Used 2019 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews
Used Jetta for sale
Great Basic Car
Bill, 09/19/2018
updated 03/19/2021
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
71 of 72 people found this review helpful
I was looking for a basic commuter car for 100 mile daily round trip to work. The new Jetta looks great, understated but with some character. It is very quiet and comfortable on the road. Acceleration and handling are adequate, but nice for a base model car. Averaging 39 mpg over the first 1,500 miles with a max of 47 mpg for a 50 mile trip to work. It's great being able to drive the 500 miles a week for commuting to work on one tank of gas. Yeah, it's the first year of a major redesign, which is usually a non-starter, but the 6 yr, 72,000 warranty puts my mind somewhat at ease. UPDATE: After 2.5 years and almost 60,000 miles the Jetta has been a great car. Still averaging around 40 mpg. Everything has held up well - looks almost new and no mechanical issues. I've been very happy with the car.
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Pleasantly suprised by this one
Bob Patterson, 11/20/2018
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T R-Line 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
63 of 64 people found this review helpful
I've been car hunting, planning to buy a small sedan when my current lease is up. I've had an opportunity to spend a few days with a 2019 Jetta R-line, and I am really surprised by how much I like it. Not that I expected it to be a bad car, but I was cross-shopping against the Mazda, Subaru, Hondas, and some higher level brands like Audi and Acura. Frankly, the Jetta provides the best bang-for-the-buck compared to the others I have tested. The interior layout is excellent, with a dashboard that puts everything exactly where you want it. Handling and stability is as good as it gets at this price point, although I think the 17" wheels are a must for this. The engine is suprisingly punchy, with plenty of jump for passing on the highway. It's also got a great selection of tech & features (Apple Carplay, drivers assist features, sun roof, LED headlights with side-turning assist, etc.) for a car in this class. The steering is tad mushy, but still responsive. It's not going to compete with the luxury cars on finishing details, but it's a great alternative at a reasonable price.
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2019 Volkswagen Jetta for sale near you
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- 1.4T SE SedanMSRP: $18,990In-stock online
- 1.4T S SedanMSRP: $16,696In-stock online
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Fantastic car but serious ding for weak A/C
trutell, 07/16/2019
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
Went for a test drive today and the car is superior in most every way especially for the price. Have been comparing the Honda models which are also quite good. But at 85 degrees, the A/C couldn't cut it for the front seat occupants let alone the guy in the back seat. If you get hot weather in the summer you will not be happy with the results. We also tried the Golf for comparison's sake. A/C was also a dog. You would think VW would get the message after decades of experience with the bug which never could supply enough heat. Now we have the opposite. People actually care about climate performance. Dealer's excuse was they had to shrink compressor/evaporator capacity to preserve top mileage.
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Improvements are in order!
Zvi Arie, 03/23/2019
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T SEL Premium 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
59 of 64 people found this review helpful
This car drives very nicely. Engine is peppy and transmission shifts smoothly the most of the time. Sometimes downshifts are noticeable. Suspension is on the soft side and provides comfortable ride. All the technical features in this car command an applause. Heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats are awesome. Digital instrument cluster and infotainment unit are incredible and very easy to use. Beats audio system is dissent. Ambient lighting is very nice and gives the interior a warm atmosphere. Now, there are things which I personally do not like, but other people might not notice an exception. The front passenger seat is very uncomfortable. It seats low, does not have height adjustments nor lumbar support. And this is top of the line trim. It feels like I am seating flat on the floor with no back support. Long drives are not comfortable. In my opinion, this kind of cost cutting is unacceptable. The passenger seat should be afforded the same amount of adjustments as the driver seat. The materials on rear door panels look and feel very cheap. Sometimes they squeak when the temperatures are cold. There are no air vents for the rear passengers, but rear heated seats make up for it a little. The trunk insulation materials are barely present. The trunk lid and hinges are exposed and look ugly. The trunk lid itself is heavy and require a push up in order to lock in the open position. The interior lights are not LED and they are on a dim side. The rear camera does not have a projection trajectory. Overall it is a good car with an awesome fuel economy and if the manufacturer fixes these shortcomings especially with the front passenger seat adjustments, it will be even better.
