Second-hand sense: Whoever decided to change the name of Volkswagen's ever-popular Jetta to Vento, and then to Bora, obviously did not spend a great deal of time considering what the latter and utterly meaningless name conjured up in English-speaking parts of the world.
And, yes, the Bora is a boring car - a conventional three-box saloon with little identity and a poor profile. But that never stopped people buying such cars. The Jetta, after all, had an extremely loyal following here, having become legendary for its strength, space, durability and, in particular, its diesel engine.
Not surprisingly, the Jetta name has been re-born. The new model comes with extras like multiple air bags, air conditioning, an active stability system and power steering. It is all a far cry from the original, which came with virtually nothing as standard, when it was launched here in the early 1980s. In the meantime the Bora fills the slot of second-hand Jetta for those on the look out for a medium sized Volkswagen on the used market.
The Bora, despite its name, does have some very good attributes. It is based on the Golf, which speaks for itself. Good solid handling, excellent engines, easy to live with interiors and a good reliability record all combine to make it a solid choice but the car's profile is perhaps its worst feature. There were never very many fleet drivers competing with each other to have one and even the loyal rural community did not see it as an exciting option.
Being a Golf with a boot, the Bora has a slightly restricted rear seating area but a big boot area. It is comfortable and solid for those in the front. Its suspension is just about right, but you will find the odd harshness on uneven surfaces.
If you are someone who does not need huge interior capacity but do long distances it would be hard to find a better car for the price. If you do have long distances to travel, the 1.9 turbo diesel with a 110 horse power output is one of the best workhorses around. However, when considering the Bora you would be well advised to check out the Seat Toledo and the Skoda Octavia. Both are better priced, are from the same VW family and even have better boot space.
There are three important engine choices with the Bora, the 1.4 petrol for average performance, the 1.6 for something with a little more punch and the 1.9 diesel for those with the requirement for it. All are familiar from the Golf line-up and well proven.
The Bora has had a number of recalls for problems with brake servo vacuum pipes, fuel pump covers and the anti-lock braking unit. However, not all cars were affected. There are no EuroNCAP crash test results for the car, but VW does have a good and solid reputation in this area.
A 2002 model with a 1.4 engine and 50,000 miles on the clock, and with airbags, metallic paint and electric windows will cost about €13,000. A 2002 model with the 1.9 diesel engine and the same equipment and with 65,000 miles on the clock will cost about €14,300. A newer 2004 model with the 1.4 engine and 8,500 miles on the clock has an asking price of €18,500.
FOR: Good solid, Golf-derived, saloon with solid build. Excellent performance from the diesel version.
AGAINST: Styling. Suffers by comparison with Seat Toledo and Skoda Octavia.