My favorite thing about the Jetta is that they make it look clean and minimal, yet, sporty. As opposed to how Honda tries to make their car look like it does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds but because it’s cheap it looks so fake and cheap. This car looks GOOD.
Not everyone wants fancy styling that will make a car look "old" in a few years. This car's conservative style will make it seem "modern" looking for a much longer time.
When I purchased my 2016 1.4T Manual, I also test drove the Corolla (Auto&Manual), Kia Forte (i dont know why) and a 1.8t Golf. For the price,quality,options and driving experience of the Jetta with Tech. package, it couldn't be beat. For those who say the engine is too small or too under powered, I bet you have never driven one. It's not a Gli by any means but can hold its own. Although there is a load of plastics (I hate the dash and only because it has a scratch that my eyes catch every single time) the fit and finish is very well. And for the sound of the door when closing, I don't see how it could be improved. I believe it's better than Jettas of the past. This is a great car that I'd buy over again. I have put over 17,000 miles on the car with no issues so far. Great review by the way @redlinereviews
When you do your tune up, make sure you get the spark plugs, coil pack, and ignition wires changed. I'm almost at 100k (90,600) with my 2012, and those were the only real replacements I've needed. I got a new battery around 86k miles. Gonna change my timing belt at 98k-99k. They say the Jettas can go 10k miles on an oil change, I usually change it every 7-8k. May start doing it more frequently once I surpass 100k. It's been an amazing car for me, hope you enjoy yours.
I had this car but with the manual transmission, for the price you got a lot of features (the blind spot monitoring and the cross path detection was a surprise when I drove it home from the dealership). The car was extremely quiet and got excellent gas mileage (managed to eek out 47mpg once). The seats were also extremely comfortable. I no longer have it as it was totaled by a Mack truck on the freeway. Not only did I walk away unharmed but the car was still able to start and move out of the way under its own power. If you can tolerate the conservative styling, this car is a screaming deal.
People love to crap on these, but I got my '17 SE for under 20k OTD a few months ago, dealers are blowing these out. It's perfect for commuting and I get 40 mpg consistently by my calculation.
The lesser models may be very plasticky, but at least their fit and finish is impeccable to make up for that and way better. Also, I think this car looks more expensive than its price may suggest.
@@JEOfficialMusic I have a manual transmission 1.4t, it gets over 40mpg on highway, at 75mph, it goes from 0-60 in under 8 seconds. It cost me $16k new. I like the conservative styling, I like having a big back seat (>38 inches of leg room) and the larger trunk. It seems like a lot of car for the money. The Honda Civic was comparable but I think it is very ugly (like it came out of the factory "pre-dented"). I like the 2017 better than the current model, but it too is decent. Mazda was too small. When I tested, the Chevrolet Cruse was comparable, but it seemed like less car for the money. Toyota also was too ugly (but it is huge on the inside)
Competitors may have softer touch materials but the Jetta has independent rear suspension, disc brakes, and the base engine has the most torque in the segment. They cheaper out in the cabin materials but the money is being spent elsewhere.
I've had a 2016 Jetta S (1.4T) with tech for two years now (purchased Oct 2015) and I enjoyed having it so far. For a price of around 20K (before tax) it offers excellent back seat and trunk space, probably the largest among the lower price range of "compact" class. For issues mentioned in the video, hard plastic certainly could be annoying, but I don't think that's a huge issue on a 20K-or-below car. Plus I really don't know how one could scratch his/her knees on the console side at 6:02. I am 5‘11 and I never had that issue. For power, the 1.4T engine could be slow and lagging when it's under 1,500 rpg and around 15-20 mph when the turbo does not kick in instantly, so for urban driving I had to stump on gas a bit harder. But once the turbo kicks in at around 23-25 mph, the engine puts out power smoothly and steadily even at low rpg, so highway and mid-speed driving is definitely not an issue. I think the reviewer is just asking too much from a 150-hp engine. Steering is also firm and steady, although in high speed over 90 mph you could feel a bit of less controllable feeling. Gas mileage is stunning, I could easily get 30 in city and 36-40 on highway. I once got a full tank of gas and drove all the way on highway from my Baltimore home to Stony Brook, NY and back to around Wilmington, DE, that's like one tank of gas for 450-plus miles. The down sides would include that hard plastic could absorb heat real fast so it would be hot in summer, the car connection system is outdated, and prices would escalate a lot from trim to trim if you want better interior or larger tires. But overall it's economical, reliable and fun to drive. It does what it's designed to do.