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great commuter
Bernie, 09/09/2019
updated 09/29/2022
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
A few things first - I drive 110 miles daily through the hills of NW NJ/NE PA. The drive is ok in the morning (I leave before the rooster crows) and sucks on the way home. I am not looking for a "driving experience", just to retain what little left of my sanity remains. I tried several cars in the price range, with the Mazda 3 coming the closest (and was quite a bit more $), but didn't like the high beltline, the handling was a little stiffer, and the mileage wasn't as good. The Jetta has great visibility, the base seat works very well for me (supportive yet comfortable for a short, fairly lean guy), handling is good enough, and while not a sports sedan, I can easily merge or pass trucks on the hills. The truly magical part is I can get 44 mpg doing 80 mph through the hills in the morning. I cut my trips to the gas station in half, and I don't drive to optimize fuel consumption. Due to the stop and go nature of my return trip, only get about 37 mpg on the way home. The trunk is also cavernous - more than once I have loaded 8' pipe into the car (with the back seats down), and had no issues. Overall, I'm thrilled with the vehicle, but there are a few downsides: - The base tires are only ok in rain, and quite poor in snow. You'll need snow tires if in the snow belt. The price you pay for great gas mileage. - For some reason, at the slightest hint of humidity, the front windshield fogs. My defroster is almost always on. - It is a pretty bland looking car, especially compared to the Golf, Passat, or any of the Audis (I'm indifferent to the appearance, but tend to go to the wrong car when in parking lots, which wouldn't happen to any of the others - probably should not have bought white). - No one carries the specified oil, except VW dealers, and the dealer isn't conveniently located. This is the only "con" that truly bothers me. - When driving in eco mode, early shifts at too low revs, and the trans sounds a little rough. Less so when taking out of eco mode, only impacts the highway mileage by 1 mpg. - VW reliability scares me a bit. Fingers crossed that I can get 200k without a major issue. If you just want to get through a commute in a comfortable, quick, fairly agile, quiet car while stopping at the gas station as infrequently as possible (or about every 550 miles for me), this is a great choice. 1 year update: I'm now at 40k miles after a bit over a year. I've had 1 minor oil leak (fixed under warranty), and the tires are about shot (surprised me a little, as I typically get 60k+ out of tires with mostly highway driving). I feel exactly the same on the car. I'm getting a touch over 39 mpg with spirited highway driving, experiencing no odd noises or decreased performance. The seat is still firm and comfortable, and the car has required no major work. This is still the perfect commuter car for me (roomy, comfortable, handles well, decent acceleration, great fuel economy). If you are looking at a Corolla, Civic, or Elantra, throw the Jetta in your search. You may be quite pleasantly surprised. Update 27Mar2021 With almost 80k miles on the car, it hasn't changed much. The seats are still firmly comfortable, I still get almost 40 mpg in mostly highway driving, no odd squeaks,... I replaced the stock tires with General Altimax, and do much better in the snow. The tradeoff in mileage (about 1 mpg worse) equalled out due the lack of traffic (still much lower than pre-Covid levels). I've had nothing besides routine maintenance (except when I knocked off the mirror casing when backing out of the garage). Routine service costs a bit more than most American or Japanese cars, but not by much (although this year I have to get the brake fluid flushed, not sure what that goes for). Overall, still pleasantly surprised, and if I had to buy another car today, a Jetta would still be in serious consideration. Update 29Sept22 - At 130k, only standard maintenance, another set of tires and alignment (another Altimax, got 70k out of the previous with good wet weather performance, decent in the snow). No noticeable change in performance or odd rattles, still comfortable on long trips. Mileage is down to about 38.5 mpg (from just over 40), but due to increased traffic post covid. My only complaint is the driver's side sun visor clip broke, Volkswagen doesn't sell it separately (that I can find), and they want $370 for the assembly. Will get creative this weekend. After 3-1/2 years, still very happy with the vehicle. Maybe I'm just lucky, but if looking for a compact commuter, I suggest adding the Jetta to your test drive list.
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