 mm to measure 4 644 mm with its wheelbase extended by 70 mm to 2,648 mm. The result is a 67 mm increase in rear legroom over the outgoing car.

In contrast to the US specification Jetta unveiled earlier this year, all new Jetta models in Europe feature the sophisticated four-link suspension system similar to that fitted to the Golf. This differs from the setup of the outgoing model with the new Jetta featuring a wider track at the rear as well as revised springs and dampers.

The sixth generation of the Jetta offers greater efficiency and fewer emissions with a range of advanced petrol and diesel forced induction engines. The range includes a pair of 1.4-litre TSI engines, developing 90 kW and 118 kW, and two diesel engines with a 1.6-litre TDI 77 kW and a 2.0-litre TDI developing 103 kW. The 1.6-litre TDI unit will feature BlueMotion Technology modifications including Stop/Start and battery regeneration.

As with the outgoing Jetta, the new car combines the practicality of being able to seat five adults with a large, 510-litre loadspace and a comprehensive range of standard safety features including six airbags, ABS and Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP).

Sales of the new Jetta will commence in the UK in early 2011 and we’ll bring you more news about the car’s arrival in South Africa as it breaks.

Adapted from TestDriven

A larger, more upscale version of the Volkswagen Jetta was revealed on Monday for the 2011 model year.

The powertrain lineup will consist of four engines, including a 2,0-litre turbodiesel making 320 N.m of torque. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, and the six-speed DSG automatic is optional.

The Jetta gets sleeker sheetmetal for the new model year, and it’s fronted by trapezoidal headlights and a high-gloss black grille. The sides are marked by prominent wheel arches, which hold tyres as large as 18 inches. Two-section taillights set off the back end of the car. Look closely at the shoulders, and the NCC concept is visible, while the mirrors borrow their appearance from the premium CC sedan, VW says.

The new car is 90 mm longer bumper-to-bumper at 4.64 m, which VW claims yields best-in-class legroom for the sixth generation Jetta. This helps improve the interior comfort, and legroom is now 967 mm, 66 mm more than before. The cabin also features a new steering wheel, while the back seat continues the 60/40 split tradition.