2009 Volkswagen Jetta consumer reviews

This review is for a "bare bones" TDI Sportwagen. Despite lack of optional equipment, the car is well equipped. Vinyl seats feel like leather and you feel as if your are in a much more expensive car. Seats are very comfortable and the ride is just right - not too floaty, but firm. Handling is surprisingly good - feels almost like a sports car. Shifter (6 speed manual), while not short-throw, is precise with positive action. Driving the diesel takes a bit of getting used to - the care is not a tireburner, but has a strong amount of pull because of the torque. You can punch it and accelerate without dropping a gear because there is that much torque. Hill climbing is not an issue. With the rear seats folded down, there is a large and useful cargo space.

This is the second cheapest German engineered vehicle available in the US, and no mechanical sacrifices are made. Its handling and ride are very similar to a Mercedes, its manufactured with Audi parts, and the perfected inline 5 cylinder engine offers a blend between power and 'gas-saver'.

It's one of the best diesels I've driven, and I've driven a few; great low end torque, and excellent high speed passing power. Excellent handling, brakes, and fit and finish-great car!

Bought an '09 SE about 3,000 miles ago. So far, I love this car. Leather-like seating looks great and is extremely comfortable. Stereo is good. Driving dynamics are very good. Interior lighting at night is the best I have seen. Automatic w/sport shift is excellent. Cornering is excellent. Trunk is very large. The switchblade like keys are a cool simple feature. The only negatives so far have been the ipod adapter that was a $199 option: difficult to use; storage room in center console: none to speak of; ease of closing the trunk: i have to slam it multiple times for the latch to catch; front exterior styling is a bit bland. Overall, I would highly recommend this vehicle. The sticker on my particular automatic SE was just $22,000. I traded an '07 Honda Civic coupe EX and have not thought twice about it since. If you are looking for a small to mid-size sedan this is a great choice. I drove 2,000 miles in three days and felt comfortable the entire trip. Make sure to take advantage of the adjustable height on the center console armrest if you are above 6'0" like me. It is a handy feature. Great job V-Dub.

I've owned my 2008 Jetta SE for a year now. Overall I'm completely satisfied with it and would recommend it. If your interested in simple transportation from A to B, low cost, ultra reliability, "sofa" like comfort, the Jetta is not for you. First item on my "I hate it" list would be the cheapo sun visors, jeeez, the worst. While I love the heated seats with 5 settings (yeah, 5 of 'em) the control dials are near impossible to adjust while driving. VW did not skimp on the seat size in this small sedan, they did on the center console both front and rear; very small and hard to get into. There are alot of things I love about this car. Foremost it has style and an image, something U.S. auto's just don't have (at least a positive one). Add to that excellent interior materials, fit and finish, firm seats, good driving position, roomy trunk, great handling and a very sporty feel for what is essentially an economy sedan and it all adds up to a very nice auto. Very nice stereo and the ride is very smooth. When the streets are bumpy, however, the ride can be a little jarring. Some say you pay allot extra for all this but I added it up (so can you), and honestly it is a little higher sticker than other imports of comparable quality but not by much.

We purcahsed a Jetta TDI w/ the 6spd DSG transmission and couldn't be happier. This is on of the highest initial quality cars I've ever even sat in, including my bosses $220k Benz AMG. The performance is great, it really is a fun little car to drive, wether you're tryig to squeeze out 50mpg on the way to work, or scaring the socks off of your wife as your hitting every apex on your favorite curvy road. The car is comfortable and the controls are well laid out, easy to use and intuitive. The DSG takes some getting used to, and don't be afraid to use it like a manual, after all that is what it is, you just don't have to fuss with the clutch. There's plenty of room on the inside, and this thing is really built solid. The engine is great! It really is amazing. Not 600Hp twin turbo fry the tires at 70mph (like the above mentioned AMG), but it really is a hoot to drive. Unlike the flat scary AMG, the Jetta is alway eager to scoot you along at whatever speed you fashion. It's not a rocket ship from a standing start, but passing power it has. I really love enjoying my car and getting 40+ mpg in mixed driving. Forget about the hybrids, and the unenjoyable gas compacts. This really is the only way to go!

I'll provision this by saying that I previously owned an S2000 and 2007 A4 prior to purchasing a new 09 Wolfsburg. I was a bit skeptical of performance, features, and overall road feel coming off of owning both vehicles. Boy was I wrong. The Wolfsburg has the ability to put you back in your seat on take-off and highway acceleration. I purchased the six-speed manual hoping to have a similar transmission to my A4. The gearbox is very smooth and shifts are rather short. The vehicle handles extremely well in corners and provides enough feedback to the driver to prevent tires from breaking loose. I am impressed with the interior and feature set offered on the Wolfsburg. Seats are comfortable and are tolerable for 4+ hour drives. Leatherette seating service cleans easily and has impressive feel in place of real leather. Only knocks on the car are center console which is small and lacks adequate storage. Also no smaller compartments to put change or smaller accessories. MP3 player and Aux input are awesome, but system lacks audible power and range. I test drove just about every competitor to the Wolfsburg and could not find a better deal for the money. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a compact performance sedan that looks great and offers impressive amenities.

