Even as SUVs have dented the market for cars and some automakers are abandoning them, Volkswagen doubled down with an all-new 2019 Jetta compact car aimed at being more competitive and capturing a bigger share of the remaining buyers for such cars. For 2020, the Jetta and the sportier Jetta GLI carry over with little significant change other than slightly higher prices and a shorter warranty.
Related: 2020 Volkswagen Passat: Limited Updates Preserve Lasting Strengths
The new Jetta, which had been a bit smaller and more expensive than most rivals, now competes directly in size and value with mainstream compact sedans including the Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla and soon-to-be-redesigned Nissan Sentra.
But for those buyers who still want something a little sportier and fancier, VW followed with a new Jetta GLI, which offers more power and upgraded chassis bits, manual or dual-clutch automatic transmissions, a bit more aggressive styling and more features. It also came with a much lower and more competitive price than the previous GLI (you can see the theme here). The GLI rivals sportier compact models including Honda’s Civic Si, the Hyundai Elantra Sport, the Kia Forte GT, as well as VW’s own Golf GTI.
Other than slightly higher prices, the much shorter four-year bumper-to-bumper warranty is down from six for the 2020 model year for both cars, though they gain two years of free scheduled maintenance. Also, standard for 2020 is VW’s new-generation Car-Net connectivity system that offers in-car Wi-Fi with a data subscription. The regular SEL and SEL Premium models add standard wireless charging, and R-Line models have a standard six-speed manual transmission.
Interested in this practical compact sedan that offers a lot of features for the money? We’ve driven it, compared it back to back with rivals and also covered pricing, specs and more. Here is a roundup of our comprehensive coverage, which can tell you everything you need to know about the 2019 and 2020 Volkswagen Jetta:
Jetta
Volkswagen Ups Tech, Safety Features for 2020
2019 Volkswagen Jetta Review: Better in All the Right Places
Video: 2019 Volkswagen Jetta: First Drive
2019 Volkswagen Jetta: 10 Things We Like and 5 Things We Don’t
2019 Volkswagen Jetta: A Base Model Worth Buying?
2019 Volkswagen Jetta First Drive: Reconfigured to Take on Civic, Corolla
2019 Volkswagen Jetta Goes Classy to Stay Competitive
2019 VW Jetta Offers More Features for Less Money
2019 VW Jetta Scores Big Boost in Mileage Ratings
2019 Volkswagen Jetta Fares Better With Feds in Crash Ratings
How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta?
Wanna Connect? VW’s Car-Net Connected Services Newly Updated, Widely Standard
Volkswagen Nixes 6-Year Warranty: What Shoppers Need to Know
Jetta GLI
2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: Higher Performance for Lower Price
2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: A Subtle Sports Sedan Experience
2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: Budget Sports Sedan
2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Might Be the Jetta to Buy if You Insist on a Jetta
Should You Buy a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI or Golf GTI?
Research & Compare
Compare 2020 Civic Features With Top Rivals
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- What’s the Best Compact SUV of 2019?
- 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Review: All-Around Greatness
- 2019 Kia Forte: Everything You Need to Know
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