VW Jetta I.

Volkswagen
VW Jetta (1979–1984)
Jetta I
Production period:	1979-1984
Class :	Compact class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engines : 1.1–1.8 liters (37–82 kW) Diesel engines : 1.5–1.6 liters (40–51 kW)
Length:	4195 mm
Width:	1610 mm
Height:	1410 mm
Wheelbase :	2400 mm
Empty weight :	805-890 kg
successor	VW Jetta II

The VW Jetta (type 16) produced by Volkswagen in Wolfsburg from August 1979 was a compact sedan derived from the VW Golf I (type 17). The differences consisted of rectangular headlights, better standard equipment and a notchback with a trunk of up to 510 liters. It was available as a two- or four-door model and was slightly more expensive than the Golf I.

The Jetta I was produced in Germany until the beginning of 1984 - in South Africa the model for the local market continued to be built under different names until 1998.

Model history

General

Rear view

Although the Golf I achieved considerable success in the North American markets, Volkswagen noted that there the traditional sedan design was preferred over the hatchback style.

In the 1970s, the design of the AMC Gremlin , which was an abbreviated AMC Hornet, was controversial there . The Volkswagen designers took the opposite path and created the longer Jetta essentially by adding a trunk to the rear of the Golf. The Jetta became the best-selling European car in the US, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, however, the car fell short of the expected numbers. Because of the attached rear end, the Jetta was often referred to as the 'backpack golf' in Germany.

The Jetta I was presented to the world public in July 1979 at the IAA in Frankfurt. Production began in Wolfsburg in August 1979. In Mexico the car was marketed as Volkswagen Atlantic .

The car was available as a two- or four-door model. As with the Golf I, the design came from Giorgetto Giugiaro ( Italdesign Giugiaro ). The car was delivered with rectangular headlights. Only in the USA were rectangular headlights with separate low beam and high beam used because of the local regulations. The chassis with front wishbones and MacPherson struts and rear twist beam axle was adopted from the Golf. In order to take into account the higher axle load, in contrast to the Golf, a stabilizer was used in the U-profile of the twist beam, which increased the torsional rigidity. The wheelbase remained unchanged at 2400 mm, although the Jetta was 380 mm longer than the Golf. The trunk held up to 510 liters. All vehicles had three-point seat belts as standard on the front seats and three-point seat belts on the outside at the rear and a lap belt in the middle as safety equipment . In order to set the Jetta apart from the Golf, it was delivered with higher-quality standard equipment. This was evident from the velor seats and color-coordinated upholstery and carpets. With a base price of DM 12,395, it was DM 2,000 more expensive than a comparable Golf I.

The Jetta was offered with Otto engines (50 horsepower) to 1.8 liters from 1.1 liters with 37 kW capacity of 82 (112 hp) ranged kW, and with diesel engines, consisting of 1.6 liters 40 kW ( 54 PS) and achieved 51 kW (70 PS) with a turbocharger . The gasoline engines had downdraft carburetors , apart from the most powerful engine type with 81 kW (110 PS; from 1983 with 82 kW / 112 PS), in which a mechanical injection system ( K-Jetronic ) from Bosch was used.

Since the Jetta was only introduced in 1979, it benefited from the experience VW had gained over the years with the Passat , Scirocco , Golf, Polo and Derby . It was the first VW to be treated with cavity preservation as standard from the start of production . The sheet metal that VW used from 1978 onwards had a much lower proportion of scrap metal, which also helped prevent rust. The inner fenders at the front and rear, which were installed as standard from model year 1982, contributed to the fact that the vehicles rusted through even later.

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  VW Jetta four-door

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  VW Jetta four-door

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  VW Jetta US version

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  Wolfsburg, VW car factory

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  Jetta GLS convertible study

Jetta GLI

From mid-1980, Volkswagen marketed the Jetta GLI as the top model of the series, which contained many technical features and improvements of the popular Golf GTI. These were the 81 kW (110 hp) engine with intake manifold injection and the five-speed manual gearbox, a sports suspension with a body that was 15 mm lower, anti-roll bars at the front and rear and internally ventilated brake discs on the front axle. On the outside, the GLI was recognizable by the flared fenders and the wide 175 mm tires. The interior of the car had sports seats such as the Golf GTI and a leather steering wheel with four spokes.

From the summer of 1982 the GLI was delivered with a more powerful engine that generated 82 kW (112 hp) from a displacement of 1.8 liters.

