2019 VW Jetta
#2
Lexus Fanatic
I like the rather plain styling. I'm generally not a fan of cars that IMO overdo it. Look at the size, though (or, at least, the perceived size, from the image).....not long ago, that would have almost qualified as a Passat LOL.
#5
Lexus Test Driver
Pretty nice styling. It's clean, inoffensive, and easy on the eyes. What I do not like is the frameless grille. It's as if VW ran out of money and could only afford to trim the upper length. Same with the chrome around the windows, where only the bottom is covered. Was it that much more costly to finish it off all the way around? Tacky.
Interior is very clean and simple, but doesn't push the envelope enough. I predict the pros will be calling it dated in about four years. Also, the center dash vents are far too low to do any good. For me, one who never uses the A/C, that wouldn't be a problem. I rather have the nav higher up, more in line with vision, but not propped up above the dash like on most Audis. Lastly, can one choose a different color other than red for the disco interior lighting? Looks overdone and too bright.
Overall, need to see more pics of it parked. The wheels will play a big roll, and hopefully VW didn't go the Hot Wheels look. Also can't tell how the taillights are styled.
Interior is very clean and simple, but doesn't push the envelope enough. I predict the pros will be calling it dated in about four years. Also, the center dash vents are far too low to do any good. For me, one who never uses the A/C, that wouldn't be a problem. I rather have the nav higher up, more in line with vision, but not propped up above the dash like on most Audis. Lastly, can one choose a different color other than red for the disco interior lighting? Looks overdone and too bright.
Overall, need to see more pics of it parked. The wheels will play a big roll, and hopefully VW didn't go the Hot Wheels look. Also can't tell how the taillights are styled.
#6
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
i like the proportions and relatively upscale looking interior, but other than that... meh. vw seems to have honed in on boring styling with recent releases and maybe they'll find a place against 'not boring' toyotas, etc.
#7
I just leased a 2017 base model for strictly commuting purpose, and I really enjoy it. Great power, great MPG, humongous trunk space (very long, almost as long as a full-size luxury length), lots of options to get (like Android Auto/Apple CarPlay), and ALL automatic powered windows (one-click up/down).
Also, their leasing program is amazing compared to Toyota/ Honda. I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service; similarly, I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
All in all, I would lease a Jetta again as a daily commuter. Would not go back to a Japanese one until they offer similar program/options.
Also, their leasing program is amazing compared to Toyota/ Honda. I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service; similarly, I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
All in all, I would lease a Jetta again as a daily commuter. Would not go back to a Japanese one until they offer similar program/options.
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#8
Lexus Fanatic
Not gonna lie, I like the way it looks. But I am resolved to never buy a VW product. Through late 2015, I was planning on getting a Golf R manual, thank goodness I came to my senses lol
#9
Lexus Test Driver
I just leased a 2017 base model for strictly commuting purpose, and I really enjoy it. Great power, great MPG, humongous trunk space (very long, almost as long as a full-size luxury length), lots of options to get (like Android Auto/Apple CarPlay), and ALL automatic powered windows (one-click up/down).
Also, their leasing program is amazing compared to Toyota/ Honda. I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service; similarly, I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
All in all, I would lease a Jetta again as a daily commuter. Would not go back to a Japanese one until they offer similar program/options.
Also, their leasing program is amazing compared to Toyota/ Honda. I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service; similarly, I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
All in all, I would lease a Jetta again as a daily commuter. Would not go back to a Japanese one until they offer similar program/options.
#10
Lexus Fanatic
I too am looking for a simple commuter car with four doors, that gets good mileage.
https://automobiles.honda.com/future...insight-hybrid
#11
Lexus Fanatic
I just leased a 2017 base model for strictly commuting purpose, and I really enjoy it. Great power, great MPG, humongous trunk space (very long, almost as long as a full-size luxury length), lots of options to get (like Android Auto/Apple CarPlay), and ALL automatic powered windows (one-click up/down).
