The current generation Volkswagen Jetta has only been on the market since 2011, so when the German automaker plans to upgrade its bread-and-butter sedan, it will do so rather subtly. Before a new face lift takes place, a few key enhancements will happen such as a new trim level and a new base engine. Both of these change ups should be fully implemented by 2013 and will more than likely affect the car on a global scale.
First up will the addition of a new trim level. In order to spice up the base, 2.5 liter car, VW will create the SEL Plus in order to adopt many of the refinements usually associated with the GLI. According to Car and Driver Magazine, the new trim will include the higher-end interior materials found on the GLI and European cars in order to quiet the complaints of cheapness found in the less expensive U.S. spec versions. It will more than likely still use the cheaper-t0-build torsion beam rear suspension instead of the GLI’s independent set up. After the SEL Plus is introduced, VW will switch things up again by ditching the naturally aspirated 2.5 liter inline five cylinder for a smaller, forced induction straight four. This should take place late in 2013 for the 2014 model year and will more than likely, the use of a 1.8 liter turbocharged block will happen. In Europe, this mill pumps out 158 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque and would achieve higher fuel mileage than the five banger it would replace.
Source: Car and Driver