i previously drove a 2003 BMW 325xi AWD. i was a little disapointed with the handleing. It sqeeles around corners and slips on the wet stuff. i have a standard and it seems a little slow to take off. I gave it a poor features rating but that only applies to my car because it didn't come with any. The i-pod adapter stinks. It doesn't show whats playing and the stereo and controling it is a bit taxing. My bmw had a much better i-pod controler. in general the stereo sounds bad. It has really low bass and really (ear hurting treble) but nothing between, no mater what i do. The stereo stays on until you pull the key out of the ignition. This is more of a problem then helpfull. Anytime you get gas and want to leave the key in you have pull it out and put it back in, or if you're turning off the car and seating for a bit but don't want to hear the stereo. I couldn't give it an accurate rating on Reliability because i've only had it for 1200 miles. However i have had no problems thus far. i'm comparing the car to a BMW AWD so i guess it just depends on what your last car was. For me i'm not impressed. I think with this car the features you get can make the difference between night and day. i would pay attention to that. The performance is probably fine if your previous car is a Ford Torus or something.

I test drove many different cars and decided to check out VW's. Once inside the wagon, my eyes immediately locked onto the panoramic sun roof. The sun roof covers the entire front and back seats and gives a spacious, open feeling to the interior. This was a good start. Then I started looking for the controls to adjust my seat. This is where the disappointment began. A lever under my seat to move forward and different adjustments on the side made a simple adjustment, difficult. The console was just okay - once again another example that I was clearly getting a more economical and less luxurious vehicle. The sportswagon I was test driving was a SE automatic. The steering was tight and the car held to the road. It seemed to have plenty of power and was just fun to drive. Overall I was impressed - but still not ready to make my final decision. A few things about the car bothered me: the seat adjustments and the air conditioning. When I tested the air, it didn't seem very cold. Also, the rear air vents barely blow out much of anything. After researching the car more, I realized the SEL had most everything I wanted; more horsepower, bigger tires, real leather, power driver seat with memory and radio controls on the steering wheel. I made yet another appointment with the dealer to test drive the SEL (he had one w/o sun roof or navigation) but at least I could feel the difference in the motor, tires, and interior. We took the SEL for a spin and I was absolutely in-love! The SEL is worth every penny more!!! (Yes a few thousand more and I'd be in an Audi - but a base Audi w/o navigation and sun roof.) The 2.0 turbo motor (which is the exact same as the Audi A3) is even more of a blast to drive. The power seats make such a difference. The leather is real and much more plush. Best of all the air conditioner (the SEL has dual air) is much cooler! (The rear air vents are still pathetic - truly they need to look into them.) But the air that comes out of the console is much cooler. I was sold. The only two things I would have VW improve next time around: rear air vents and the option to have a rear back up camera. (Jetta's don't come with rear back up cameras - which is too bad since they pride themselves in safetly.) All in all, I am excited and can't wait for my new Jetta.

I have been shopping for a more family oriented vehicle the last few months as the wife and I have our first child on the way. I drove and price searched quite a few cars; hybrids, economical 4 cylinders and the various and somewhat thrifty Compact Suv's. I knew the Jetta Sportwagon was being released soon and decided to wait for the release before buying anything. I currently drive a 2004 VW R32 and the VW features quickly grow on you and they are hard to give up. I finally was able to drive the new Jetta Sportwagon last week but it was the 2.5 SE with the leatherette seating and Tiptronic transmission. The ride was nice, sporty but soft and minimum vibration from the inline 5 cylinder through the Tiptronic. Pickup was adequate and smooth. The interior was biege leatherette with the panoramic sunroof. Seats were firm and the leatherette is suprisingly high quality for something pretending to be leather. I was sold on the car but wanted to wait for a chance at the TDi. I received a hot lead on a TDi Sportwagon that was not already spoken for through a pre-order. I drove it and immediately purchased it at MSRP after convincing the dealer to remove the dealer market adjustment that was already on the car. The TDi gains mostly the following over the SE: heated seats, a vehicle information display, and the Tiptronic is replaced with the DSG transmission minus the paddle shifters you would find on a GTi or R32. Options included the I-pod adapter, rubber mats and the already mentioned DSG. The car pulls incredible with its 140 hp and 238 lb/ft torque and you can barely tell it is a diesel when idling or driving. Mileage has been right at the EPA ratings but it is still wearing in the new engine. I was fortunate to find this car as most dealers have a long waiting list for it. If you are on the fence about getting the 2.5 vs the TDi I will tell you that either will be a great choice. Calculations have the SE at $0.13 a mile and the TDi at $0.10. The price differences negate any savings at the pump with the TDi until you drive over 50,000 miles. If you drive as much as I do then that will happen in a year so the TDi is the one for me. Also, the TDi is more fun to drive. If you can find a TDi then go for it!