2016 VW Jetta Gets a Smaller, More Fuel-Efficient Engine

New VW 1.4-liter TSI Engine (Credit: © VW)

The base VW Jetta has carried on with the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine for way too long, and its 115 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque has been underwhelming for years. That’s all about to come to an end today, as VW has announced that it will finally kill the 2.0-liter four-pot altogether in the U.S. market, and replace it with a 1.4-liter turbocharged unit.

This new 1.4-liter TSI engine, dubbed the EA211, will act as the base engine and will not only deliver extra fuel economy, but also a good bit more power. Some of its key features include aluminum construction to help keep its weight low, an integrated exhaust manifold, and a 10-to-1 compression ratio.

In terms of power, this 1.4-liter engine will deliver a respectable 150 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 184 pound-feet of torque at 1,400 revs. Mated to this engine will be either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. I am a little baffled by VW continuing to offer a five-cog manual transmission, as nearly every other new car now has a six-speed, but they are the ones with the money.

On the fuel-economy side of the equation, VW announced that this engine will deliver up to 39 mpg on the highway with the six-speed auto transmission. This is not an official EPA rating, however, but it does show a significant improvement over the 2.0-liter engine’s 34 mpg highway rating.

There is no mention of when the 2016 Jetta and this new 1.4-liter engine will debut, but the fall of 2015 seems like a safe estimate for now. There is also no mention of this engine making it to other vehicles in VW’s lineup, but there have been rumblings about this powering the base-level Golf too. Keep it locked here for more on that.