Also, their leasing program is amazing compared to Toyota/ Honda. I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service; similarly, I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
All in all, I would lease a Jetta again as a daily commuter. Would not go back to a Japanese one until they offer similar program/options.
Also, their leasing program is amazing compared to Toyota/ Honda. I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service; similarly, I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
All in all, I would lease a Jetta again as a daily commuter. Would not go back to a Japanese one until they offer similar program/options.
Congratuations. I see you are not one to hold a grudge...a lot of people won't deal with VW because of the emissions scandal. Like I said in the post above, though, I'm generally not one to hold a grudge, either.....though there came a time in my own life (a long time ago, back in the early 1980s) when I had to say enough was enough, and I just wasn't going to spend any more money on the American-designed junk of that period. I converted to Japanese cars, like millions of others, during the 1980s......but, today, the market is quite different from then. The first sign of a (once-again) good American car was the Saturn S-series of the 1990s.
I avoided Korean cars because I did not like their customer service;
I did not like Chevy's service either or else I would've gotten a Cruze.
Last edited by mmarshall; 01-15-18 at 09:42 PM.
#12
Lexus Test Driver
I don't believe in holding a grudge myself...but a lot of people, reliability problems or not, won't touch a VW product today because, of course, the diesel-emission scandal.
If you want a smaller four-door that might be ideal for commuting, you might want to take a look at the upcoming Honda Insight hybrid, or the existing Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro. I can testify from review-experience that both the Niro and Ioniq are well-built, reasonably priced, have extremely good hardware inside and out, and get excellent mileage. The Insight, at least on paper, also looks like it will be a good contender, but I want to see it for myself at the D.C. auto show (and a later test-drive) before making any more comments.
https://automobiles.honda.com/future...insight-hybrid
If you want a smaller four-door that might be ideal for commuting, you might want to take a look at the upcoming Honda Insight hybrid, or the existing Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro. I can testify from review-experience that both the Niro and Ioniq are well-built, reasonably priced, have extremely good hardware inside and out, and get excellent mileage. The Insight, at least on paper, also looks like it will be a good contender, but I want to see it for myself at the D.C. auto show (and a later test-drive) before making any more comments.
https://automobiles.honda.com/future...insight-hybrid
The high-tech Insight, I have a feeling, will be priced much higher than a basic Jetta/Corolla/Sentra/Elantra-classed car. The Ioniq and Niro are a little more reasonable for what's given, but still climb higher than their gas counterparts. Not really apples to apples. A Prius would be more in line, but again, those are mostly priced above their non-hybrid counterparts. Thanks for the suggestions though. I will still look at everything when the time comes.
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Exterior is very bland but I'd much rather this versus the insane asylum styling of the Avalon. Jetta interior looks nice.
#15
Lexus Champion
I would say very clean styling, not boring. I'd like to see them stick the Golf R motor in the Jetta... but are ALL Jettas made in Mexico now? Most Golfs are... The R is made in Germany.
From the source link above...
sigh, do we need a BIGGER Jetta?
From the source link above...
. The big news is the platform switch, with the Jetta hopping onto the MQB platform. MQB is so flexible it's almost misleading to call it a platform, since it underpins everything from the Atlas to the Golf, but it does mean the Jetta can pull goodies out of the MQB parts bin. For example, on SEL and SEL Premium trims you can get the fantastic Digital Cockpit display. Already offered on some Volkswagen and Audi products, it's an impressive sight in the cluster and surely will be a factor in some purchase decisions compared to products with smaller, less-versatile partially digital displays.
Outside, there are sharp edges and familiar but attractive Volkswagen trademark styling queues. LED lighting is standard in the 2019 Jetta, and the sedan has grown in every dimension. The wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer, and it's also wider and taller (although we don't have those dimensions yet). In person, the camouflaged Jetta didn't seem enormous despite a nicely roomy back seat, so don't worry that it's jumped a size category or anything. Its overhangs are indeed shorter, which is great.
