2013 Volkswagen Jetta consumer reviews

I had driven my 2013 VW Jetta 2.5SE for 2 monthes and put some 3000 miles on it. I am loving it. I compared three models Jetta (S, SE, TDI, car and wagon) and decided this one. The Jetta S is the cheapest with price tag under 18000. However, with a little more than 2000 upgrade to Jetta SE, you have much more valuable features: 5 cylinder 175 HP vs 4 cylinder 110HP engine, leatherette and power recline seat, side mirror mount turn light, cruise control, center compartment and arm-rest, Plus, it seems the 6-speed transmission was not designed for the 110 HP engine, the fuel efficiency is worse than the 5 cylinder engine equipped with the same transmission. I test drive both and really think one should opt out the S model when making the decision. The good The Jetta is stylish inside and outside. Interior looks artful. It is well-equipped, even the base S model has heated side-mirror, remote Keyless entry and 6 speed transmission. The Jetta driving experience is fantastic, it handles the turn corner well and precisely, it is spacious especially the rear passenger seats. It sizes between Accord/Carmy and Civi/Corolla, fit right into the gap between them, though a little pricy than Civic/Corolla. It is quiet even when driving at 80MPH on interstates. When it stops, it does not vibrate at all, makes you feel it is still. Only you hear the engine voice, could you realize it is running. It drives much better than Accord and Camry, well overcome Civic and Corolla. The bad I am very surprise to find out it only has 1 trip odometer. It only offers 2 trip odometers in the high end SEL model with technology package. Come on, my 2000 Accord has 2 trip odometers, and it was 12 years ago. Another important missing meter is the engine thermometer. Although it is useless most of the time, it actually helps when your engine ready to over heat. My 2000 Accord has a radiator leak at its 11 years, I observe that the thermometer's pointer points to 75%, usually it points 50% when driving, I stopped the car and find the radiator reservoir is empty and steams came out from the radiator. The thermometer helped me prevent a possible engine damage. Compared to today's most cars provide gasoline economy meter, Jetta only provides in SEL model, it is hard to believe! The steering maneuver well and soft, make turn easier, however it is stiffer in low speed but losser in high speed. I expect the opposite. The 5 cylinder engine feels lack of power in the first gear, you have to puss the gas paddle hard to make the engine accelerate well. It is disappointing that a 3100 lb car with 175 HP/178lb-ft torque engine performance poorly. It only accelerates better than my 2000 Accord. My 3400lb 2010 RAV 4 with 169HP/179 lb-ft performs much better. When accelerate hard, the engine noise is loud. Fuel efficiency is good but not that great. I had change 6 tanks by far, average 29~31.6mpg, with the best 31.6mpg are all highway driving with A/C off. It is disappointing for such a small car and 2013 model! My RAV achieved 32mpg for the similar trip with A/C on. The touch turn signal and auto-off feature is nice however it is too short, before I change lane, the light is off. I would thing 10 seconds instead of 5 is better. The ugly I am very not used to the alarm when you lock the door and close the trunk, even if you use key to lock the door. And it is loud! I Since I usually come home late at night, feel guilty to annoy neighbors with such loud voice in the quiet late night. My Accord only alarms when you press the remote twice. Storage is too small inside the cabin. Center storage is tinny, so is the passenger draw. I take all my stuff from Accord but can only pack half of them into my Jetta. Overall, The Jetta SE is a very good car. It is spacious, quite, responsive, well-handling. I bought it to replace my 2000 Honda Accord LX, which was lost in an accident. Before I decided to buy the Jetta. I had test-drove a bunch of candidate cars and cross-overs. I even rented 2012 models of Toyota Camry, Mazda 6, Ford Fusion, Honda Civic for a week, respectively, to experience the driving. I had also owned a 2009 Subara Outback and have a toyota RAV4 now. So I had a lot to compare. I test drove all the Jetta Models (S and TDI, car and wagen) and a Tigua. I finally chose this Jetta. Compare to all of them, money wise, I think Jetta is the best choice.

Not that go carts are bad, but it does feel like a go cart a little bit. Sit low in the car, lots of engine, road and wind noise enter the cabin. Extremely competent around corners with neutral feel and virtually no body roll. Where i was disappointed was the gas mileage. Traded a 2010 lexus 350ES for this expecting to get better gas milage and low and behold. it's worse. approx 25mpg highighway 70mph, vs the lexus 30+ mpg highway. Mixed driving getting approx 22mpg against lexus 24 mpg. So little bummed by this because the lexus was such a great car and thought downsizing would be good for the environment.

very nice car for a young university guy, sepcious, sport's look and affordable proce europran specs.