2012 Volkswagen Jetta consumer reviews

This car is a dream to drive, I know the base model Jettas are not well liked but the 2012 GLI is in a class by itself. I get alot of compliments on the car whenever I am filling up on gas. Most people mistake the car for a high end bmw. The car is quiet and on the highway I am averaging about 35mpg, city approx 23-25. Could not be happier, also I just found out now this car is in high demand and they are sold before they hit the lot.

I bought my manual Sportawagen TDI in June. I've been VW guy for 10 years now and own Jetta Wagon for 10 years before and drove it for almost 200K without any major problems. New TDI gave me some trouble at the beginning. I stole car few times. But I think it is more my fault than car ( I use to drive gasoline car for too long). This one is different because of "drive by wire" and diesel at the same time. When engine is working at idle for some time and then you try to "step on gas" - it does not pick up right away and rather stall. Once I made adjustments to my driving habits - it is working fine. My fuel consumption is around 40 MPG or greater which is a wonderful with today?s prices. Another plus is power at lower rpm and great acceleration. You can feel when turbine is picking up... I hope that this car will serve me for another 10 years and 200K. I would recommend this car to everyone who is enjoying manual.

Only had the car for about two months just started to break it in at 1000 miles. Interior design isnt the greatest I end up hitting the blue tooth connection every time I turn the wheel, and leatherette seats have a fabric panel on the interior facing side of the seat. Kind of looks tacky. But overall I am very happy with the vehicle so far! 46 mpg on my first trip!

We have our 2012 Jetta TDI for 3 weeks now and I'm so glad we chose one. My wife drives it 100 miles on average everyday for work and is getting 40+mpg highway (not interstate). I was impressed with the amount of room inside along with the Fender speakers.

I test drove two Jettas, the 2.5 liter gasoline SE and the 2.0 TDI. I drove the 2.5 first and the TDI second. By the time I got back to the showroom I knew the TDI was for me, I love the low end torque. The 2.5 doesn't have the low rpm oomph in daily driving that the TDI does, although in a drag race with both cars running up to redline I think the 2.5 would win. I like the fit and finish of the interior, the firmness and support of the seating and the easy to read gauges. On the school run which is less than 2 miles round trip I'm getting 28-32 mpg. When I'm driving around town and the engine has a chance to warm up I'm getting 32-39 mpg, and on freeway road trips I get 42-48 mpg depending on how much the A/C is working and how smooth the traffic is. My four year old loves the rear center armrest with the drink holder, it helps him with road trip snacktime. I really like the Fender stereo with subwoofer, SD card and iPod cable inputs and the sunroof is great for sunny days. The rear windows are kid-safe, if they feel even the smallest of obstructions, window operation is halted, a big plus for parents oriented with safety. The only downside is that during low speed and light throttle with the DSG transmission there is some surging that can only be solved be lifting off the throttle completely or speeding up which in traffic may not be an option. The Jetta TDI makes a great family car that's fun to drive and is frugal on fuel without having to resort to heavy and expensive battery technology. The icing on the cake is that they include service for 3 years/36k miles.

Test-drove the 2012 Jetta S, SE & TDI. Good handling as usual, spacious interior especially back seat floor spacing. Base model 2.0L S's interior design is quite bland and all black. Seat's upholstery and colors - fair, and base-model's transmission is from Argentina - not Germany or Japan. Fair mileage/gal. rate. Jetta SE 2.5L & TDI's interior design has Leatherette in only black and beige colors - very limited, and costs about $3000 more. Has slightly better mileage than the 2.0L Base S model ! TDI has the best mileage - 41 mpg! This line is well-built to invade into the Civic / Camry mkt. As quality-durability-3rd party parts's availability are the keys of Civic-Camry's competitive edges, only time can tell if VW's Jetta line is competitive in the long run, as it is no longer a German-built car, but built from parts from diverse sources - Argentina, USA, Japan with assemblage in Mexico etc....! Quality consistence will be a hectic issue! Let's hope that German engineering and mgmt. can conquer such!

Test drove the GLI yesterday. I went it incredibly excited to try out this car. It's definitely nicer than the 2011 SE that I drove previously -- interior is a better quality in terms of materials, the red stitching is very cool. It looks great from the exterior. I think that people who say it is boring are easily seduced by the bling-bling more is more swoopy designs of the likes of a Hyundai Sonata/Ford Focus/Mercedes C-Class. Drove it mostly on the highway between 50-85mph. Drives like a VW should, a solid German sedan, firm and quiet ride, cornering and quick lane changes with no body lean. The 200HP engine is strong and has a nice throttle note to it. The DSG does have a lag to it, punches out hard at first, then lags for under a second, then you're on a smooth, normal curve after that. Noticed a slight improvement in handling and ride with the independent rear suspension setup, brakes were very strong. I really liked the driving position and ride, very quiet and composed inside. The only issue I had is that there was major wind noise at higher speeds (above 55mph), coming next to and behind my head, near the B-pillar. It's constant and really annoying, obviously some kind of design/execution flaw as others seem to have this problem as well accordingly to VW forums. This kind of noise should not be present in any kind of car at any price point, but especially a top of the line Jetta retailing for $25-28K. I love this car in almost every way, and I would buy it, but since I drive mostly highway, unfortunately this would be dealbreaker for me. I wish the wind noise thing weren't there. Another tidbit: the AC blower on the max setting is incredibly loud. Something else on the wish list, heated seats or a winter package option, so you don't have to go for the GLI Autobahn with it's bigger wheels, sunroof, higher price, etc., etc.

We recently got a 2012 Jetta SE with the Convenience and Sunroof package. So far, we love the car. The exterior styling is great. Looks similar to an Audi A4. The position of the daytime running lights also give the car an aggressive look. The interior could be slightly better. The seats are comfortable and the sound system is great, but we experienced a bit of a rattle in the driver door which has since gone away. The interior could also stand a bit of a facelift. Performance is one area of the car that is near perfect. It has a great blend of power and effeciency. The five cylinder is very smooth, has good power, and is great on gas. It easily cruises on the highway doing 70+ with no unnecessary revving or noise. Value for the money is second to none. With all the features this car includes, it would be much, much more expensive from any other manufacturer. VW has done a fantastic job making a great car that everyone can afford and enjoy.

Really like my new 2012 Jetta Sportswagon TDI with Nav. Great car that is a pleasure to drive & gets excellent mpg with the TDI, but shame on Volkswagon for installing a satelllite radio/navigation system that does not have Sirius traffic. Previously drove a vehicle with traffic alerts & it saved me lots of time & fuel by alerting in advance to avoid traffic. Afraid the fuel savings with the Jetta SW will be offset by having to sit in traffic again. VERY disappointed in VW not offering Traffic in the Jetta!

I bought a 2012 TDI with Premium Package about 2 months ago. I now have about 3000 miles of enjoyment from the car and love it. It's very responsive, handles great in the city and highway. The interior is comfortable with plenty of leg room for the driver (I'm 6'2"") and passengers don't complain either. The car feels like a "solid" car when driving it. Road noise is there but wouldn't complain about it at all. All the features come together in this car to make it enjoyable to drive. The radio features are easy to use, Bluetooth works really well along with the voice recognition! As for the fuel economy of the car 48 mpg highway on this weekends road trip, 41-42 mpg every day driving for me, 50/50 highway/city driving. I'm very satisfied with this car!