I WAS asked earlier this week about what cars will be like in the future.

When faced with such an open-ended question, I'm always tempted to be flippant. In this case, I wanted to say 'pink'. Yes, as in the colour.

Instead, I said the car of the future will first and foremost be a lot more fuel efficient. They won't necessarily be the puny plastic pea-shaped buggies depicted in sci-fi movies.

Rather, they will have engines and drivetrains that are able to extract the most out of a litre of fuel.

On this front, Volkswagen is right on the money with its new Jetta TSI.

Positioned below the Passat, the Jetta is slightly bigger than Toyota's Corolla. Traditionally, a car like it would need at least a 2-litre engine. But the TSI is equipped with a 1.4-litre. To be exact, 1,390cc.

It is no ordinary 1.4 though. It is a direct injection engine that has both a supercharger and a turbocharger. The mechanically driven supercharger overcomes lag at low revs before the exhaust-driven turbo comes into play at around 3,500rpm.

VW first applied this twincharging technology to the Golf GT and it worked like a charm. It is even better in the Jetta. The engine has been tuned to produce more torque at the low end (240Nm from just 1,500rpm). This translates to a throttle response that is both immediate and smooth.

Paired with a dual-clutch sequential transmission called DSG, power is sent to the front wheels seamlessly.

The combination of direct injection, twincharging and DSG makes for great efficiency - and not just in terms of fuel frugality.

The car's performance is not to be sniffed at. It takes just 5.7 seconds to reach 80kmh from standstill, and 8.1 seconds to hit the century mark. In any driving condition, ample torque is a tap away.

The Jetta's compactness makes it a wonderfully driveable car. It has a communicative chassis and a steering that is precise and confident. On the fly, the car is sturdy and cushioned. Surface unevenness is heard more than it is felt.

The only complaint surfaces when the car stops at the lights. With parking brake engaged and transmission left in Drive, engine vibration is a bit intrusive.

While the TSI version is not as fast as the 2-litre turbo, its ability to pull away from near-idling revs is quite unmatched. And it attracts half the road tax that the bigger displacement car does.

Good fuel economy, really low road tax, decent space and more-than-decent performance - the Jetta TSI has it all. In the future, maybe more cars will be like it.

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TSI
Price: $95,200 with COE
Transmission: Six-speed DSG Power: 170bhp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm at 1,500 - 4,750rpm
0-100kmh: 8.1 seconds
Top speed: 220kmh 10 litres/100km (city)
Agent: Volkswagen Centre Singapore

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Mar 1, 2008.