It’s an old, old problem.  You love to drive, but your significant other is more interested in a practical car than a hard-core sports machine, and the cars like BMWs and Mercedes, that are attractive to both gearheads and pragmatists are way out of reach. Many car nuts have found themselves driving minivans for lack of an affordable alternative.  It’s depressing.

The 2000 Volkswagen Jetta just may be the answer to this age-old conflict.  Sure, it’s a staid-looking, very practical four-door sedan.  But inside it’s got creamy nougat, in the form a basic structure that’s shared with serious speedsters like the Volkswagen GTI and Audi TT.  It’s so eager to be on the road that it might you up in the morning with its keys dangling from its grille, like a restless dog wanting a walk.  Car-guy material, indeed.  To please the economy-minded buyers, the Jetta is available with a fuel-sipping 90-horsepower turbodiesel.  For the serious road warriors, there’s a torquey 174-hp V6.  And new for this year, as a perfect compromise, is a 150-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, which we drove.

The non-car person will notice that the Jetta has a very conservative look.  It won’t blend completely into the crowd, thanks to big Volkswagen logos front and rear and a slightly hunchbacked look.  All of the shutlines and seams are very precisely sculpted, as if they’d been drawn on.  Square headlight units house the headlamps as well as projector-style foglamps and turn signals.  It has a more squared-off look than the Volkswagen Golf whose architecture it shares.  In photographs the Jetta resembles a Chrysler Cirrus, but in the metal it’s got a completely different look.  The car person will notice the Jetta’s wheels-to-the-outside, poised stance.  The 15″ “Avus” wheels are a nice, sporty five-spoke design that shows off the brakes.  And up top, the center-mounted antenna is a Volkswagen hallmark.

Inside, passengers are treated to chairlike, upright seats that don’t feel like car seats unless you’ve spent a lot of time in a Volvo, Saab, or another Volkswagen.  To unfamiliar bodies they feel unusual at first, but their forte is long-term comfort.  After sitting in them for several hours without fatigue, you’ll understand what we mean.  The machined precision of the exterior filters inside the car as well; the buttons and switches on the dash are flush-mounted so closely and carefully together that they look like decals.  It looks good, despite the fact that Jetta’s interior is a foreboding black monochrome, broken up only by a chrome plate around the shifter gate which unfortunately reflects the sun midday.  At night, things are livened up a little as the white-on-black instrument panel is backlit in a unique, brilliant blue with red needles.  The impression of carefull, close-fitted quality is spoiled a little by the slide-out cupholder in the dash, which is somewhat flimsy.  The smallish buttons on the optional Monsoon sound system take some getting used to, but it’s a decent system in the end.  As a concession to active lifestyles, there’s a power outlet in the trunk.

Now, for the hard part; getting the non-car person and the car nut to agree on the driving experience.  No problem for the Jetta; it is very much a feel-good car.  That feeling of solidity is present in a smooth, quiet drive that makes the Jetta feel like a larger, more expensive car and makes the non-car person happy.  At the same time, plenty of power and a predictable, forgiving suspension will appeal to the car person.  The new, 150-hp turbocharged engine gives the Jetta a frisky, eager feeling.  It’s not the fastest four-door available for less than $30,000, but it enjoys life a great deal, whether you’re carving up mountain roads or running over to a friend’s house.  The Jetta attacks the most mundane driving tasks with an eagerness normally found only in sports cars.

A big part of that eagerness can be chalked up to the suspension.  Volkswagen has been using the independent front suspension and beam rear axle for a long time now, and they’ve got it down to a science.  Positive caster has been dialed into the front end to improve stability, and the car’s got quick reflexes thanks to the Audi’s in the gene pool.  When it’s not being driven like an autocross car, the Jetta is easy to maneuver and lacks the hesitant, uncertain feeling frequently noticeable in cars with flabbier suspension setups.  Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) and an Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) work together as a full-time traction control system for the Jetta.  It was never triggered during the Jetta’s stay with us.

The Jetta’s sporting nature is its primary edge against competitors such as the Nissan Altima and Ford Contour, and you have to pay a little more for that.  But the Jetta isn’t an overly expensive car.  ABS, cruise control, Volkswagen’s super-convenient one-touch up and down windows, and side airbags are all standard.  The turbocharged engine is standard on the Jetta GLS, which starts at $19,200.  Our test vehicle featured the Monsoon sound system, automatic transmission, heated seats, and a leather interior.  It stickered for $22,300.

So car folk, take heart.  You don’t have to give in completely to the practical pressures of the real world, just because you have to share cars with someone who doesn’t like them.  Not completely, anyhow.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2000 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T, which we tested.

Length:     172.3 in.
Width:        68.3 in.
Height:        56.9 in.
Wheelbase:        98.9 in.
Curb weight:    2975 lb (automatic), 2922 lb (manual)
Cargo space:    13.0 cu.ft.
Base price:    $19,200
Price as tested: $22,320
Engine:     1.8 liter turbocharged I4
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, front wheel drive
Horsepower:     150 @ 5700 rpm
Torque:     155 @ 1750-4200 rpm
Fuel capacity:    14.5
Est. mileage:    22/28

6/2009 update:  Jettas still look nice, though VWs of this vintage have a reputation for getting unreliable after a few years.  They’re not that difficult to find though, so perhaps some of those concerns have been addressed.