2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition: Supreme steering but awkward shifting

Filed under: Sedan, Volkswagen, Diesel, Long-Term Garage

2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Since we took delivery of our 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition – henceforth know as the Jetta TDI Cup, for the sake of brevity – we’ve managed to rack up a little over 1,100 miles on our long-term Salsa Red tester.

We’ve bounced around the Bay Area, made it out to the coast, logged several trips into San Francisco and made the trek to Infineon raceway. In the process, we’ve experienced the normal post-delivery phases: honeymoon, discovery and finally, annoyance. On the whole, however, the Jetta TDI Cup has proven to be a perfectly balanced package, with a smattering of tech-rich amenities and a surprisingly sporty demeanor – diesel or not.

We mentioned in our review that the Jetta’s offers one of the best tillers in the compact sports sedan segment. The electric power assist steering feels like it’s been slightly tweaked compared to past Jetta models we’ve driven, although the 18-inch wheel package is surely helping the matter. While it’s not as communicative as the GTI’s, you get a good sense of what the tires are doing both on-center and while loaded up, and the rate of return when powering around corners is perfectly matched to the 236 pound-feet of torque being channeled to the front wheels. Our only gripe remains the number of buttons on the wheel and the placement of the paddle-shifters. Read on to see what we mean.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition