[jwmc1]

Originally Posted by Jrboulder

The merits of the 944 were listed as the following: Handling, power, comfort, ventilation system, shifter quality, ride quality and carrying capacity.

A stock 944, heck let's make it an S2, vs a mid-level Jetta, the GLI.

Handling: We'll give it to the 944 just so it wins something. That being said, a Jetta GLI is right up there. (it's the GTI version of the Jetta). By the numbers, the jetta handles better. Lateral Acceleration .87 g for the jetta vs .86 g for the 944S2.

Power: Jetta: 210 HP. 944S2: 208-211 HP depending on the source.

Comfort: Jetta has more comfortable seats, is easier to get in and out of, has overall better ergonomics (as is the case for pretty much any 1970's car compared to a brand new car)

Ventilation: The Jetta has much better ventilation than any 944. It moves more air, has better controls, is much less failure prone and doesn't require a sub-standard r134a conversion or a licence from the government to service.

Shifter: Until the Boxster, Porsche had received near universal criticism for it's shifters. The Jetta uses a tight cable shifter setup very similar to the Boxster/996/997.

Ride quality: The ride quality of the 944 can vary greatly due to optional suspension and overall condition. Most 944s these days suffer from suspension deferred maintenance. With the smoothest 944 suspension (brand new with boge shocks and only a 20mm front sway bar) I'd say the 944 might come out ahead of a GLI, but not an SE jetta, which it's more comparable to anyway. I owned a 90 S2 with stock suspension that wasn't fully rebuilt, but had many things replaced and it certainly wasn't that smooth of a ride.

Carrying capacity: Hands down the Jetta wins this. There isn't a single qualitative or quantitative metric that would suggest a 944 can carry anywhere near as much as a jetta.

So the 944S2 might outhandle the jetta, and the jetta has just as much power, but the jetta wins the other 5 categories.

Who cares? Those cars suck...why did you waste so much time comparing them? A Dodge Neon would beat a Lotus Esprit too, but who cares? A 944 is a cool friggin car and a VW Jetta is NOT.