Used 2015 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan Consumer Reviews
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Turbo Sedan Daily Driver
Steve, 07/18/2016
2015 Volkswagen Jetta SE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
24 of 29 people found this review helpful
My wife was in need of a car, and we had 7 days to car shop. She insisted on a manual transmission. We looked at the Accord Sport (excellent car, a bit to big for her taste), Mazda 3 with the base engine (anemic/cheap) and a Subaru WRX (amazing). We already have a BRZ, so we decided the extra expense of the WRX was unnecessary. There were only two 1.8TSI 5 speed cars in Houston at the time, and the first one I test drove was already purchased when I came back a second time to buy. The second test drive sold me on the car. The engine has a beefy flat torque curve, and it's probably underrated. It can produce "neck snapping" torque that can move the car to where you want it. The car does not come with a TC off button. Surprisingly, with aggressive driving in low speed sharp turns, the traction control allows for an appropriate amount of wheel spin to get you around quickly, and the corrections don't slow you down too much. Its rare that you find 15" wheels on a new car, and I greatly appreciate them. They do well on rough roads, and overall comfort. The 15" wheels also fit more than adequate brakes. Up there with the brilliant engine is a phenomenal suspension. There is very little slop in the suspension, and it is tuned well. It's extremely comfortable and can handle rough terrain like a champ. Another thing it does well is maintain stability through high speed corners. It hunkers down and there is a good amount of grip, and it can be driven smoothly at a nice pace. Compared to Japanese/Korean luxury cars I have recently driven, I prefer the Jetta's suspension, and for that matter, the over all comfort. The cabin is vault like. The only thing lacking in this base model is the front seats. I find there is not enough lumbar support, and sometimes when I'm moving about, the construction of the seats feels cheap. On the positive side, the fabric is durable and the heaters work well. The clutch on this car is pretty light, and I'm not sure if its a VW thing, but it feels weak. It doesn't grab as well as the sports cars I have driven. It has hill start assist which is helpful, but on a big hill, I find myself using twice as much clutch as I need to use in my BRZ. The gear shift has a vague feeling to it, but once you hit gear, there is a bit of a satisfying engagement. I have probably shifted into 3rd instead of 1st about 5 times over the past two years, and stalled, easy to do with the "light" clutch. The overall value is questionable. I think the trade in value is around $12,000, and I paid $18,000 OTD interest free. Still, at that price, I don't think the power, and overall quality feel of this car can be matched. Not considering the new Civic, which was not available at the time of purchase. But with max torque across the board, this sleeper is a blast to drive, and you can surprise some big bad wolves for a 1/2 a second. This is a sub 7 second 0-60 vehicle. I'm hoping to keep this for 100,000 miles or more, but I will probably tire of the manual transmission in traffic. We have achieved 43 mpg on a tank of gas on the highways traveling 75 mph+ (wife was driving). In town I believe it gets somewhere above 30 mpg. With just me city driving on a tank, I returned 27 mpg, but I stay in the boost. It's addicting.
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Roomy, Solid Car for the Money
MarvinH, 09/12/2015
2015 Volkswagen Jetta S w/Technology 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
13 of 15 people found this review helpful
The interior room of the Jetta is pushing the size of a mid-size car, especially the rear seats. I'm 6'4" and my 5'11 son can sit behind me comfortably without nagging me to move the seat up. The car handles confidently at high speeds; I can tell this was built for the Autobahn. It seems to be more sure-footed the faster you go. The acceleration of the 1.8 turbo is exceptional. Granted, a good-sized V6 would be able to pull away, but I've gotten out of some tight spots because my car had the yank to put me ahead of cars and trucks whose drivers were probably playing Bubble Witch on their phones. To be honest, I am a bit concerned about the long-term reliability though. Compared to a Honda or Toyota, I have a feeling it might be more costly in the long run. Time will tell. Some people seem to have really good experiences; others, not so much. For now, it seems to be very solid. No rattles or squeaks. It's more fun to drive than a Corolla or a Civic, and it's much roomier, so I'm happy for now. I'm going to take the advice of other VW owners--stay on top of maintenance. German cars don't seem to handle neglect well.
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2015 Volkswagen Jetta for sale near you
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- TDI S Diesel SedanMSRP: $7,9638 mi away
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2015 Jetta S w/ Technology
davep15, 02/12/2015
2015 Volkswagen Jetta S 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
40 of 51 people found this review helpful
I recently bought a 2015 Jetta S 2.0 5 speed manual. My previous cars have been 2002 Z-28 M6, 04 GTO M6, and 06 GTOM6. I am used to performance, but I was looking for an economical car. After reading the reviews, I was expecting a slow as molasses car. I was surprised. This 4 cylinder is sprity. It revs effortless through the gears. This engine lives over 2000 RPM and it does have some acceleration power 2000-3000 RPM. I havent done any ful throttle runs though. Below 2000 RPM, the engine has no power. But run this engine as it should with RPM, and it is peppy. I have actually found myself very much enjoying driving this car and running through the gears.