11:55 : boy that old 2.5L 5-cyl gets a lot of criticism (usually from journalists) but I loved it. Only drove it in stick but it pulled nicely and 5-cylinders sound nicer than 4. Plus I think it was pretty reliable.
Justin Cade Man, it's the Fünf Zylinder life. 🙌 the only thing is I wish they offered a better and quicker transmission for the VW 2.5. those 2.5 are pretty torquie and have power potential. take a look to the TTRS and the RS 3, they use the same block displacement of 2.5L with the same cylinder fire order; Audi added a dam good dual injection (direct and indirect)system, upgraded head, cams and valves, a nice wide intake manifold, a turbo and intercooler. not to mention the dual clutch transmission. Yeah. the Fünf Zylinder life. ❤
@@dasmuven1911 honestly bring back hard plastic Lol all these fancy features and nice materials where there not needed js why cars are so expensive now
@@isanchez9839 Honda are shit and Mazda seem to be a little bit more $ over their competitors. I don’t hate Hondas but they certainly feel their price tag, a $20k Honda Civic feels like $20k no more no less. Mazdas are a little nicer inside vs their main competition but again the inside is no BMW or Audi. Stop expecting luxury at non-luxury prices
The Jetta is a top-knotch car that is just sporty enough but also has enough size and back seat for the family which the Mazda, Honda, or Toyota can't match. I like that German engineering the best.
I just bought a used 2017 VW Jetta SE 1.4TSi with 20k on it and I really like it - actually it's identical to this one except we have the tan leatherette (corn husk) interior. We also have a 2009 Jetta with the 2.5L 5 cyl. w/ a 5 speed manual trans. I will say that the interior materials in the old one are superior, but the ride in the new one is much nicer - more refined. Also our old Jetta has 200k on the odometer and that was achieved with very little maintenance and regular 5k oil changes. We're hoping for similar results with our "new" Jetta. Thanks for posting this review!
I have a 2016. 5-speed manual. Keep her in 4th gear on the highway and she comes to life after 3,000 RPM. A lot of cars can't touch me. It pulls like a freight train. No modifications. Poised and if you're not careful, you're exceeding the speed limit by a very large margin by the time you look down. The best part about it all? I get nearly a thousand km on a tank of gas without being too careful of how I drive. Looks are classic. I don't care if they say it's boring, the Civic looks like a boy racer. People are polarized by it's styling. Honda makes a good product, but the Jetta shows up to the party in a tuxedo, the Civic shows up in a tie-dye T-shirt. Turns heads, but not in the right way. Go up to the Type R golf, you got a monster with all-wheel drive. Go up to the type R Honda Civic, you get two wheel drive and too much power for the front wheels. Proof is in the pudding. Look at acceleration tests and reviews all over RU-vid. Type R Civic loses every time. Honda needs to smarten up. Mature The Styling and give the car all wheel drive. I'll take a German product any day over a boring Japanese Appliance. Trust me, I've had them all.
These are honestly great little cars for the general public. I'd never get a GLI because the GTI is sooo much better but a Jetta 1.4T or 1.8T are awesome cars. Very good platform for basic transportation with a bit of extra driving dynamics.
The 2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo/5M has two MPG faces: Highway is superlative; City is far less positive. Taking a look at Fuelly.com, we can easily see the penalty City driving reflects. OTOH, a 140 miles drive via two lane rural highway - 55/60 MPH paper and penciled out to over 50 MPG
Luke Hoisington I have secretly always luster after the GLI. I never bought it because they wouldn't give it the same performance as the GTI. I always give a head nod to a GLI driver when I see one. Love the look
chocolatewheelchair I'm guessing if you're looking for speed this class of car is not what you should be considering. The non-sport versions of the civic, elantra, forte, etc. is a poor choice if you want speed, haha.
