There's good news out there for Volkswagen fans: you won't have to wait seven long years between vehicle redesigns anymore, as the German automaker has committed to significantly shortening both its refresh and replacement cycles across the board. I headed to the rolling hills of North Carolina to sample the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta's swap to its all-new platform, and see just how far into the future the brand has brought its strong-selling model. Let's start with a few of the things that set the 2019 Jetta apart from the rest of the entry-level sedan pack. The first is size. VW's most affordable four-door has been one of the biggest small cars money can buy for most of the past decade, and that status has been solidified for the current model year with the move to the MQB platform. This shared chassis adds to the Jetta's wheelbase, overall length and width, and also expands interior measurements everywhere but leg room, which is marginally smaller than it used to be. Don't get me wrong - the Jetta's far from an enormous, hulking bully on the compact scene.
It does have a few inches on almost every one of its competitors, though that鈥檚 a fact that only really becomes apparent when parking it side-by-side with a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic. Another point of deviation for the new Volkswagen Jetta has to do with its revised feature-set. Thanks to VW's corporate ownership of luxury brand Audi, it has been able to leverage the latter's Digital Cockpit gauge cluster and spread it out among the more affordable vehicles in its lineup. The unique new 10.2-inch display replaces the traditional set of gauges in front of the driver and allows for a completely configurable experience, including the ability to transfer navigation maps over from the centre screen. It's an impressive piece of kit, but you'll have to commit to the top-tier Execline trim level if you want to benefit from it. 24,095) adding niceties such as automatic climate control, keyless entry, a blind spot monitoring system and a larger infotainment touchscreen on top of the entry-level equipment. If you want to benefit from active safety, however, you'll have to add the Driver Assistance package, which is where you'll find adaptive cruise control, automatic forward braking and lane assist.
It's optional for both Comfortline and Execline, which is a bit of a surprise given the already substantial price tag of the latter. Much of the rest of what the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta has to offer fits in with what buyers have come to expect from the sedan. The engine lineup has been whittled down to just a single choice, last year's 1.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder, which has been retuned to offer 147 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. More important is improved fuel mileage across the board for the Jetta. Regardless of whether you choose the 6-speed manual or new-for-2019 8-speed automatic transmission, you'll benefit from the same 7.0L/100 km in combined driving, a boost over the previous edition of the car. There's no real thrill to be had with the hammer down in the VW Jetta, but that's to be expected from the majority of small four-door options at its price point. Still, the torquey 4-cylinder is adept at passing, even at highway speeds, and the 8-speed automatic is well suited to managing the 1.4L's output in both city and two-lane driving. The Jetta is clearly built for comfort, not agility, but even on North Carolina's up-and-down secondary roads the car held its own and never felt out of its element. The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta preserves the biggish-car feel in a little-ish car package that underscored the appeal of the previous generation, while simultaneously moving to the more modern MQB platform that currently rules the VW roost. Not the quickest, cheapest or most entertaining choice on the market, as a mid-range commuter the Jetta still makes a lot of sense - especially if you plan to regularly fill the rear seat or enormous trunk.
Plus, the VR6 isn鈥檛 just melodious, it has plenty of low-end grunt, so no need to downshift to obtain forward thrust. The entire car鈥檚 chassis was still impeccably well held together too, no unwanted rattles or cabin noises you鈥檇 expect from a twenty year-old car, which says a lot about the build quality of Volkswagens at the time. At least, its engine doesn鈥檛. I was impressed at how quick this thing felt after all the modern turbocharged machines I drive. Prior to driving this, I had just gotten out of a 2019 BMW 330i; a quick sedan, yet the old Volks didn鈥檛 let me down. The VR6 isn鈥檛 just filled with low end twist, it loves to rev and has fantastic throttle response, all while remaining smooth and rumbly until it hits redline. God I love that exhaust note, though. Makes you notice what we鈥檝e lost through turbocharging. Sure, the shift knob is a little wobbly by today鈥檚 standards, but gears click into each other in a satisfying, almost addictive matter.
