Sister bought a brand new SEL this month. I was very very very impressed with it. Quality and craftsmanship was better than anything else in class. Beats sound was pretty good, motor seemed peppy.
Matt, at 2700 miles in on my new Mark Seven 2019 Jetta S with MANUAL 6 speed and honestly it is nearly a different car with that transmission. Very fun and peppy and even though softer and no independent rear suspension with the North American version. Still very fun car and a really good trainer for learning manual transmissions for a newer driver. This manual basically fixes just about any performance complaints. Funny this only weighs about 100 pounds more than a BRZ and has so much more torque down low I can totally keep up with 86s till about 4 gear or the next turn, lol. Averaging about 37 MPG combined and only recently starting driving her hard at all. All that and a sub $19k sticker price in my market and another bonus to the manual is they are of course not selling so dealers are making really deep discounts for them. Oh yeah, now standard with 6 year 72k bumper to bumper warranty which is also best in the industry. Awesome review and very much agree this is by far best in class...
Thank's Matt, continued success with the channel. So excited to see how the Bullet is treating you with the ongoing updates. If you are even down near East Tennessee we can meet up and you can drive the manual on the "Snake". A famous biker and car enthusiast mountain road that is both beautiful and very fun to drive. Plus we can use the Bristol Speedway parking lot for your filming backdrop. So tempted to just autocross her for lols and track time.
My son has a 2017 jetta 1.4t s with the auto and the car was 14k with 4k mile on it, put a stage 1+ tune on it with an intake and exhaust and the car has managed to surprise many people! Pulls on glis gtis, pulls on new Gen v6 chargers and even Acura tls and g35s. Car definitely isn't a sports car but with minor mods the car pulls strong! And the light weight helps a ton! He averages 33-37 with a relatively heavy foot
I think the reason they advertise it as 147 horsepower instead of 150hp(like the 2016-2018 1.4T Jetta) is because the old Jetta was advertised as “horsepower achieved with premium fuel.” They advertise the new one with regular fuel, which is why the horsepower is lower. But it is the same engine
Idk why car companies push for sportiness . Especially with most luxury cars. I want a luxury car for luxury, if i want sporty, then ill get a car mainly built for sport.
Had I know how much fun this car was to drive on road trips I'd have gotten one sooner. So far 4 trips from Pensacola Florida to San Diego California and I've enjoyed every mile.
Luna EB same, test drove a manual version a few days ago. I thought it was rather good, despite having the torsion bar rear suspension. I have a B7 Passat with Audi A5 wheels and 245/40zr18 tires and it’s not as taught or predictable as my Passat, but it was much better than I thought it was gonna be. I feel like the base model has plenty of options and tech for being as cheap as it is.
I like how you matched the color of the car with your t shirt. For 2019 Jettas, the SE, R-Line, and SEL are the trims should buyers consider. The S comes stripped out and the SEL premium is way too overpriced for a compact car. Great review Matt!
my favourite car reviewer! Its easy to be get a lil pretentious and douchey when discussing cars! But matt executes these humbly and honestly! A true automotive purist in my eyes. You the GOAT bro.
Every car has gives and takes. I like some of the "gives" VW put in this car. It's definitely still missing a few things, but that is pretty irrelevant considering all of the standard trim choices.
Great review man. I have a 2017 jetta 1.4t se with 40k. Bought it new, no problems, love it. No cd player in the 19 sucks. The hood looks like the ford fusion hood. Its a nice looking car, but my fav is the 1992 jetta gli
I got one two days ago in blue and it looks pretty cool not a lot of people have one where I live or I should say drive VW but I see people always looking and turning heads it’s weird to say because it’s a VW but I was surprised tbh over all the feel of the car while driving is super comfy it’s pretty quiet inside 2
This car 1) benefits from the manual, and 2) benefits from the $499 APR ECU upgrade which can be done at the dealer, 180whp and 260wtq with the new software on 93 pump gas. That’s 30hp and 66tq more, without sacrificing economy, and those numbers make a huge difference in a small car.
@@iDrive4fun93 Back in June when I bought my 2019 Jetta SE I asked the dealer about the APR tune and they said it would void the warranty and that no VW dealer is offering it. They said the only ECU tune I could use under warranty is the JB4 which I don't even really consider a tune lol but then again this car isn't a performance sedan it's an eco shitbox lol still has better power than pretty much the whole class tho and the 50mpg is great.
@micahwest2793 hey. Had it since 2020 now. Not one problem so far. Absolutely love every bit of it. Mileage is still great. Did not give me any problems so far.