It doesn’t have this, it doesn’t have this cheap cheap cheap, I scratched my knees 😭😭. Your review is all aesthetic common for people who’ve never changed oil themselves
the SE model of this car has a lot of nice features for the price. sunroof, heated seats, push button ignition, big touch screen, back up cam, heated side mirrors.... I appreciate all of those things over a faster engine tbh
So through all of this it seems this jetta is true to vw roots? It does what it’s supposed to do the way it’s supposed to reliably and affordably? No frills? Sounds good to me
I actually don’t want all that driving assist stuff and technology. Basic is fine. I just need a good stereo. If they don’t offer LED just go to AutoZone and pick up some bulbs and swap them out. I just wish Volkswagen was more reliable. I’d only get one with a warranty up to 150k miles
I own a 17 Jetta S. is pretty good on gas. Acceleration wise, trick is to shift gears not past 5k rpm since the torque curve drops drastically after that. Definitely not a sports sedan, but shift before 5k rpms and you'll feel more torque than taking it to red line
I like this car its so simplistic and i like all its features and its a perfect sedan for a nice family and i would like to get also a jetta its nice!😀
I live in Dubai where we get the Euro spec Jetta which has more equipment and better overall materials. It's a good car overall and far from basic transportation imo.
Infact almost every car we get in Dubai is better spec'd than the American ones I've noticed. Although what I'm waiting for is to see Volkswagen release the Atlas.
This is such a biased review. He doesn't realize he's reviewing a lower trim. The leg hitting the plastic is not even a concern, nobody who drives a car normally will hit their leg on that.
I have this exact car and it’s perfectly fine. It’s nothing compared to my TDI Passat but it’s perfectly fine for what it does. Fuel efficient, comfortable, quite, handles the twisties pretty well for an econobox and has good features for its price point (sunroof, backup camera, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring, keyless entry with push button start, heated seats, etc.) for about $20k this car is a great option for anyone looking for a good car at a low price point. And the Jetta SEL offers adaptive cruise but only the SEL.
I drove a 2016 version of the Jetta 1.4T SE about 2 months ago. I liked it. The only difference between this one and the one I drove is that the one I drove had cloth seats instead of V-Tex seats. Awesome value for the money! :)
the 2017 SE version is essentially the same as the 2016 SE w/connectivity version. adds a sunroof, leatherette seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, shift nob, and brake handle, painted mirrors with turn signals, blind sport monitor, rear cross traffic alert, etc
I got a '16 S model(1.4t) with the tech package for my wife. It's a great commuter car to haul the kids to school and back. We can easily get 40+mpg on the highway and with a set of proper snow tires, it's a tank at handling the Colorado winters. My only complaint about it is the power delivery when taking off from a stop, it spikes very suddenly causing unwanted wheelspin.
I rented one of these from Enterprise in Germany; it was a solid car. Nicely built, good power and very quiet on the autobahn. I also rented one of these in Toronto. After the German Jetta experience I can only say that the North American Jetta is an absolute pile of junk. The seat literally killed me after driving from Toronto to Nova Scotia.
I have the 2016 Jetta SE 1.4T and I love the ride and handling of it. A Kia Forte, Hyundai Elentra, Toyota Corolla nor Nissan Sentra can match the driving dynamics. Also, at 1.5 years and 13K miles, I have had no issue and I push the car frequently.
13k is so low. I would report back at 80k and 10 years. Those (exception, Sentra, Nissan makes crap now) will likely last longer and cost a lot less to repair, with infrequent needs for repair. I know. I am a VW guy. But I also know.. they are high cost to keep Up.
Kenny all cars in this class have plastic in that area and majority of people don't really care about interior materials for example my parents could care less about the interior the cars fuel economy is more important to them
I bought a 2018 Jetta SE TSI Feb 2021 with a little over 19K on it. and don’t get the comments. I’m not looking to go 80 m.p.h. I’m looking for good gas mileage and a reliable car. I can hardly hear the engine.
