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Volkswagen’s New Concept Coupe (or NCC) may not look that striking when displayed on your computer monitor, but in person, this preview of the next-gen Jetta is quite attractive.
At first glance, pictures of the NCC tend to make the front of the car look a bit flat and uninspired, but there’s more here that meets the computer screen. In person, the LED driving lights don’t disappear into the fascia and the scoops in the lower fascia look much more bold. Inside and out, the NCC exudes an unshakable essence of Audi, but at a presumably lower price. Understated is probably the best word for it, and a bolder color choice would better show off its features.
What’s most impressive about the NCC, though, is how well-finished it is for a concept. Often, when a concept rolls out with this level of fit-and-finish, it ends up being a thinly veiled preview of a future production car. There’s no auto show glam here — the interior is upscale, refined and offers no trace of last-minute adjustment or upgrade. This little four-seater is solid.
The question, then, turns to the drivetrain. While the rest of the car may be ready to hit dealer lots tomorrow, Volkswagen’s new hybrid drivetrain is untested in the market and may still need work before the company is ready to put it in consumer hands. If and when it does see showrooms, the specs look solid. The 150-hp four-cylinder gasoline engine and 27-hp electric motor come together to make 177 hp and, during acceleration, can lay down 177 lb-ft of torque. Together, they haul the NCC to 60 mph in 8.1 secs, or slightly faster than a diesel-powered Jetta, all while getting a claimed 45 mpg.
So what will become of the NCC? Given its production-ready quality and the fact that it’s within inches of the current Jetta in all dimensions, speculation has arisen that it could be a preview of the next Jetta, one that finally includes a coupe model. All Volkswagen will say is that a new compact sedan is coming this summer. Is it the one that will built at the company’s new plant in Tennessee? We don’t know yet, but with that plant just over a year away from starting production, it’s a distinct possibility.
-Scott Evans
Feel hard for this car but it NEVER came to be…but, we got the CRAP-Jetta instead. A watered down, de-contented AmeriJunk…Please! Bring the European model over with all options at what ever the cost to push the Asian, Korean and Chinese makers off North America.
If VWofA want’s to do something then put a opportunity to buy a fully optioned European spec Audi A3 SEDAN (2T, DSG-8,Quattro, Leather, adjustable suspension, etc) in the payment by June and that will rock the world.
We NEED a LUXURY, SPORT, coupe or saloon that isn’t for fat whales (damgit quit eatting and get active!). Show us way VWAG and do with a compact luxury, sport car in 2 or 4 doors and I’ll buy two.
I WILL NOT BUY A CHEAP TIN WAGON when I know the my current Jetta feels and drives like a Rolls Royce by comparsion to the current generation Jetta.