When you read someone’s review of a product, you should probably write down the date. Because many times these products have changes that modify their position in the market, they even go from being good to bad and then good again. The examples are many and one of them is an old acquaintance of the Mexican market, the Volkswagen Jetta. In its first four generations, from when it was called Atlantic, the sedan of the German brand experienced a constant and visible evolution, reaching its apex in 1998, precisely with that fourth generation. The fifth, when it was already called Bora in Mexico, grew so much that it lost its charm, although it was still a good car. The detail is that Germany did not like that Mexico had Bora and Jetta at the same time and forced the people of Puebla to call the Bora by the name it should have always had: Jetta, forcing the fourth generation to also change its name . This is how the Classic was born. That “new Jetta” came at a time when the brand was on the hunt for cost savings and the misnamed sixth generation (actually it was still a Bora with few changes) was the least fortunate in the car’s success story. Heavy, inefficient in consumption, not very stable for VW bosses, came to be sold with rear drum brakes, rigid board and torsion bar rear suspension, which has been used in almost all generations except the fifth or some GLI, like the current one. In fact, the seventh generation Jetta is once again a great car, although comparatively against its rivals, it doesn’t show that crushing superiority of the fourth generation. If someone asks if the Jetta is a good car, you can say it was good, then great, then good (Bora), then mediocre, and good again. The previous generation Suzuki Swift Sport was also a very good car, but what it offered in power and performance for its price put it out of the market, because VW offered a Golf for the same price but with a turbo engine, more power, more space and better finishes.
Good or bad, it also depends on the rivals
Because being a recommendable car or not also has a lot to do with what the market offers at the same time. Swift was not bad, but he had a rival who “killed” him. The current generation no longer. Now the Swift Sport is the one that “kills” its rivals, like the Ibiza FR, for example.
In 2009, when Nissan launched the March, it was the best in its class. It had no ABS, no airbags, but no one did. And the March offered great handling, good value, and Nissan reliability. But after 2012, cost savings transformed the March into a more. In 2020 they put ABS on it and kept the 2 bags that it had won a few years before, but it was not until 2021 that it reinforced its structure again and until 2022 it gained stability control and six bags. Good, bad and excellent is the story of the March.
The Versa went through a similar process, most of its years it was a good car, but best avoided between 2016 and 2018, when there were better and safer options in its category. Today called the V-Drive, it’s the most bang for your buck sedan on the market.
It also happens the other way around. The Chevrolet Onix Premier until the 2022 model was a magnificent car with its 1.2-liter engine and 130 HP. Already the 2023 model Premier is just good, with its 1.0-liter engine and 115 HP.
Everyone knows that a manual Fiesta is a great car and is still a good option as a pre-owned, but with a Powershift automatic transmission it is a headache that is best avoided. The same with Focus, Figo and Ecosport, the latter ended their days in Mexico with good automatic gearboxes and being better than ever before. The Honda Civic, admired by many for its reliability, best avoided If you are going to buy a used one between 2006 and 2009 when there is a strong possibility of an engine block breakage.
So, every time you read, hear or see an opinion about a car, write down the date and understand that this refers to that moment of the car and the market, but it will never be a law written in stone.