One correction to make. They do make a '17 Jetta with LED DRLs, adaptive HID headlamps, and cornering lamps. It is the super secret SEL Premium which is "order only". I bought one weeks ago and really like it. Also comes with sportier seats with perforated V-TEX and the 11 speaker Fender Audio system. They aren't listed on VW's site but most dealers have one or two in stock in very limited color choices. White, Silver, or Silver-White .
I have a 2017 Jetta SE, and I love it. My dealership told me that the Jetta will have a new gen in 2019. My only issue with the car is the headlights. Halogen is absolute garbage. When I drive it, it has great pick up and go, and I have totally forgotten that its got a 1.4L engine.
There's a dealer near me that's selling a 2017 Jetta SE new for $17k before TTL. That is a fantastic deal for a German sedan with amazing MPG and quality (for the price) interior.
masterwhopper414 when you compare this against the Toyota Yaris iA that he reviewed recently which was priced at $16k, that is a screaming deal for interior quality that is closer to Audi than dihatsu
Agreed. I'm seeing the base S w/manual advertised for under $12k with the SE under $15k. I'm sure there are dealer incentives involved to get that price though... (dealer financing, return vw customer (loyalty), etc.). I think it's a great deal.
Mitul Jariwala great for you, but compared to the Jetta, the Camry is outdated, MPG isn't as good, interior is ok, and safety ratings aren't the best. You got your SE cheap because the new 2018 Camrys are out
chocolatewheelchair oh then I would get the Mercedes for sure. Honestly, if I had to lease a luxury car, I'd probably be a BMW, cuz I like the free Maintenance you get for 2-3 years (oil changes, tire rotations, etc)
Delonte is my daddy excuse me guy but it's true. I only smoke bud. Anyway, if you shop at the end of the month and are up front about your credit and leasing terms you can get it done. I put $1,000 down 425 a month including unlimited car washes at the dealer and wheel and tire protection. The Jetta was $1000 down $399 a month on the exact same day of the month. This includes $2,800 of negative equity in a leased Charger I needed out of because I was over millage!
what i like is the manual shifting in the jetta, drove elantra - found my foot constantly on the floor (good thing it was a rental.) can plan with jetta around torque, although have to plan about a 1/4 mile ahead for large 80+ mph passes on the highway. For long drives, that center bowe just behind your throttle foot pushes your foot inward making it a bit frustrating being unable to put your foot straight down to put your elbow or right hand on your knee to drive... that 40th hour moment between florida and washington state... cross wind guesswork on the steering pressure is exhausting sometimes, and its a groove/rut follower. Aftermarket is incredible, stiffer anti roll bar and stickier shoes will help enormously - may think you got better. ;) jetta is still comfortable around 100, expect power drop off tho. you are where you're at - only option is to move or brake with this one, watch the j hook should all four corners lock up and you're turning, rear may seem loose cornering but predictable, try to get the independent rear.
it is in some ways, but keep in mind you lose the sun roof, turn signal mirrors, keyless access with push-button start, and blind sport monitor by going with the sport.
Damn VW is getting looooong in the tooth with the interior design. The outside just got a tiny face lift. Good video brother always look forward to them! :)
The sweet spot for the Jetta is to get the sport model with the 1.8t and HID headlights. Cheaper than the SEL and is stiffer. But also a lot cheaper than the GLI.
lukash kowcz your right about that. I have a 2016 sport. Even though the interior still has the cheap plastics it's nice with the two tone seats. It also has the gli suspension set up and navi. Great car.
Jay Slomine the SE Sport for 2018 is not as good as the original Sport in some ways. yes it has a sunroof and keyless access with push button start, but they sacrifice navigation, two tone seats, sport front seats, two tone interior (contrast stitching on steering wheel/arm rest/shifter/e-brake hhandle), bi-xenon headlights, adaptive front lighting system, corner illuminating foglights, it doesn't have the sport suspension from the GLI, and they also dropped the 6 speaker sound system down to just 4 (got rid of the tweeters). the older trims of the sport were better
Another thing...... As the vehicle owner and sole driver why the hell would I care about back passenger leg room??? I don't sit in my backseat and I cannot remember one instance where I have ever sat in the backseat of my own car in almost 30 years of car ownership....
