by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
It’s like the wind
This week’s ride is a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta GLI owned by Dave Peregrim of Scranton. The Jetta celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and was first produced as a subcompact, before becoming a compact car in 1984.
The car was originally created by simply adding a conventional trunk to the Golf hatchback, but the Jetta later got some distinctive styling and has been one of VW’s most successful cars — it’s sold more than 7 million worldwide. The car’s name is from the German word for jet stream and joined other VW’s named after winds: Passat (German for tradewind), the Golf (Gulf Stream), Scirocco (after a wind in the Sahara desert).
Peregrim’s Jetta is part of the model’s fourth generation. It’s a 4-door sedan model in “galactic blue metallic” that features the 1.8 liter, inline 4-cylinder engine with 82.5 mm bore and 92.8 mm stroke with a compression of 10. The Jetta has 4-wheel ABS brakes, electronic brake distribution, strut front suspension independent with a stabilizer bar and coil springs and torsion beam rear suspension with a stabilizer bar and coil springs. It also has standard heated seats and 17-inch alloy wheels.
The GLI has the distinction of being Volkswagen’s highest-powered 6-cylinder car and comes with a 6-speed manual transmission, spin controlling ESP technology, a dual-chrome exhaust, leather-covered steering wheel and sports seats. As the owner of Ricochet’s Rapid Detail in Scranton, Peregrim keeps his Jetta looking and running exceptionally.
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