Next Car -- 2019 Gas Jetta?

It's going to be an all new redesigned Jetta, available 2Q 2018. Has the 1.4T engine, 184 ft-lbs of torque, 147 HP. Offers an all digital instrument panel, where you can put the Nav screen right in front of you. The car is slightly longer, wider, and taller, and reports say that it rides a bit softer.

Article and video here: https://www.autoblog.com/2018/01/17/2019-vw-jetta-toyota-avalon-sedan-naias-detroit/

So, what do you think, as a replacement for the people doing BBs?

I'd pick it over a lot of other cars, but I'd still rather have a diesel. I like the diesel Cruze hatch they had there, three pedals and all.

The "redesign" of the NCS Jetta still feels like a price point car to me. And they still have not figured out the trunk hinges. All in all, it seemed like a decent package. I have just lost all interest in sedans as of late. They just are not nearly as useful as my hatchbacks and wagons. If I had to have one car, it would never ever be a sedan.

I agree with oilhammer on the '19 Jetta. It looked to me like the '11 Jetta S. Not that nice inside, looks like it's built to a price. And the interior shapes are kind of weird. Hexagon cupholders? I don't use hexagon cups.

Odd that they dropped the 1.4T on the current Jetta for '18 but are bringing one back in '19. Maybe it's a different engine.

If I had to buy a new VW right now it would probably be a GTI or a Tiguan.

Moderator note: thread moved to General VW Discussion.

I looked at the new Jetta at the Detroit Auto Show and I wasn't really impressed. The new infotainment system is in a good location, but many other things about the car left me underwhelmed. It felt cheap and decontented compared to what Jettas used to be as recently as ten years ago. I know VW is trying to make a more mass-market car at a lower price to compete with Camrys and Accords, but it gives up its more upmarket European feel in the process.

I think the '19 Jetta looks similar to the A3. I still miss my 2010 Jetta TDI. Felt more solid and better built than the MKVI. I doubt we'll get back to nicer touches on the earlier models. I also preferred the earlier generation Passats to the Crown Vic styling of recent Passats.

Styling is very Ford/Chevy-esque.

Or a Subaru Legacy.

This is the reason why VW has no plan to sell the new Jetta in their home market. This model will probably be assembled and sold in other markets like SE Asia/China, Russia, South America... but not in Europe. I have a feeling the Chinese version would even come with more premium interior then the North American version, because VW would be marketing this version as a premium brand large mid size car there.

oilhammer said:

The "redesign" of the NCS Jetta . . .

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What's "NCS"?

VeeDubTDI said:

Moderator note: thread moved to General VW Discussion.

I looked at the new Jetta at the Detroit Auto Show and I wasn't really impressed. The new infotainment system is in a good location, but many other things about the car left me underwhelmed. It felt cheap and decontented compared to what Jettas used to be as recently as ten years ago. I know VW is trying to make a more mass-market car at a lower price to compete with Camrys and Accords, but it gives up its more upmarket European feel in the process.

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That's exactly what people were saying when the MKIV was launched.

nicklockard said:

Styling is very Ford/Chevy-esque.

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I always thought the MK-V looked like the Toyota Corolla, at least from the back. But most people liked the MK-V series.

DieselMann99 said:

What's "NCS"?

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New Compact Sedan, came out in 2011, marking the first time that the Jetta/Vento/Bora was no longer a Golf with a trunk. Bigger, cheaper, lighter, decontented. Aimed squarely at the American market, along with the NMS (New Midsize Sedan) Passat.

The base price of the 2011 Jetta dropped about SIX GRAND from the 2010 Jetta before it. Major cheapening. Some of the stuff returned a couple years later, but the Jetta is still the cost cutting model in the Volkswagen USA portfolio.

DieselMann99 said:

That's exactly what people were saying when the MKIV was launched.

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I disagree. My recollection was that when the MKIV was launched people praised it's "nearly Audi-like" interior and how much more modern it was than the cobbled together MKIII it replaced. The MKIV Jetta Sedan literally saved VW in this market by being a nice European design car at a reasonable price. Response to the '11 Jetta Sedan was much more critical.

Yeah, the 4th gen Jetta was praised... and it sold well. Very much head and shoulders better than the car it replaced.

The NCS Jetta got beat up pretty bad by the automotive press and enthusiasts alike. But as I said, it came in at a MUCH lower base price, so despite it being a lesser car, it was still not a bad car and got a lot more people back into the Volkswagen showrooms. I know LOTS of people that bought 2011+ Jetta S models that would have otherwise been financially unable to purchase any new Volkswagen.

