With classic compact styling, a tight, balanced chassis, and a torquey little turbo engine, the Jetta offers much more than its borderline banal styling would suggest. Aged as it is, it’s suffered through style criticism for years, as the competition enters increasingly ostentatious territory inside and out. Still, there’s a place for reserved, classy lines and competent performance that takes more than numbers on paper into consideration, and the Jetta delivers just that.
Starting at an attractive entry price of $17,895, the S trim has some surprising features—both good and bad. LED daytime running lights, fog lights, heated side mirrors, and a reversing camera are surprise standards here, not usually found on base trims and certainly not ones that sell for less than 18 grand. Tack on air conditioning, cruise, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and full power accessories, and you’ll be considering whether “base” needs a new definition. But don’t be fooled—there are things waiting to remind you this is the entry level. The Jetta's 16-inch steel wheels, lackluster 4-speaker stereo, and a 5-inch touchscreen should all be pain points, but a Cold Weather Package ($395) for heated seats and washer nozzles and an alloy wheel upgrade ($300) should alleviate some of the suffering.
The SE curiously deletes the fog lights but takes all the features listed above, including options, and sweetens the deal with pleather for the seats, steering wheel, and shifter; keyless entry and ignition; a sunroof; and a better 6.3-inch touchscreen system with satellite and HD Radio and VW App-Connect. This means you’ll also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a game-changer for a lot of buyers. Additionally, the SE adds blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, two nice features for its $20,895 starting price. One final curious bit of configuration: The SE adds rear-seat access to the trunk, a feature strangely absent from the S trim. Additionally, these trims come standard with a manual transmission—an automatic will cost another $1,000.
A curious entrant in this lineup is the Sport trim, taking the features of the S and adding the 1.8-liter engine, a sport suspension and rear spoiler, plus heated seats, navigation, and VW App-Connect with the larger touchscreen, 17-inch alloys, push-button start, and unique leather upholstery. You can add a $995 Lighting Package for Bi-Xenon HID adaptive headlights and reflector halogen fogs, but the Sport offers no advanced safety systems, no sunroof, and no climate control or even keyless entry. It’s a unique trim that I’m not sure hits all the right points for $22,175. Add the 2.0-liter engine, upgraded transmissions, and an adaptive suspension option, and I think you'd have a winner.
If fog lights are important to you, the SEL tosses them back into the mix and upgrades the base 1.4-liter engine to a 1.8 that adds another 20 hp. Here you’ll get a more upscale list of safety and luxury features, including a forward-collision warning system with auto braking, adaptive cruise, navigation, an upgraded 6-speaker stereo, rain-sensing wipers, a power driver’s seat, and dual-zone auto climate control. There are some subtle chrome trim additions outside, and inside you get upgraded materials and the debatable utility of a cooled glovebox, all for $24,995.
With a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, the GLI tries hard to inject some extra performance into the Jetta lineup. Why the Sport trim doesn’t get the 2.0 as well, I’m not sure, but here you’ll enjoy a seriously peppy little pumper, with serious upgrades inside and out as well. What’s shocking is that the GLI deletes features like the forward-collision warning system with auto brake and adaptive cruise, systems quickly becoming expected, especially with a top-tier trim starting at $27,895. To justify the price, the GLI also comes with a sport suspension and sport seats, 18-inch alloys, upgraded brakes, parking sensors front and rear, a 9-speaker Fender stereo, and unique aesthetic upgrades outside like a new grille, rear spoiler, chrome exhaust tips, and LED tails.
