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Used 2020 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
132 reviews

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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Jetta, so we've included reviews for other years of the Jetta since its last redesign.

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

Great car!

Cadence G, 01/30/2021
updated 08/03/2023
2020 Volkswagen Jetta S SULEV 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Very quiet, solid and smooth car. Very smooth engine and transmission also. Not a rocket but excellent acceleration for a 1.4 Turbo. I highly recommend. Cons: Center console in the front is a little intrusive on the right leg while driving. Update: 12500 miles in! A/C is OK, it can " soft restart" rarely during the middle of the drive but it is HOT where I live and this not including what happens during the start stop. Also if you brake too hard sometimes the music pauses? probably an electric thing. But driving wise? Still super super smooth. Update: 46000 miles. Nothing has changed. Nothing has broken, new (standard tier) tires. Radio electric problems have gone away. I love this car so much. I've decided to keep, I will not trade it in.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

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.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Amazing car.

Luigi Battaglioli, 06/25/2020
2020 Volkswagen Jetta S ULEV 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
33 of 36 people found this review helpful

This car is awesome. It’s fast, it’s sleek looking, and it’s full of the coolest bells and whistles like adaptive cruise control, CarPlay, wifi, and remote access from my phone. It’s fun to drive, it feels safe, and it was really affordable. I got one heck of a deal on it. I’d recommend this car to anyone, especially as a first car. It’s awesome.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Great economy car - Replacement for 2017 Sentra

John, 08/27/2018
updated 09/06/2019
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
53 of 59 people found this review helpful

Our 2017 Nissan Sentra was totaled, it was a great value car. This car will eventually go to my 16 year old when he leaves for College. So we came up with a list and I threw the Jetta on their because I saw a good deal advertised. I couldn't find any Six Speeds close to me so I didn't get to test drive the '18 model. We drove the Kia Soul, Corolla Mi and lastly we decided to drive the Jetta. I was blown away by the Jetta and ended up buying one. The car has a lot to offer in performance and comfort. The fuel economy is great - I could get better but its so much fun to drive and I'm still getting in the mid 30's. This has car play which is a plus and gives us the GPS, etc. This car is a winner and the prices you can get are great!!! Edmunds asked me to update my review - I can say after 7,000 + miles we still love this car and believe its a winner. There are no complaints about this car except I will need to give this to my son at the end of the school year (he earned it by his grades) - it is a lot of fun drive. We ended up enjoying it so much we added an Atlas to our garage also.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
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Interior
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Things to Love and Hate

Alexander, 01/07/2019
2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T SE 4dr Sedan (1.4L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
45 of 50 people found this review helpful

One Month Review... We decided to get the newest Jetta fresh off the lot after we spent months after months test driving other brands. We decided to go with the new Jetta for many reasons. One reason was due to the all the upgrades you get for the money. Second reason was the new infotainment which offered Android Auto and Samsung Mirriorlink, other manufacturers only offered Iphone car-play. Third reason we decided to go with VW was the new 72000/6 yr warranty. Fourth reason is because we love the VW/AUDI conservative designs inside and out. Fifth and final reason is because it was the only 4 cyl car with a turbo, a turbo should be a requirement for all 4 cyl engines. My complaints are the following: I wanted the manual transmission however, the manual transmission only came in the S model and it didn't offer leatherette, heated seats, heated steering wheel nor dual climate. I was then going to choose the SEL, well the SEL didn't offered power seats for some reason, the only difference i found was the SEL had the full display on the gauge cluster and the infotainment was 8 inch instead of 6.5 inch oh yeah it also offered the ambient lightning. We checked the R line as well it didn’t fit our lifestyle. The only one we found to have everything we wanted was the SE with cold weather package. I would have loved the full display but i will wait 3 years to see what else VW brings to the table. I initially had a problem with the remote start which wouldn't work for some reason it’s ok now but that was very annoying at first. The basic sound system really sucks unless you upgrade to a higher quality which to be honest i don’t really know what they offer as an upgraded speaker system. My minivan and my 2008 Ram truck have a better sound than the 2019 Jetta. Listening to music on my new Jetta is like listening to music from a 3.5 inch speaker it painful and a bit embarrassing. While listening to music using USB Android auto the right front speaker rattles at low volume. I haven't even listened to music at a high volume because they are terrible. I feel that VW should offer a recall on the speakers and upgrade them for free. It is a good thing we leased the vehicle instead of buying. I will keep updating my review as the months go by. Should you get a VW Jetta i say yes, if you like a conservative style and a simple elegant interior, leatherette rather than cloth, and are looking for a quick 4 cyl turbo engine for the best MSRP and warranty then the VW brand is the way to go.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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