Test drove a 2019 SEL Premium with very low miles yesterday. It was pretty comfortable for a compact, but on hard acceleration that engine is really loud. Cruising its fine of course, but I was surprised at that racket when floored. From all the reviews I read and watched most bragged about it being quiet.
I personally always loved the jetta since i was a young kid. And this one i was kind of on the rocks about. But it grew on me i guess. Lol. Great review!!!!
I think Journalist aren't paying attention when they report the new GLI will have 220hp and 256tq, because they are bringing the stats from the GTI directly over. Even though GLI's have the same exact engine as the GTI, they are tuned slightly lower. The current GLI has 210hp and 207tq, and my guess is the new GLI's will be exactly the same, seeing how the new base model Jetta's are even more anemic than the previous generation. I'm glad I got the 2017 model, because I don't care for the new body styling and there probably wont be any upgrades to the power or handling. I'd be amazed if it came with a real LSD like some of the higher-end GTI's, though.
I owned a 2017 Jetta SE before getting the 2019 SE. I would never have gotten rid of my 2017, it was unfortunately totaled in an accident and I had no choice. I am NOT happy with changes in the 2019. After driving for an hour, you will find out just how uncomfortable the seats are. It's painful. My passenger was also complaining about the discomfort. I drive with the start-stop technology off, and when I stop at a red light or stop sign, I have noticed that the transmission kind of "jumps" or "jerks" forward a bit after holding my foot on the brake pedal. The car actually moves forward after you stop and put your foot on the brake, so don't pull up too close behind someone. I don't know if there is something wrong with the transmission, or what. I do not like that the 19 SE does NOT come with a satellite radio. The dashboard feels like rubber. The size of the center console is nice and wide but it collects debris too easy and since it's a knobby-like texture, it's hard to just wipe debris out of there. I also don't like that the screen is tilted away from the driver, because it's safer for the passenger to work the radio and such, and this new design kinda' forces the driver to be more distracted by dealing with the screen himself. So far, I have had a problem trying to get the heater to heat up. It doesn't seem to get hot enough. I think the design of the 2017 sunroof was more practical than this new sunroof design. And of all things, even the new keyfob is cheap and not as heavy or sturdy as the 2017 keyfob. Probably the worst thing about the 2019 to me is the radio. Wow. The speakers are so weak! I listen to heavy metal and it needs to be loud! This stereo is trash. I stopped to watch your review because I wanted to see how you turn the heater on to see if maybe I was not doing something right, I think mine is not hot enough. Can you show how to use the heater controls correctly?
engine pretty vocal in the cockpit. appears to ride fairly well judging by the lack of jiggle in the driver. they need to better muffle that engine. i heard him chirp the tires twice, he was driving it like mario and not like the car's intended demographic.
I wish that Volkswagen would make the Jetta smaller like it used to be. They looked better and more "manly" IMO. I don't know why all of these car manufacturers are making all of the cars bigger now. Same goes for modern day trucks.
The Truth : North Americans are getting bigger read obese. They need bigger cars. This Jetta is designed for NA market and it shows...less sporty, more comfy...read: wallowing up and down on a re-tuned chassis. While it may have the MQB platform it does not have the IRS of the GOLF, etc. Its gone back to the solid rear axle. This Jetta is not being sold in Europe for a reason. As for its looks...it is a personal taste issue, but I agree with you. I am not a VW hater...I am on my third.
I"m a big VW fan, the only problem is that they don't have a good reputation for reliability, which is true of all European brands. They're lease machines just like the German luxury competition.
TheHvk newer VW’s are very solid and come with a 6 year 72k mile warranty, so they aren’t lease machines. You would know this if you were a VW enthusiast 😬
Matt love your reviews. Thank you. I’m disappointed in this Jetta. I’ve owned consecutively a 2010 Jetta tdi manual and now a 2015 Passat tdi manual (somewhat rare). They’re buying the Passat back soon under dieselgate. So I need a car. But unfortunately the mechanically decontented Jetta doesn’t do it. Too bad.
lloyd clarke If I were you I would keep the diesel because VW makes one the Best diesel in the world. My friends has over 275,000 on his Jetta and get 50+ mpg.
Vincent D just checked. You’re right. The 2018 in SE trim had XM radio. I’m really not sure if this new Jetta is any better. It has the same engine. They both have Apple carplay. The new one has better headlights. I’m not sure if the new sunroof design is better or worse. In my opinion, what would really make the Jetta the best and not seem so cheap if the way the trunk opens. They need to give it struts. Not a big deal. They also need to put a AC power port in the center console. I don’t like how my dash cam’s plug is always visible in the 2019
@@michaeljordan6008 I don't believe it does. You have to get at least the SEL (OR the SEL Premium, OR the GLI Autobahn Edition) to get it from the factory. The ONLY way to get it (albeit aftermarket) on an S OR SE (or GLI S OR Anniversary Edition) is to download the SiriusXM App, and use Apple CarPlay OR Android Auto, OR buy an aftermarket kit that uses one of the USB inputs.
