What鈥檚 with the Audi A4 rear end? A quick glance at the compact is enough to notice that Volkswagen has put a lot of effort in redesigning the Jetta. Almost eight years old, the previous Jetta was pretty dated and obviously boring design-wise, especially when compared to the company鈥檚 more recent products. But while the new Jetta is a significant departure from the old model, its styling is far from revolutionary. Much like Audi, VW has taken the "same sausage, different lengths" route in recent years and the Jetta is no exception from this rule. Now sporting a clean look with angular lines front and rear, the Jetta is obviously inspired by the larger Passat, and I can even spot some Arteon cues in there. But this isn鈥檛 a bad thing, as all these new styling cues make the new Jetta sexier than ever. On top of that, it鈥檚 very elegant for such a small four-door and sportier than expected, even without the sleek R-Line package.
It has a new, bold front fascia with one of the largest grille ever seen on a Volkswagen. The angular headlamps give the car an angry look, despite seeming a bit too large for the design. Slimmer light would鈥檝e been perfect. The look is completed by a sculpted bumper with big daytime running lights at the corners and a wide intake placed just above the splitter. The profile is also surprisingly sporty, blending a coupe-like roof, short overhangs, and a protruding beltline. The latter isn鈥檛 very original, as it resembles the character line of the BMW 3 Series, but it鈥檚 a cool addition and a big improvement over the previous, featureless Jetta. But there鈥檚 a bigger issue around back. While the rear fascia is fresh and sporty, it looks an awful lot like the Audi A4. The long and slender, two-piece headlamps, the trunklid spoiler, and big license plate recess are only mild interpretations of those seen on the premium A4. Even the bumper configuration is similar, with the thin, red lights placed just above the large exhaust pipes. Granted, some A4 models have round tips, but I鈥檝e seen a few with trapezoidal units as well.
The huge amount of A4 details prevent me from enjoying the Jetta as much as I should. It鈥檚 a shame that Volkswagen wasn鈥檛 able to come up with a more original design, although I have a feeling that this won鈥檛 bother the usual customers too much. The sedan is also longer and wider, with the short overhangs providing a longer wheelbase too. Finally, full LED lights are standard front and rear, an exclusive feature in this segment. Yes, Volkswagen is moving the Jetta closer to the premium market again. While not yet dated, at least when compared to other vehicles on the market, the outgoing Jetta鈥檚 interior was incredibly boring. Sure, the same was available for almost every other affordable compact a few years ago, but the Jetta needed a drastic makeover to bounce back. And Volkswagen delivered by creating a modern, fresh-looking cockpit for a four-door that鈥檚 supposed to tackle the upper market of the affordable compact segment. The dashboard is no longer flat, now employing various angular lines and a more pronounced two tier design.
The new infotainment display sits at the top, with the trapezoidal HVAC vents moved lower in the center stack. The control layout is much cleaner, while the new storage console is large enough to fit a standard iPad. The instrument cluster area feels sportier. The steering wheel is the only element that remained unchanged, with just minor upgrades to the control section. The seats and door panels have been redesigned too and come wrapped in new upholstery colors. Volkswagen claims that it used higher quality and softer materials in the new Jetta. While this is evident in the photos, I can鈥檛 say it鈥檚 on par with other compact premium cars. New options include 10-color ambient lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, power driver鈥檚 seat with memory function, leather upholstery, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The infotainment screen is also new, making all vehicle information easily accessible. The Driver Personalization setting with up to four driver setting is standard and includes setups for driver seat memory, driver assistance system preferences, temperature, Volkswagen Digital Cockpit arrangement (if equipped), ambient lighting color, radio presets, and navigation view.