Production for Mexico and South Africa

The Jetta I was introduced in Mexico as Volkswagen Atlantic from February 1981 . The main competitor in the Mexican market was the Renault 18 . After the introduction of the Jetta II, the Jetta I continued to be produced in South Africa as VW Fox using parts from the Citi Golf until 1998. The car should not be confused with the Brazilian models of the same name from the late 1980s or early 1990s or the VW Fox small car , which has also been imported to Europe since 2005.

Special designs

There were at least three different convertible versions of the Jetta I. One was built by Karmann in Osnabrück and was on display at the Volkswagen AutoMuseum in 2006 . Two other variants were built by Günter Artz from the Nordstadt dealership in Hanover. However, these are the bodies of the Golf I Convertible , which were given the front and rear from the Jetta. In the USA, the Jetta I was also available as a station wagon, although it was only a single item.

G-Kat retrofitting

All gasoline engines in the Jetta I can be equipped with a regulated catalytic converter . You can enter the environmental zones introduced in Germany in 2008 . There are different systems for carburettor and injection engines. Except for one system, all are based on the code number 77, which is only known in Germany (equivalent to Euro 1 by the 52nd Exemption Ordinance StVZO), which has been awarded the green sticker since November 2007. A full Euro 2 retrofit is only available for the two gasoline injection engines from Paul Wurm in Stuttgart. The solution is interesting because, even with year-round registration, vehicle taxes are cheaper than with the H license plate with flat-rate taxation. For the diesel models is u. a. a Euro-2-Oxikat-retrofitting possible. Then the red badge can be issued.

Technical specifications

VW Jetta:	C / CL / GL 1.1 Formula E.	C / CL / GL 1,3 / 60 PS	LS / C / CL / GL / SL 1.5 / 70 PS	CL / GL / SL 1.6 / 85 hp	LI / CLI / GLI 1.6 / 110 hp (1980 to 82)	GLI 1.8 / 112 PS (1983 and 84)	C / CL / GL 1.6 diesel	C / CL / GL 1.6 turbodiesel
VW engine code:	GG	GF	JB	FR	EG	DX	CR / JK	CY
Engine:	Transverse 4-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke), overhead camshaft , timing belt 1,1- and 1,3-liter engine: drag lever to 20 ° forward installed at an angle 1.5- to 1.8-liter engines: Bucket tappets installed at an angle of 15 ° backwards
Displacement:	1093 cc	1272 cc	1457 cc	1588 cc		1781 cc	1588 cc
Bore × stroke:	69.5 × 72 mm	75 × 72 mm	79.5 x 73.4 mm	79.5 × 80 mm		81 x 86.4 mm	76.5 x 86.4 mm
Power (PS) at 1 / min:	37 kW (50 PS) 6000	44 kW (60 PS) 5600	51 kW (70 hp) 5600	63 kW (85 PS) 5600	81 kW (110 PS) 6100	82 kW (112 PS) 5800	40 kW (54 PS) 4800	51 kW (70 hp) 4500
Max. Torque at 1 / min:	82 Nm 3400	95 Nm 3500	110 Nm 2500	125 Nm 3800	140 Nm 5000	150 Nm 3500	98 Nm 2300	130 Nm 2600
Mixture preparation:	1 downdraft carburetor Solex				Mechanical injection (Bosch K-Jetronic )		Distributor injection pump (TD: + turbocharger )
Cooling:	Water cooling
Gearbox (series):	4-speed (3 + E)	4-speed			5-speed (4 + E)		4-speed	5-speed (4 + E)
Gearbox (optional):	-		3-speed automatic 5-speed (4 + E)		-		5-speed (4 + E)	-
Front suspension:	MacPherson struts, wishbones
Rear suspension:	Twist beam axle , struts
Brakes:	disc brakes at the front, drum brakes at the rear
Steering:	Rack and pinion steering
Body:	Sheet steel, self-supporting
Track width front / rear:	1390/1358 mm		1404/1372 mm				1390/1358 mm
Wheelbase:	2400 mm
Dimensions L × W × H:	4195 × 1610 × 1410 mm				4195 × 1630 × 1395 mm		4195 × 1610 × 1410 mm
Empty weight (2/4 door):	805/830 kg		825/850 kg		865/890 kg		845/870 kg
Top speed:	142 km / h	147 km / h	156 km / h	166 km / h	178 km / h	178 km / h	141 km / h	160 km / h
0-100 km / h:	17.2 s	15.0 s	13.3 s	12.0 s	9.6 s	9.6 s	17.2 s	14 s
Consumption (liters / 100 km):	8.0 S.	9.5 N	10.0 N	9.5 N	10.5 S.	10.0 S.	6.5 D	7.5 D

Web links

Commons : Volkswagen Jetta I  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Volkswagen Classic: Dossier on the Jetta

Individual evidence