It鈥檚 an SUV world now, even for traditionally car-centric Volkswagen. Its best-sellers so far this year are the new Tiguan (Car.com鈥檚 2017 Compact SUV Challenge winner) and Atlas mid-size SUV (Cars.com鈥檚 Best of 2018). But compact cars still are a big part of the U.S. 2019 Volkswagen Jetta sedan shows VW is serious about a bagging a bigger share. We鈥檙e talking about the Volkswagen Jetta in the context of mainstream compact cars designed and priced for broad appeal (from singles to family buyers to Uber drivers). Volkswagen is hoping for sales in six figures per year, and that means compromises. If you want more grins, Volkswagen will happily sell you a sportier Golf GTI hatchback, a darling of torque-loving enthusiasts, just as Honda will sell you a sweet manual-shift-only Civic Si, but these are niche products in the U.S. The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta goes on sale later this spring and will offer the sedan in S, SE, SEL and SEL Premium trim levels, as a well as a sportier-looking and mid-priced R-Line version that replaces 2018鈥檚 SE Sport.
The 2019 is more stylish, but remains more grownup looking than, for example, the sportier, more exuberant and younger vibe of the latest Civic. The look is sharply creased and more muscular, particularly in front, with an imposing Volkswagen grille and sculpted hood and bumper. The side view is dominated by a sharp character line from the front fender to the taillight (which unfortunately starts with a fake little fender vent, an unnecessary and overused flourish). The roofline, while quite not as 鈥渃oupelike鈥?as VW describes it, is sleeker and slopes nicely into the trunk lid without (as some have done) making the lid inconveniently small for loading the nearly mid-size sedan trunk. LED headlights, daytime running lights and taillights are standard on all, including the cheapest base model, and the S comes with standard 16-inch alloy wheels. The 2019 is slightly bigger in all dimensions, but where it鈥檚 most noticeable is in the 1.3-inch stretched wheelbase that pushes the wheels more to the corners.
Volkswagen Jetta鈥檚 look is spiced up just a bit for the R-Line model that has its own 17-inch alloy wheels, a gloss-black grille and side-mirror caps, foglights and a slightly more aggressive rear bumper with dual chrome exhaust tips. Inside, it has a sport steering wheel and R-Line black-and-gray seats, both with gray contrast stitching. The best part of the new interior is the dashboard design (with a bit of Golf DNA) that wraps around the driver鈥檚 field of vision. The center touchscreen is moved higher and angled toward the driver (no more fumbling down by the gearshift). All the controls are logically at hand, and the buttons and dials have a high-quality feel and action. The seats, leatherette for most models, are a new design that is firmly supportive and comfortable for a long day of driving. The interior materials and trim of the current generation that have been criticized as downscale from the time it rolled out still are not posh, but do have more soft-touch surfaces and upscale-looking trim.
Even the base S is much improved. And the comfort over a long drive is enhanced by a cabin quiet enough for easy conversation at highway speeds. The new interior also adds needed practicality, including deep door pockets, a larger center storage bin and a big soft-surface phone bin at the front of the console. A little, but thoughtful detail that others should copy, is a light-gray interior for the console bin that makes it much easier to find things in the bottom. Storage space is helped by having an electronic parking brake, but thankfully there is no complicated electronic shifter. The sleeker roofline still leaves adequate headroom for a 6-foot-plus adult. Cost-cutting shows in cheaper materials back there, however. That鈥檚 not uncommon in compact sedans that must pinch pennies to hit price targets, but some, notably the Honda Civic, do a better job of disguising the rear cost-cutting. Overall, the backseat is an adequate place to be, but it won鈥檛 get a lot of five-star feedback.
