Now that we have owned our 2020 Jetta for 2 months I figured I would share our ownership experience thus far and post a short review. What put us in the market was our previous 2014 Jetta needing some costly repairs. The a/c was having trouble and the timing chain was exhibiting signs of premature stretch which is relatively common on the early 2014 model year Jetta equipped with the 1.8 TSI. We decided it was better to get out of it before dropping another couple thousand. Only months before we had a $1000 repair to replace the heater core.
My wife and I both love VW for various reasons, but due to the ownership experience we had with the 2014 Jetta (which we loved) I had decided to avoid VW as a replacement vehicle. I had been searching on and off for months for a used sedan or small SUV as new just wasn't in the budget. Used Accords were at the top of the list but after months of searching I found very few on the market. I brought one home to test drive but upon further inspection it wasn't in good shape. I expanded my search and eventually ended up 2 hours from home looking at a very low mile Fusion. Of course the pictures online hid many blemishes, when we got there we noticed curbed wheels and horrible etching on the paint. So that was over before it began. While we were 2 hours away from home we decided we may as well search other car dealers in the area since the ones back at home seemed pretty tapped out.
We ended up driving to the nearest VW dealer to check out the 2020 model year Jetta for kicks and giggles. We had already decided if we were to go the VW route again we would get an S trim as the SE comes with the panoramic sunroof which is a sore spot for VW/Audi products. Upon arrival we saw that had 2 "S" trim models. One in Silk Blue Metallic and one in Pure White. My wife and I both preferred the look of the Silk Blue so we took it on a test drive and both loved it right away. We got the dealer to take $3000 off of MRSP and purchased.
The good:
- Gas mileage. This car is rated at 30 MPG city and 40 MPG highway and it returns those figures easily.
- Torque. While this engine is efficient, it is no slouch. While 184 lb. feet of torque may not impress some, it moves this car around briskly when needed. VW knows how to properly tune their engines. I find it impressive that a 1.4 liter in a mainstream vehicle can put out such figures.
- Styling. Yes, styling is subjective. VW has a way of designing modern yet timeless design, and we personally love it.
- Tech. Our S trim Jetta is equipped with the optional driver assistance package that includes blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, and rear cross traffic alert. All systems seem to work very well. Apple Car Play / Android Auto are also included.
- Ride and Handling. The Germans have a way of tuning suspensions to deliver pleasant driving characteristics. While softer than our previous Jetta, the ride on our 2020 is well controlled and steering input is quick and precise. This car behaves a class above.
- New platform. The Jetta now rides on VW's MQB platform.
The bad:
- VW went back to a torsion beam for the rear suspension set up. While not the direction I would prefer I understand why they did it, to put more dollars toward items the market prioritizes. However, they did a wonderful job tuning it and if you drove the car without knowing the suspension set up, you would have no idea it was torsion beam. Very well executed.
Honestly I am having a hard time listing inherently bad things about this vehicle.
The ugly:
Problems we have had with the vehicle so far have been a factory paint defect, and leaky rear doors. I read about the rear door leaks when the 2019 model was first introduced. I assumed VW would have resolved it by MY 2020 but clearly that isn't the case. It doesn't appear to be a severe problem, I hope it doesn't result in any sort of long term issue.
So far we are happy with our vehicle choice. Time will tell how reliable it will be.
My wife and I both love VW for various reasons, but due to the ownership experience we had with the 2014 Jetta (which we loved) I had decided to avoid VW as a replacement vehicle. I had been searching on and off for months for a used sedan or small SUV as new just wasn't in the budget. Used Accords were at the top of the list but after months of searching I found very few on the market. I brought one home to test drive but upon further inspection it wasn't in good shape. I expanded my search and eventually ended up 2 hours from home looking at a very low mile Fusion. Of course the pictures online hid many blemishes, when we got there we noticed curbed wheels and horrible etching on the paint. So that was over before it began. While we were 2 hours away from home we decided we may as well search other car dealers in the area since the ones back at home seemed pretty tapped out.
We ended up driving to the nearest VW dealer to check out the 2020 model year Jetta for kicks and giggles. We had already decided if we were to go the VW route again we would get an S trim as the SE comes with the panoramic sunroof which is a sore spot for VW/Audi products. Upon arrival we saw that had 2 "S" trim models. One in Silk Blue Metallic and one in Pure White. My wife and I both preferred the look of the Silk Blue so we took it on a test drive and both loved it right away. We got the dealer to take $3000 off of MRSP and purchased.
The good:
- Gas mileage. This car is rated at 30 MPG city and 40 MPG highway and it returns those figures easily.
- Torque. While this engine is efficient, it is no slouch. While 184 lb. feet of torque may not impress some, it moves this car around briskly when needed. VW knows how to properly tune their engines. I find it impressive that a 1.4 liter in a mainstream vehicle can put out such figures.
- Styling. Yes, styling is subjective. VW has a way of designing modern yet timeless design, and we personally love it.
- Tech. Our S trim Jetta is equipped with the optional driver assistance package that includes blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, and rear cross traffic alert. All systems seem to work very well. Apple Car Play / Android Auto are also included.
- Ride and Handling. The Germans have a way of tuning suspensions to deliver pleasant driving characteristics. While softer than our previous Jetta, the ride on our 2020 is well controlled and steering input is quick and precise. This car behaves a class above.
- New platform. The Jetta now rides on VW's MQB platform.
The bad:
- VW went back to a torsion beam for the rear suspension set up. While not the direction I would prefer I understand why they did it, to put more dollars toward items the market prioritizes. However, they did a wonderful job tuning it and if you drove the car without knowing the suspension set up, you would have no idea it was torsion beam. Very well executed.
Honestly I am having a hard time listing inherently bad things about this vehicle.
The ugly:
Problems we have had with the vehicle so far have been a factory paint defect, and leaky rear doors. I read about the rear door leaks when the 2019 model was first introduced. I assumed VW would have resolved it by MY 2020 but clearly that isn't the case. It doesn't appear to be a severe problem, I hope it doesn't result in any sort of long term issue.
So far we are happy with our vehicle choice. Time will tell how reliable it will be.
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