Theodrick Davis Dude, this thing sucks. You can buy a brand new Fusion Sport for $22k since they're going out of production, and it's still better than this thing in almost every way and it's way more powerful. I'm saying this and I also hate how boring low end American cars are.
What’s up guys...first off what A/C problems you had... I just got Vw to replace my entire engine at 73k miles. I finance the car from brand new and it started stalling out around 10k. Ended up suing under NYS lemon law and winning a settlement of a few grand and extended the warranty to 65k . It was in and outta dealerships multiple times with multiple work done on engine. Too much to get into here they wouldn’t buy it back but after going to VW corporate and stating my case with all my receipts the finally did engine swap at a 85% discount. I own it completely since I recently made the last payment. I refused to give up cos I dig the cars. I had a 2010 base Jetta 5 cylinders 2.5 liter I bought new too and had no problems other than headlights burning out to quickly but was an easy fix...I dunno...seems to me they are not as reliable as they were years ago. Still super cool cars with a great enthusiast community but I dunno if I’ll ever buy a new one again
Respectfully, I am going to have to absolutely disagree with everything he said at the beginning regarding this being a better looking version of the previous model, I feel the exact opposite, I think this looks worse in every way than the older version.
You guys just don’t like it because your car is now outdated... it looks very upscale in person. I came from an ‘05 325ci bmw and I think it is a beautiful car
The Euro market GTis have the digital cockpit as well as the the current MK 7.5 Rs here in the U.S and Canada, I think it's safe to assume that the next generation Golfs will have it here in the upper trims just like this Jetta.
The Jetta used to be a nice compact and sporty option in this segment. Now it's fat, bloated, underpowered and intentionally not sporty. The digital gage cluster looks like it was made by Fisher Price, half of the dash is covered in piano black, the plastics are hollow and cheap, there's minimal sound dampening, the wheel options suck, the wheels don't come close to filling in the wells, the leather is fake, there's no engine or battery cover, etc. Somehow this thing costs almost $28k?!?! The new Jetta is a bean counter's wet dream.
I had many VWs I found my 2000 Passat 1.8t was great reliable however when the cars where made in Germany. If you get US or Mexico made the quality sucks. My 2010 Vw Passat has dump problem with the brakes and everything it Snow the wipers would break. The VW dealer tells me not made to drive in the snow. Get a Mazda or Honda more fun reliable. Also the service won’t kill you. VW can only change there brakes and they charge you. I pass over $500 front brakes. They like BMW or Benz charge you for everything
Quality has just gone down like crazy, nothing like a mk5 jetta. #volkswagen. I have owned different Vw's and these cars don't even come with trunk or hood struts, b pillar interior soft touch material. Way to many hard plastic and no more aluminum sub-frame like the mk5 jettas. That solid beam is Just disappointing......
Gli_Fahrenheit bro I couldn’t agree more. The MK5 is the best looking VW (excluding EOS and CC, newer ones look better). My MK5 looks loads better than my dads MK6 and the interior is much better. It’s sad that the MK5 is a decade old, but my 2007 Jetta Wolfsburg 2.5l I5 A6 is pushing strong w nearly 230k miles
I could have gotten a 2019 for another $60 a month, but I went with a 2016 cpo Jetta with 17,856 miles on the former lease. Silk metallic blue 1.4 tsi 5 spd. for $13,000. Love it ! A few minor mods = a great German road car ! The 7th gen looks like a Ford fusion that got beaten by an ugly stick. Happy with my mk6.
@@gratigo1 I work for a service center that sells steel to automotive customers and stampers. They are way down compared to the other brands. We've lost money on them actually. Just some personal perspective.
@@gratigo1 Well we actually have contracts with them and are required to keep a certain amount of raw material on the floor based on their production forecasts. They have been well under forecasts unlike other manufacturers we supply. So no they didn't just find another steel supplier. It doesn't work like that. It is a bad situation for us because we get stuck with inventory we can't move and take a huge hit financially as a result. I could go into more detail as to what plants we supply and the specific models that I'm referring to but I'd rather not comment on that here. And I'm not hating on Volkswagen, I hope they turn things around.
I have never had any of this happen to me. Only thing is if you hit a strut in the road, you feel the wheel tugging faintly in it’s direction, but if your hands are on the wheel it doesn’t get annoying or make you swerve. I was very impressed by it tbh I figured I would turn those features off