Yes, the time has come to bid farewell. Problem is, with old friends, farewells can be downers. Old friends are old friends, because they click with you every time you meet with them. What's more, they similarly click when meeting with your other friends too ? due to some kind of commonality.

And if you're the type that checks the headlines before reading, you'd have already surmised I'm referring to the departure of our long term, silver VW Jetta 2.0T FSI Sportline DSG. Such a lengthy nomenclature, you query? It is, but indicates the wide-ranging abilities it's imbued with.

Fact of the matter is, prior to the first meeting with our silver Jetta, I was tricked by my office buddies into taking our then long-term silver Passat for another test run, which was parked in the darkest corner of our underground garage. Not much later I met with a relative who asked me what I thought of the new Jetta I was driving. "It's not a Jetta, but a Passat 2.0 TSI!" I answered emphatically.

The rest is history.

And then came the other surprise that same evening when for the first time I floored the Jetta on its test run and unexpectedly (and then still unaware it had the DSG 'box) felt the nano-second DSG six-speed gear changes while zooming to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds. In fact on the way back I repeated the sprint at every opportunity to experience its mind-blowing, blindingly quick F1-syle gear changes.

The attraction to the Jetta was ever growing. My headline for the next article was, "The more I drive it, the better looking it seems", this mainly due to the fact someone at the office mentioned the word 'staid' as the best way to describe its styling.

But I'd also learnt that in road holding terms it was a winner too, which I'd put down to its lowered sports suspension set-up that turned a Mr Everyday-looking VW into a hotshot projectile. That GTI engine also grew on me. But deep down I was still attempting to defend its looks even noting that it seemed sprightlier with its reshaped bonnet, integrated headlights and other bits and pieces but unwillingly had to admit it still resembled, "...a retired accountant's car".

When the next issue arrived it was decided that the time had come for someone else to put his impressions to paper. Oliver, our photographer, took it to Mpumalanga and was impressed from the word go when it accomodated four adults in absolute comfort, with the big boot swallowing ample luggage. He too, was impressed with the DSG 'box and how, in sport mode, it held the revs nicely, allowing some spirited driving through the Long Tom pass.

At the end of it all, his take on the car was little different to mine after a round trip of some 1800km. With no further hassles, he discovered another positive aspect: "... averaging 7.9 litres per 100km on the highway".

Then it was the turn of our editor, Jason, to air his views. I liked his heading ? 'Chromed Sleeper' ? because it pigeonholed the Jetta. And more succinctly he goes on to verify our feelings of the car with his: "Our long-termer has been diagnosed with a split personality". And, lest I forget, was he not one of the instigators of my intended booboo?

But his view of the car went straight to the point when he likened it to the advocate who, during the week, was the restrained family man then on Saturdays donned his old rugby togs and after the game and would, "...drink the boys under the table during the post-match piss-up, while being the life of the party and the one most likely to still be dancing on the table at 4am".

By the time Stuart wrote about the Jetta the following month, a minor kink or two had developed in the Jetta's almost unflappable nature. But after some 14 000km its faults are minimal ? a broken fuel flap (which we got fixed at a dealer) and the fabulous DSG 'box that was not as perfectly precise as when new. Unfortunately the dealer could not diagnose this fault.

Then there was the torn tyre and damaged alloy wheel, that together will cost around R6k, which are solely the fault of this red-faced writer.

In closing, the Jetta's styling never grew on us over time, but it thoroughly impressed as a driver's car from the word go and in my mind it's undoubtedly a highly desirable car.