2006 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 Road Test

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Many auto journalists have opined about the visual resemblance the all-new 2006 Volkswagen Jetta has with Toyota's latest

I am not sure Volkswagen stylists were aiming for a Toyota association when they penned the new Jetta, but they got it nonetheless. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

Corolla design. Although I don't disagree, I had decided to not draw such a conclusion in my review; that was, until this unsolicited exchange with a passerby who saw me photographing the Jetta.

Passerby: Excuse me, what kind of a car is that?
Me: It's the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta.
Passerby: That's a Jetta?? (inflection in voice suggests disbelief). I thought it was a new Corolla or Camry. It definitely looks like a Corolla.

The passerby was a well-dressed, middle-aged man who, as it happens, is in the market for

The new Jetta is significantly larger in size than its predecessor. In fact it's 177 mm (7.0 in) longer and 25 mm (1.0 in) wider. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

a new economy car. I am not sure Volkswagen stylists were aiming for a Toyota association when they penned the new Jetta, but they got it nonetheless. Hopefully they also gained Toyota's legendary reliability in the process. I must admit to really liking the design of the previous generation (1999 - 2005) Jetta. It was, in my opinion, the smartest, most sophisticated-looking four-door compact on the market. Ah, but we can't allow ourselves to become mired in the past. As they say in Fortune 500 boardrooms, "it's time to move forward and embrace change," so that's just what I'll do.