2009 Volkswagen Jetta Reviews, Pricing & Specs

My 2009 TDI SE has treated me very well for over five years and 70K, and I am still happy with it. The build quality on this generation is really, really good (unlike the dumbed down start to the next gen after): the interior is premium and the exterior is quietly upscale and distinctive in a good way. Having heard from some about VW's prior reliability problems when I bought it, I wondered whether I'd be in for some unexpected bumps in upkeep. But this car has been 100% reliable, with no time in the shop except for the regular maintenance, a new set of tires, and (just recently at 70K) a new pair of rear brake pads. And I still get about 43 highway and low 30s city MPG-- above EPA. Mar 20, 2015

handles well, is well made, absolutely no problems so far. Considered a Prius, but this is much more fun to drive. We have driven this Jetta from FL. to NM twice, and found it to be very comfortable. Really good sound system. Fabulous DSG transmission. I have recently taken this car on a two lane road with a lot of fast sweepers. This car handles amazing well. Brakes are excellent too. (I used have a Boxster S, and was a Porsche Club track driving instructor for over ten years). Local dealer suggested I replace timing belt @ 82K. Manual says 120K. Another customer with the identical car said VW would "stand behind" a timing belt failure that occurred before the recommended mileage. Service manager seemed to confirm this. I have mostly cleared up my scratched headlights with a Mother's powerball kit. It took about 2 hours. You could probably get it done professionally with less effort.Aug 16, 2012

In the quest to save money on fuel, my wife desperately wanted a Toyota Prius. Upon a closer look we found that the Prius was simply an economy car (read: interior is chincy and made out of sub par materials (inexpensive plastic with faux textures)) based on an inexpensive platform with only one thing in mind. Keeping the weight down to improve fuel economy. Strong consideration to handling, braking, acceleration were all thrown out the window in favor of the scale. Myself being a car enthusiast, I was almost insulted that such items in a modern day car could be ignored. I strongly feel that the aforementioned qualities are imperative for a safe vehicle. I believe that the safest vehicle is the vehicle that can avoid an accident whether it by by accelerating onto the freeway, braking in time to avoid hitting something/someone and able to successfully maneuver to avoid a collision at speed. Deciding to ditch out on any hybrid models as any "normal" cars fitted with hybrid tech simply didn't have the fuel savings without sacrificing the quality of the car. So we moved on to diesel. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI was on the short list of diesel vehicles available in the states. I went in open minded with no expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. The Jetta was a sharp looking car on the outside. Upon getting in the car, I was blown away. My current and past cars have been BMW M's and Porsche (911TT and Cayenne TT) and have gotten used to the very high quality of materials and design. The Jetta was right up there with the other top German automakers. While our other cars were the power horses of the family, this car you could jump in and feel familiar with the cockpit, while getting excellent fuel economy (the shortfall of our other cars). The braking is excellent for a car in this class, with great modulation and feedback. The handling is very responsive and well controlled. You can feel confident with any emergency avoidance maneuvers (unlike many other cars). On the highway, the car is very solid. One of my wife's biggest complaints about the Prius was that on the highway the car felt as if it was getting blown all over the road by oncoming traffic and wind gusts (that was 2nd to the Prius's uncomfortable seats). The one thing that I geek out on is the transmission. Our Jetta TDI is equipped with the 6 speed DSG transmission. Completely seamless, instantaneous gear changes. All of the high end sports cars are moving over to DSG transmissions due to their speed, minimal acceleration losses between gear changes and smoothness. I had a very bad experience with my last BMW M5 which only had a single clutch (SMG III) tranny, and this car with the dual clutch setup was a night and day difference. I have never experienced any issues starting out from a stop or being in the right gear like I did with the M5. (The new M5 and M3 have DSG transmissions in them as an option) To sum it up, I am very impressed with this car. Decent power, excellent reliability, quiet, handles and brakes well and being a fuel miser tops off the package. All without being blown off the road and distracted by images of your car charging on the dash.Jul 31, 2012

Acceleration is terrible at lower spends but once in second or 3rd gear it really takes off. Great for passing cars because of all the torque and the seats are really comfortable on long trips. Not a ton of leg room in the back seats but I usually only have one passenger so that hasn't been a problem for me. It is a great summer car but in the winters it would take forever for the car to warm up. Thank goodness for the heated seats. Mar 05, 2012

Owned for about 1.5 yrs. Avg. 27 miles per gallon. Has 18,000 miles. Ride is pretty good and solid, but firm, almoast to the point where its too firm. I guess a trade off for the great handling. My biggest gripes are the interior design- The size of the console- too wide- intrudes on leg room, seats are narrow, and drivers door controls could be better placed. The seat adjustment is not so good either, to get the bottom seat cushion level I need to pump up the seat to the point my head is hitting the roof. Wish it was electric hieght adjustment like other cars. The 2.0 turbo engine is sweet, the DSG is good once your moving. from a start it lags, and feels weird when coming to a stop. The sport mode holds shifts too long, requiring backing off of the gas to let it shift. Paddle shifters would have been a nice addition. I had 4 VWs before this all sticks. I wish I would have gotten the Jetta in a stick as well. I did take it for a run down the 1/4 mile a few times. My best time so far is 14.8 @ 94 MPH. That's on a full tank of gas, and just punching the gas, not using the launch control. No mods- car is bone stock. Had a noise in the front end, dealer replaced strut bearings and springs. Appaerently there were factory quality issues w/ the front springs. Other than that the car has performed flawlessy. I see on the 11 model golf/GTI the console is smaller, and the door controls are situated better. I guess this was a common gripe w/ other owners too. Jul 09, 2010

I like the precise handling and braking. The suspension is a good balance of comfort and sportiness. The manual transmission and clutch operate with precision. I got the cheapest model available and it still has all the power features, terrific 8-speaker stereo, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, stability control, traction control, electronic differential lock and heated seats. Plus, it has front seat and side curtain air-bags. I don't understand some reviewers complaining about expensive service, the maintenance is pre-paid for the first 36,000 miles! Yes, it takes more than 6-quarts of expensive synthetic oil; but for anyone wanting to take care of their car, that's a good thing. The standard 2.5L engine has 170-hp, way more than anything in its size/price category. Because of the standard safety features and anti-theft device, insurance is cheaper than my Honda!Dec 16, 2009

After looking over the rest of the bunch in this class, the TDI offers the best value, and highest performance for the buck. VW touts 47mpg HWY, and 30 City. I've had it just about 30 days now, and with 1,200 miles clocked, the avg. mpg continues to improve daily from the current 33.4 (a/p the read-out). with 236Lbs Feet of Torque, she's peppy enough to keep up with traffic, and make the moves needed on the road. Highly reccomended!Jun 26, 2009

The mileage we've been getting has been fantastic! We took a trip to New Hampshire, 3 1/2 hours, and got 46.7 miles/gal. Around here (combination in-town & highway driving), I've been getting about 40 m/g. The turbo gives it lots of pickup when I need it, which is one of the reasons I was hesitant about buying a highbred. I consider this a safety feature when merging with traffic on a highway entrance ramp and other situations where I need to quickly get out of someone's way. It is surprisingly quiet for a diesel. My husband is particularly sensitive to car and road noise and he is as enthusiatic as I am about the car. Jun 01, 2009