Unmentioned in the release but apparent at a glance, a high-trim level prototype revealed an old friend: the torsion-beam rear suspension, which was excised from the previous generation in response to critical feedback about the car's level of sophistication. As I said in our previous review, torsion beams are very attractive from a cost and packaging perspective, and the Jetta's trunk is cavernous. VW North American engineering chief Matthias Erb told us, in a characteristic moment of frankness, that VW's reliance on turbocharged engines means it's at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of per-unit cost. Saving some money in an area that a typical commuter almost certainly won't notice isn't a terrible idea. Honestly. If this ends up on a future GLI, though, I reserve the right to complain.
I was also told by a Volkswagen engineer on that trip that the company had gotten feedback from consumers that even the last-gen car, a very Americanized product for VW, rode too stiffly for many of them. So the '19 Jetta is softer still, and even less Teutonic.
Speaking of turbo engines, the familiar 1.4-liter TSI engine is back. It's torquey, at 184 lb-ft, although its horsepower rating (147) is mild. It's relatively uninspired, if powerful enough to get the job done. The prototypes we drove were backed up by an eight-speed auto. I wouldn't describe the powertrain as sporty even with the ability to put it in sport mode.
Somewhat surprisingly, there will still be a manual transmission offered. Even in Volkswagen products, one of the last bastions of the do-it-yourself gearbox, it must be a tough sell to justify federalizing a transmission that surely has a shrinking take rate. At least Volkswagen has insulated itself a bit by making it standard only on the base trim — the automatic is an option on that, and standard on higher trim levels. Note that there's a typical suite of available active safety features, but they're options save the rear-view camera.
The new Jetta goes on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2018.
Outside, there are sharp edges and familiar but attractive Volkswagen trademark styling queues. LED lighting is standard in the 2019 Jetta, and the sedan has grown in every dimension. The wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer, and it's also wider and taller (although we don't have those dimensions yet). In person, the camouflaged Jetta didn't seem enormous despite a nicely roomy back seat, so don't worry that it's jumped a size category or anything. Its overhangs are indeed shorter, which is great.
Unmentioned in the release but apparent at a glance, a high-trim level prototype revealed an old friend: the torsion-beam rear suspension, which was excised from the previous generation in response to critical feedback about the car's level of sophistication. As I said in our previous review, torsion beams are very attractive from a cost and packaging perspective, and the Jetta's trunk is cavernous. VW North American engineering chief Matthias Erb told us, in a characteristic moment of frankness, that VW's reliance on turbocharged engines means it's at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of per-unit cost. Saving some money in an area that a typical commuter almost certainly won't notice isn't a terrible idea. Honestly. If this ends up on a future GLI, though, I reserve the right to complain.
I was also told by a Volkswagen engineer on that trip that the company had gotten feedback from consumers that even the last-gen car, a very Americanized product for VW, rode too stiffly for many of them. So the '19 Jetta is softer still, and even less Teutonic.
Speaking of turbo engines, the familiar 1.4-liter TSI engine is back. It's torquey, at 184 lb-ft, although its horsepower rating (147) is mild. It's relatively uninspired, if powerful enough to get the job done. The prototypes we drove were backed up by an eight-speed auto. I wouldn't describe the powertrain as sporty even with the ability to put it in sport mode.
Somewhat surprisingly, there will still be a manual transmission offered. Even in Volkswagen products, one of the last bastions of the do-it-yourself gearbox, it must be a tough sell to justify federalizing a transmission that surely has a shrinking take rate. At least Volkswagen has insulated itself a bit by making it standard only on the base trim — the automatic is an option on that, and standard on higher trim levels. Note that there's a typical suite of available active safety features, but they're options save the rear-view camera.
The new Jetta goes on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2018.
Last edited by bagwell; 01-16-18 at 12:29 PM.