But would we buy it? The Jetta was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Powered by a smooth, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Offers European refinement to a segment that rarely has any. Excellent value, especially on mid-level trims. The Jetta is Volkswagen鈥檚 five-passenger, compact sedan, the one that鈥檚 been kicking around the U.S. 1979. One of VW鈥檚 most popular models, it鈥檚 larger than the Golf hatchback and smaller than the Passat midsize sedan. The Jetta competes with the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte and Nissan Sentra. VW completely redesigned the Jetta for the 2019 model year, giving it a sleeker exterior design, additional safety features and a slightly larger footprint and interior space. The Jetta comes in five different trim levels: base S, SE, R-Line, SEL and SEL Premium. All are front-wheel drive and powered by a 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 147 horsepower. 800 option over the standard six-speed manual transmission.
TLDR: Euro refinement and styling mixed with everyday value. Refinement. It鈥檚 been a calling card of VW for decades: a level of European flair that most of its mainstream competitors can鈥檛 match. It鈥檚 alive and well in this new Jetta. When you ride or drive in it, everything you see or touch feels a bit nicer and more upscale. Value. VW packed a lot of content for the money into the 2019 Jetta. 20,195 for the base S model with the automatic transmission (cheaper if you want the manual transmission), but it鈥檚 the SE version that really hits a home run here. 23,005 you get a panoramic sunroof, faux leather seats that are heated up front, pre-collision braking and climate control. The rear end. It鈥檚 harder to tell in pictures, but the rear end of the Jetta has a great dash of style to it. You鈥檇 almost think it was from VW鈥檚 upscale cousin, Audi.
TLDR: Front-end styling, lame R-Line, needs more useful folding seats. The rest of the styling. Aside from the handsome back end, the rest of the Jetta is bland and generic. Yes, boring is better than ugly, but we wish the front styling had the same amount of style and character as the rear. The R-Line. For the first time, VW is making its sporty R-Line trim available on the Jetta. But it falls flat. Rather than offering any meaningful performance or handling upgrades, it鈥檚 mostly an appearance package and a weak one at that. Folding seats. Yes, the rear seats fold to allow you to carry larger items in the trunk, but this usefulness is limited. The opening between the rear seats and the trunk is smaller than it should be, and the trunk floor is lower than the folded seatback itself, creating an awkward shelf that limits what you can put back there. Nearly all Jetta models come with pre-collision alerts and braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert.
450 option. And every model comes with a post-collision braking system designed to prevent a secondary crash. The SEL and SEL Premium models have standard adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and lane-departure warning -- the only versions of the Jetta that offer it. This is a nice touch, but many of Jetta鈥檚 competitors offer this as standard, or at least optional, across all trim lines. The 2019 Jetta has not yet been crash tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 20,195 for the S with an automatic. From there, every trim line offers a nice amount of stuff for the money. The sweet spot is the SE model -- which VW expects to be the best-seller in the Jetta line. 23,005, you get everything you need and nothing you don鈥檛. Added bonus: all trim lines come with a level of refinement rare in this segment.
The 2019 Jetta is rated by the EPA at 30/40/34 mpg city/highway/combined -- good numbers for a car of this size and power. Those figures put it near the top of the segment for efficiency -- but not as good as Honda鈥檚 Civic or Hyundai鈥檚 Elantra. The Jetta is powered by a turbocharged, 147-horsepower four-cylinder engine that鈥檚 plenty powerful, smooth and composed even when you push it hard. It鈥檚 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that does its job without drama or calling attention to itself. The handling is comfortable and direct, and the car gives you just enough feedback so as to not be boring like some of its competitors. From upscale materials and build quality to a roomy rear seat and trunk, VW did its homework on what consumers need and want in their compact sedans. Volkswagen鈥檚 Jetta is an excellent combination of straightforward competence, Euro-inspired panache, style and value.
