Frozen performance - FAW-Volkswagen Sagitar Satigar

I remember that when I was in the business for almost two years, a friend asked me by chance if I had ever driven a Jetta. I said no, and he laughed, laughing at me, as a professional car review editor, that I didn't even drive a Jetta. Pass. I was embarrassed at that time, and I only had an excuse: the model was too old, and the manufacturer hadn't held a Jetta test event for a long time.

But I always try Bora. Before trying the original Bora, I have tried more than a dozen or 20 Bora that have been modified to different degrees. Most of them are 1.8T. Later, I tried the diesel version of Bora 1.9TDI. In mid-2005 Tried the Bora Sport again.

Does Jetta and Bora have anything to do with the Sagitar in this test drive? certainly! And it's a big deal! The Jetta currently produced in my country is the third-generation Jetta model, while the Bora is the fourth-generation Jetta, so let's guess the Sagitar in front of us. Whoever guesses first will send him an issue of Auto Herald.

Have you got an answer? That's right, it's the fifth-generation Jetta. Do you think they are very different? But the fact is that all three Jettas of different generations are being produced simultaneously in China today.

In China, it is common for new and old models to be produced and sold at the same time, such as the Santana and Passat of Shanghai Volkswagen, the Beverly and Sienna of Dongfeng Citroen, the Antelope and Swift of Changan Suzuki, etc. They are incompatible with each other, but they can exist at the same time in China.

Why not call it New Bora?

Please don't make a fuss, and don't rush to accuse the depot of being deceitful. In fact, the old-generation models mentioned above are basically sold at very low prices, and most of the car prices are much higher than the latest generation, which will undoubtedly make buyers of new and old models feel a little better.

How can the two or three generations of models be sold on the same stage without affecting each other? Depots have really put a lot of thought into this, but the most common and obvious method is to give them different names, such as Bora instead of New Jetta , Sagitar is not called the new Bora, nor the new new Jetta and so on.

During the test drive in Changchun, I always felt that FAW-Volkswagen was trying its best to downplay "Borai", just as the Jetta was not mentioned at all when Bora was launched. The intention is obviously the same as before. I hope that Sagitar and Bora have nothing to do with each other. It is best that their respective car owners do not recognize each other when they meet each other, then everyone will be happy.

Why are the three closely related models of Jetta, Bora and Sagitar meeting but unable to recognize each other? This is related to the status quo of Volkswagen in China. At the beginning, Volkswagen dominated China for a while with its preconceived advantages, but its performance has continued to decline in the past one or two years. The reason is that car prices remain high and product marketing strategies also have problems. The market share has been eroded by later GM, Honda and Toyota.

The general situation of the public in the world is healthy and good, but there is a little trouble in China. In order to get through this cold period smoothly, the Volkswagen joint venture has launched a cost-saving campaign internally, hoping to reduce costs and improve market competitiveness; externally, it has formulated long-term plans including subdivided product camps. This means that Jetta, Bora and the upcoming Sagitar are no longer cars of the same level, but must open a net to form a low, medium and high-level battle. What is certain is that Sagitar will be more expensive than Bora. As for the price, it is not known for the time being. Of course, Bora may also lower the price to further position the product. The most ideal situation is that the Bora is more expensive than the Jetta, and the Sagitar is more expensive than the Bora, and the price difference between the three is equivalent. If this is the case, it is not a bad thing for people who want to buy Bora.

German high-performance

The above has talked about a lot, but it is nothing more than explaining why the fifth-generation Jetta (or new Bora) is called Sagitar. Closer to home, the English name of the new car Sagitar is "Sagitar", which means "Sagittarius" in Chinese. In appearance, it is very similar to the fifth-generation Golf that is also based on the PQ35 platform, and the big V shape on the front face has become the family face of Volkswagen's low-end sedans at this stage. The most prominent front face is the big "VW" logo. Compared with the previous generation and the previous generation models, it is enlarged, which is more atmospheric and dynamic.

But the essence of the higher level than the old model is that the Bora was originally created as a "driver's car", and now the Sagitar is once again dubbed the "German high-performance sedan". One is to admire its performance, and the other is to promote its quality.

For the first point, from the perspective of specifications, Sagitar does not have any outstanding advantages. It is equipped with the existing 1.6, 1.8T and 2.0 engines of the Volkswagen series. Although it looks like a new bottle of old wine at first glance, but Judging from the actual performance, the performance of these three engines is indeed not low, especially the 1.8T, which has strong horsepower and full stamina. Even if it has been launched for many years, it can still lead the domestic car industry.

Even if the engine doesn't give you any surprises, the 6-speed manual transmission can arouse your desire. After the Crown, Reiz, Touran and Polo, this is another domestic model equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The increase in gears will undoubtedly make the gear ratios more closely connected, and the power output will be smoother. The greater benefit is that frequent shifting through the gearbox can maintain a relatively low speed for more time, which is great for saving fuel. The good thing is that the comprehensive fuel consumption of the 1.8T and 2.0 engines is only 7 liters/100 kilometers respectively, and the fuel consumption is not inferior to the Japanese cars of the same level known for their fuel economy.

After a test drive, it was discovered that the 6-speed gearbox had additional benefits for the 1.6 and 2.0 versions. Although the 1.6 engine is technologically advanced, it has always been limited by the displacement, and its power performance is inferior to the title of high performance. However, with the help of a gearbox with a tighter gear ratio, the acceleration force has been relatively improved, and it is not noticeable in daily use. Weak, but there will be a sense of power; and for this 2.0 engine, it is a two-valve, low torque is good but high rotation is not enough, the more gears at this time, the engine speed does not need to be too high, naturally it can hide its The high rotation is unpleasant, try to reflect its only advantage of low rotation, and can indeed receive the effect of promoting strengths and avoiding weaknesses.

