Volkswagen Jettas (and Boras) have a bit of a history in Mexico. VW’s been making the compact sedans in Puebla since the first-generation model, so it shouldn’t be surprising that these small cars enjoy healthy popularity south of the border. One great security strategy is to blend in – dress like a local and you probably won’t be messed with. Somewhere along the line, someone had the genius thought to pair stealth with security, and the first armored Jetta was born. Most armored Jettas are kitted out to Level III armored specification. But what does that mean exactly? Well, Level III in Mexico is roughly equivalent to the EU’s B4 specification or America’s NIJ III-A standard. A Level III armored Jetta is good for stopping bullets fired from handguns, such as 9 mm bullets and .357 Magnum rounds. If you want to stop a .223 Remington from a Colt AR-15 or Ruger Mini-14, a 7.62x39mm bullet from an SKS, or a 12 gauge slug, you’ll need to step things up to Level IV. Truthfully, Level III is good enough for most close-up events like assaults and carjackings. I mean come on, what kind of idiot would use an SKS for a carjacking? The close-quarter wieldiness just isn’t there. So what goes into Level III armoring? Well, you get Kevlar and Aramid door inserts and special ballistics-resistant polycarbonate windows. Not massively heavy stuff, but there is a downside here. Bullet-resistant windows feature massive frit bands, or black bands around the edges. They’re subtle, but easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for — that’s not ideal if you want to blend in. Thankfully, there’s an easy and cheap way of partially masking the frit – just tint the windows. Oh, and because criminals might shoot out the tires, run-flats are sometimes equipped on armored Jettas. Let’s take a closer look at this white Mk6 Jetta from security experts Seguridad Blindaje. Upon first glance, this humble compact sedan looks ready to be reasonably reliable efficient transportation. It’s obviously well-equipped judging by the 17-inch alloy wheels, but nobody’s going to think it’s a rich person’s car, as you could pick up a loaded early Mk6 Jetta for around $10,000 all day every day, even in this inflated market. This little Volkswagen looks as inconspicuous as a lamp post, right until you get up-close. Then you notice the big black frit band around the windscreen, and suddenly you realize that you’re in the presence of a seriously protected vehicle. Thankfully, compromises on the inside appear to be minimal. The transparent part of the windscreen starts roughly where it meets the dashboard, door card fitment looks really good, and the whole job almost looks factory. However, if literal “factory” is what you’re looking for, you’ll have to go a bit older. In 2011, Volkswagen de México released the Bora Protect, a Mk5 Jetta with the two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and DSG dual-clutch gearbox from the GLI that was armored to NIJ III-A specification at the Volkswagen plant in Puebla. According to automotive publication Al Volante, the Bora Protect also got reinforced front suspension to cope with the weight of the armor and a full factory warranty. While a price tag of $833,424 Mexican dollars in 2011, or the equivalent of $70,000, may sound steep, it’s actually on the cheap end of the factory armored conversion market. So, if you desire the security of a lightly armored vehicle but want to blend in, skip the grandeur of a Suburban for a Volkswagen Jetta. While I’m not entirely sure how happy the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine in the latest model would be with a full load of passengers and the weight of armor, there’s a solid chance an armored Volkswagen Jetta would still be quicker than Jason’s Yugo. On the other hand, if you’re a die-hard watercooled Volkswagen fan, set your calendar to 2036. I have a feeling that a stock Bora Protect would be a hell of a flex at any VW meet. Update: a wonderful reader named Santiago reached out to us all the way from Colombia with amazing firsthand info on armoring cars. Take it away, Santiago! It sounds like the typical run-flat tech for armored vehicles is a lot like the Michelin PAX system, a piece of run-flat tire technology so insane that we ought to have a separate story on it sometime. Thanks for reaching out, Santiago! It’s so cool to hear firsthand experience of armoring. Hat-tip to Santiago Rocha! “Mexican dollars”?!?!? It’s “pesos,” Gringo! https://www.thedrive.com/news/bulletproof-2013-volkswagen-jetta-is-a-sleeper-tank If I’m going to have a heavy car it might as well be a heavy ARMORED car. But I’m sure that was from the days before buber and such. Adhesive strength is basically “weight vs. forces divided by area.” Frit area is basically minimized so that there’s some margin for manufacturing variance, but not for something like doubling the weight of the glass. Consequently, the factory frit bands just don’t the surface for the weight. And doubling is kind of underselling it. Level III ranges from 14.23lb/sqft to 20.94lb/sqft. A typical laminate glass windshield weighs about 20-22lbs total. And the thickness? Your typical passenger car window is about 3/8-1/4 of an inch thick – the thinnest Level III gets is 1.288 inches thick. Which is glass-clad polycarbonate (which is why the frit bands – it’s thin glass panels bonded to a polycarbonate that provides the resistance. Shit’s THICK AND HEAVY, yo. No, seriously. Here’s a photo of one of their armored Grand Cherokees (Level III) with the window partly rolled down. https://www.seguridadblindaje.com/img/gallery/Armored%202020%20Jeep%20Grand%20Cherokee%20Advance%204×4%20V8%20-%20Armor%20Level%20V+%20-%20Seguridad%20Blindaje%20-%2003.jpg