My jetta 2017 is much more basic than this SE model. I believe I have the S model? I don’t have Led lights, I don’t have leatherette seats, but what I do have is heated seats, heater engine block, heated mirrors and app-connect. I think the dealership transferred a few things over for me. Its also automatic.
I have this car in a 5 speed. It does not do anything great by the numbers, but it is my favorite car so far. I have had three Mustangs, 2 Nissan Zs, a Mazda 6, and a Ford Focus. It is solid and quiet, gets 42 on my highway trips, and does not understeer horribly like most front drive cars. What this guy calls a dated dash is what I call classic German white on black gauges that new aircraft and Porsche still uses. Drive this car for a while and you realize it has a soul that Toyota and Honda lack in the segment. VW also still knows drivers still prefer three pedals instead of arcade game paddle shift or any CVT. Changing out the Bridgestone 422 tires is also a handling bonus.
I have the SE trim w/manual 5 speed. I like it...peppy and pretty quiet..Everything is in it's place. I like the neat screen in the dash. No screen sticking up from the dash. It's all good..
@Ancient aliens My engine is the 1.4L Turbo. I've never gone past 80mph. I don't think I'll be going around corners at 120mph..I'd like to try though...
I love my GLI. Drove the Elantra sport and was embarrassed to be in it. Love the SI and didn’t test that because once I test drove the GLI I knew it was the car I wanted.
I disagree when you say this jetta is not as fast as american/japanese competitors. i drive this car back to back against 2017 cruzes, corollas, versas, sentras, altimas, sonics, rio, forte, elantra, mazda 3, and this is much quicker, i cant speak for ford or honda tho, and the golf in similar trim is faster than the jetta
nope, i work for a rental car company, and we only stock TSI drivetrains in golfs and jettas. the 1.4t outclasses its competitors in terms of speed/power, and handling.
Just got a 2016 Jetta S. Very nice looking car. looks more expensive then it really is, which is always good. and its faster then most cars around the same price range. so if you can find one. why not get one
Working for VW, it'll be interesting to see what comes out for the next generation. Hopefully something with interior quality that's on par with the Golf, which is really my only complaint with these. Otherwise these are great, especially for the money.
I am planning to get 2017 1.4t se. I'm not sure if it has good ground clearance and trunk space. ??!! Is it worth to buy in 2020. I am looking for a mid size sedan. Thanks in advance.
I just bought one two weeks ago and love it. More than enough speed and power. I can pass anything on the road without fear with the turbo engine and the mog is great. You can easily get damn near 500 miles on the highway with on one tank. The four speakers sound good. enough. The handling us great. I hit curves and corners with confidence and complete control. I hit 120 mph with ease. How much faster does one really need to go or ever really able to?? The interior is hard plastic but it still looks good and solid to me. The only real complaint are the manual seat adjustment..
Kinda nice it comes with a backup key ignition. Hopefully if it becomes more of a sought after model, they will switch production to an American factory. That being since the Tiguan and many other models from many german companies manufacture in the states.
Hard to believe the same company makes the far superior and better built Golf. Its too bad VW is pandering to what they think the majority of the American market wants (Garbage? Boring eco-box?). I think it dilutes the already hurt reputation of the brand....Great review as always!!
Why go no one mention goapr.com? With a downpipe and exhaust this 1.4 makes 200 WHEEL HP and 260 wtq. This car spits on every civic, Elantra, Forte in its class and 2 classes higher.
buildmorefarms100 probably has limited time to go over all the specs. Hes my favorite reviewer because of how in-depth and honest his reviews are. He has a nice mix of economic/affordable/luxury/sport car reviews on his channel. I dare you to find a better reviewer lol..
Don't get the SE. Instead, go for the 1.8T Sport. You get more oomph and GLI suspension with larger wheels. If you're smart you can get it for about the same price as this SE, or about $18K, and even the cheapest tunes get you another 30-40 HP out of that 1.8T engine. With that you're almost in GLI territory but for thousands less.