The quality is indeed first-class

In the second aspect of quality, we once again feel the solid car-making concept of Volkswagen. Every Volkswagen car is made of real materials. The materials used are more unambiguous, such as the front and rear bumpers and the inner side impact strips of the doors, which are all thoughtful. From the sonorous and powerful sound of the Sagitar when the door is closed, the usual heavy texture of the public is fully displayed.

This generation of Sagitar uses more than 60% ultra-high-strength and high-strength materials up and down the whole car. Coupled with the laser welding and cavity injection of the PQ35 platform, the rigidity of the frame has been increased by 50%. The pursuit of solid quality is what Volkswagen has been insisting on for many years of painstaking management. Therefore, Volkswagen can loudly accuse other car manufacturers around the world for not doing their best to make cars. Even in the eyes of Volkswagen, their competitors are cutting corners and deceiving consumers. Of course, other car manufacturers will laugh at Volkswagen's honesty and lack of flexibility. This is the difference of national culture.

During the test run, the factory arranged for us to visit the production line, so we can feel the production process of this quality more intuitively. While sighing, various questions arose, because this laser welding process seems to have a relatively complicated production process. Each frame is welded independently and cannot be carried out on the assembly line. Will this lead to higher costs? ? Furthermore, FAW-Volkswagen produces Bora, Caddy, and Sagitar, all of which are models of the PQ35 platform, but Shanghai Volkswagen is building the Touran with the same platform. Will there be a waste of resources? The cost of Chinese-made Volkswagen cars remains high, and it seems that it cannot be changed all at once.

Caring electronic system

This is the first time for me to test the car in ice and snow. In the middle of winter, almost all roads in Changchun are covered with ice and snow. Come on, who can guarantee that thin ice will not suddenly appear on the road 50 meters ahead? Therefore, it is impossible to understand how the suspension behaves in this test drive. In the severe cold of minus ten degrees Celsius, what we feel the most is not how turbulent the power of the Sagitar is when accelerating, and how solid the frame is when cornering violently, but the electronic system that is activated almost all the time.

I admire the local drivers who keep outpacing me, often some of the crappy cars that don't even have ABS. Although the Sagitar I drove was equipped with ABS+ASR+ESP, the speed was a bit like a snail.

However, this is the first time I have felt the powerful function of ABS. As long as I step on the brakes a little bit harder, the ABS will start "suddenly", twisting the direction, changing the line or steering smoothly, and the thin ice under the wheel can be a little bit easier. Children are not in sight. As for the ESP, it is even more remarkable. During the process of winding the pile on the ice surface, the system will intelligently brake the inner rear wheel every time a pile bucket is passed, and the skill is as agile as it is on the ground. Otherwise, the staff will have to trouble the staff to remove all ten pile buckets. Constantly returning to its original position. Finally, there is the ASR engine traction system, which automatically limits the engine power output once you accidentally press the accelerator deeply, minimizing slippage and helping you start or accelerate smoothly.

It can be said that this test of Sagitar allowed me to take a whole day's electronic system practice class.

Familiar carriages

Under the ice and snow, it is a very warm thing to be able to get into the carriage and blow the heating. Sagitar is equipped with a relatively high-end dual-domain automatic air conditioner with rear exhaust vents, and according to the technical staff, in order to reduce the noise of the air-conditioning outlet, Sagitar has added a lot of air vents, if I remember correctly, it should be twelve. It is one of the many noise reduction measures in the cabin, which once again reflects the sophistication of being a "German high-performance car".

The quality is also reflected in the materials and workmanship of the center console and seats. Whether it is leather or fabric, the sewing process is unambiguous. The seats are wrapped close to the body, which is also in line with the taste of high-performance cars. Sister Xu, who was testing the car together, her private car is Bora. She said that the Sagitar made her feel familiar, because the center console and instrument shapes basically continued the charm of Bora. Once you get in the car, you can easily operate each vehicle without being familiar with it. "It's just that the on-board computer screen is a little bigger," she said.

The size of the carriage is also worth talking about. Bora's back seat once made people frown, and it still has little effect by stealing the back of the front seat. The new Sagitar has greatly improved the rear seat space. Although it is still not spacious, it is ample. If you ended up giving up Bora because of the back seat, you have no excuses this time.

Dust-sealed performance

Increased space, increased rigidity of the frame, more and more luxurious compartments, and the adoption of a six-speed gearbox. These are the biggest impressions that Sagitar has brought to us. The title of "High Performance" is believed to be worthy of the name. Overall the Sagitar is premium and safe, but it doesn't seem to be pure, simple high performance, one of the evidence is that its steering is as unpleasant as the Bora, especially with the EPS electronic power steering, slow speeds. Steering is less effort, and the high speed is more solid, but there is a lack of a rich sense of communication between the driver and the road. After the electronic system has been greatly increased, the degree of driver intervention has also been greatly increased. From the traction output of the engine to the sliding trajectory of the four wheels, all are monitored, which makes people feel that they are protected and restricted too much. The advantages and disadvantages of riding a car safely and tying you up are the same.

I have to admit that Sagitar's protective measures are very effective. Even me, who has never driven in the north in winter, can complete a day of test driving without any surprises, which is a good proof. However, talking about high performance under this premise, it seems that there will not be too much fun, so we have to drive honestly. However, we can spy on the development direction of Volkswagen for high-performance cars. We talk about performance on the basis of luxury and safety. In addition, the largest market for Sagitar is the United States. The above points are exactly the requirements of the general American, so In the end, the contradictory character of Sagitar, which has superior performance and has to be restrained by itself, is formed.