I think the Toyota 4Runner was one other such "new and not improved" model that got pretty blasted in reviews around the same time.

We all should have gotten used to North American Jetta interior by now.

DieselMann99 said:

That's exactly what people were saying when the MKIV was launched.

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People were saying that the Mk4 was cheaper than the Mk3? Having driven both, I don't see it. *shrug*

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I disagree. My recollection was that when the MKIV was launched people praised it's "nearly Audi-like" interior and how much more modern it was than the cobbled together MKIII it replaced. The MKIV Jetta Sedan literally saved VW in this market by being a nice European design car at a reasonable price. Response to the '11 Jetta Sedan was much more critical.

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Agreed.

oilhammer said:

They just are not nearly as useful as my hatchbacks and wagons. If I had to have one car, it would never ever be a sedan.

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Agreed. In fact even the Golf Hatch I started to find limiting in capacity. We will soon in fact need two wagons for logistical reasons (long story). I was worried about being able to get a 3-pedal wagon when the need will be real (2019), so I bit the bullet and bought a manual GSW on Jan. 23d; a 6-MT 4MOTION. Not as efficient as a TDI (29 mpg so far in winter), or even my previous TSI hatch (40 mpg in summer, 36 in winter) by a long shot, but being retired, that was no longer a major consideration. What was more important is that I have to drive about 80 km a week on a very poorly maintained road that has been ice/snow covered all winter (in spite of being paved) and much of last winter as well.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I disagree. My recollection was that when the MKIV was launched people praised it's "nearly Audi-like" interior and how much more modern it was than the cobbled together MKIII it replaced. The MKIV Jetta Sedan literally saved VW in this market by being a nice European design car at a reasonable price. Response to the '11 Jetta Sedan was much more critical.

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Agreed, I had an old issue of CAR magazine singing the praises of the Mk IV Golf when it came out, how it looked like a much more expensive car than it was. I had an early (99) Mk IV Jetta TDI, and was impressed by the build quality. Reliability was another matter though, the early Mk IVs were terrible! It was my intro to VWs and I went back to Honda for a while after that but really missed the VW "je ne sais quoi", and got a Mk IV TDI wagon in '04, and my wife and I have been exclusively VW since. The Mk IV wagon was my favourite VW by far, alas it got totalled at 110k km in '06 (lots of commuting in those days).

Last fall, my son bought a Mk IV Jetta wagon... but a 2.slow, used, for $1.9k and quite a bit of rust, but a great runner. A TDI was either twice the price, or twice the KM (he has 269k km on it). It does look dated now compared to my Mk VII, but it still ain't bad except for the rust.

I drove a TSi as a loaner while our 2010 sportwagen was having the emmissions scam done to it. I liked it. It reminded me of the torque from our tdi.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I disagree. My recollection was that when the MKIV was launched people praised it's "nearly Audi-like" interior and how much more modern it was than the cobbled together MKIII it replaced. The MKIV Jetta Sedan literally saved VW in this market by being a nice European design car at a reasonable price. Response to the '11 Jetta Sedan was much more critical.

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My mistake, IBW. I meant to say MKVI, not MKIV.

I have to go back and study my Roman numerals.

Matthewhovis said:

I drove a TSi as a loaner while our 2010 sportwagen was having the emmissions scam done to it. I liked it. It reminded me of the torque from our tdi.

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The torque isn't even close to the TDI, but the TSI does have some pep. It's one of several cars I'm considering as a replacement after I do the BB.

A Golf or GTI 4Motion would get my attention. Sportwagen or Alltrack are the only vehicles in VW's current lineup I'd consider for next vehicle.

DieselMann99 said:

The torque isn't even close to the TDI, but the TSI does have some pep. It's one of several cars I'm considering as a replacement after I do the BB.

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IIRC..........my 2013 JSW TDI 6M torque number was 236. TSI Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M torque is 18X............

The wagon set the bar for this sailor.

However, the 1.4 liter gas turbo Jetta S price tag was remarkably low.

It's all good (still can't believe VW's generous BB offer.....................)

best to all,



ez

So if theres a new model for '19, might be a good time to pick up an '18 on the cheap.

Jetta SS said:

So if theres a new model for '19, might be a good time to pick up an '18 on the cheap.

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Don't know about the US, but no '18s in Canada. They are still selling '17s however, I assume "while quantities last" but the new Jetta comes out in the spring as a '19 model.

In '14 we had the same issue with the Golf. No '14 Golf hatchbacks, however we had a few '14 Golf wagons and for the first time you could get a TDI in the base model.