2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid, answering the call: Motoramic Drives

On April 3, 1973, Motorola researcher Martin Cooper made the first call from a handheld mobile phone. The prototype weighed 2.5 lbs., and measured 9 inches long, 5 inches deep and 1.75 inches wide. This revolutionary phone had a talk time of just 30 minutes and took a whopping 10 hours to charge. Today, we'd call it a brick.

These old phones felt big, heavy and cumbersome — in much the same way as a hybrid vehicle does today. Manufacturers have struggled for a hybrid driving experience that engages, leaving you feeling compromised in order to achieve the desired benefits. And that was the same with the original bulky cell phones. But as we turned the corner into the 21^st century, eventually, the mobile phone did indeed appear "normal."

When you think hybrid, you think Toyota Prius — a beige billboard showcasing the owner's bitter hatred for all things automotive. But hybrids have advanced. Audi won the Le Mans 24-hours with their R18 E-Tron hybrid racecar, Porsche have showcased the 918 hybrid supercar and Ferrari are about to follow suit with a hybrid replacement to the all-conquering Enzo. But while the cream of the crop has evidently figured out how to make hybrids fast and exciting, the sedan market is still littered with hybrids capable of educing its driver into a coma.

Volkswagen has promised the 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid will be different. It's a "no compromise, sporty" hybrid. But, when you consider the 229 lbs. the hybrid has gained compared with the 2.5L Jetta automatic, surely a compromise must be inevitable. But have VW engineers been able to move past the weight gain and create a hybrid compact sedan that actually feels like a car, and not a squidgy marshmallow blob on wheels?

From the outset, the Jetta Hybrid looks remarkably Jetta like -- minus a custom black-enclosed grille, mini spoiler, custom wheels and a rear diffuser. Inside, the cabin remains comfortably pleasant, de-cluttered and spacious for a hybrid. Holding the steering wheel is like touching an infant Beluga whale -- its soft, suppleness is by far the cabins best feature.

Pressing the start button coaxes the 27-hp electric motor to life, allowing you to accelerate gently for 1.2 miles -- up to 44 mph in E-mode -- in a deathly silent creep, making a hybrid the perfect car for teens attempting to sneak out of their parents driveway undetected at night.