Just bought the 2015 Jetta S 2.0 5 SPD
kensnfla, 06/20/2015
2015 Volkswagen Jetta S 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Very fun car to drive it does not do so well on mileage when you have the A/C on and get on it but still has good power even with the air on. Handles terrific for the size of the car and very comfortable inside.
Jetta SE = Jetta Super Excellent
Brian, 05/25/2022
updated 12/10/2024
2015 Volkswagen Jetta SE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I know... cheesey title. But, the car has been great. We bought it off Carvana in March of this year and have been quite happy with it. Driving Impressions: This sucker is quick. It wants to go and it wants to do so as quickly as possible. Touch the gas pedal and it takes off with a confident whooosh! That can be a bad thing sometimes - cops, necks of passengers, etc. The 6A is a great automatic especially in manual mode. I wouldn't say the shifts are quick but they are smooth and that's more important for me. It's a family sedan, not a Porsche. This is also extremely economical. I use the Fuelly app to track service costs (of which there have been none) and gas mileage. In 3,134 miles of use, we are averaging 32 mpg. Most of the time, we are driving around town. This is the 1.8L turbo gas engine here not the TDI. No need for the diesel with this car. It's bloody frugal. Interior Comfort: The seats are typical VW firm but the cloth on them is soft. The driver's seat could use a bit more lumbar for me but, my wife is the one that drives this most often as I have a Subaru Outback for my daily driving. She loves the seat and has no complaints. Even with cloth, VW fitted them with 3 position seat heaters. The 3 levels are equivalent to warm, hot, and boil on the butt of the sun. I usually just use warm or hot. My wife likes the "boil of the sun" setting. Too hot for me. It feels like I'm sitting in lava. The car has the basic radio but is wired for Sirius XM which we have had in every one of our family cars since 2006. It also has a single disc CD player and an AUX port. In the center console, it has an adapter for the old 12 pin iPod of which I have. But, the iPod died last year. I still have it though. I'll replaced its battery and see if that brings it back. The trunk is huge as is the back seat. I have long legs on my 6'2" frame and I fit back there quite nicely. Nitpicks: The trip meter and the clock cannot be reset. The button near the gauge cluster doesn't work. The clock being wrong (2 hours and 45 minutes fast) is the biggest issue we have. Overall Rating: I really like this car. We'll have it for as long as we can and then, my wife has said numerous times, she wants a new Jetta afterwards. Maybe an SEL or GLI. The only other car we have bought back to back is a Tiguan, and those were both new. This Jetta is pretty freaking Super Excellent. Update Dec 2024 Coming up on almost 3 years of ownership, the car is still as reliable as the Sun. I still drive it daily on my "massive" commute, 1.6 miles each way. It still gets incredible mileage. The check engine light came on a couple of weeks ago. A circuit is getting too much current.. Car still runs great. It runs best on gas from Costco. It gets near 40 mpg on the highway and feels peppier off the line from a light. I am still only filling up once a month making it very economical to own. I just have to get the CEL fixed. One major drawback: The resale value of the car is garbage. The Jetta is the only gas-powered sedan left in the VW lineup. They sell a ton of these cars because they are so cheap. While there are no weird rattles and excessive wind noise, the car just feels cheap. The rear torsion beam is uninspiring but I do have a sizable cargo area as a result. The dash is hard plastic. It doesn't crack in the sun and it don't have any weird gaps in the seams, it just feels like a cost-cutting measure. It lacks refinement. I have owned a 2001 Jetta Wagon, a 2005 Jetta GLS sedan, and a 2006 Jetta 2.5 S. All of these cars felt and drove so much better than this one. They were more engaging and fun to drive. The materials inside with high quality with soft, yet supportive seats. The MK4 Jettas had so many more features. 5-position heated seats compare to 3-position seat heaters now. I had more control over how warm I could make my seat on cold mornings/days. In my current car, I can choose between #2 where it's tepid or #3 where it's lava. The MK4 had an ingenious visor above the rear view mirror, it had far better suspension design, allowing it to soak up little bumps in the road while staying pretty neutral in the corners. That wagon is still one of the best cars I've owned in terms of blending absolute practicality and being really fun to drive in canyon roads. If I were to re-rate this car, after nearly 3 years of ownership, the interior would get 3 stars while the rest are still 5 stars, for the most part.
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- Technology
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