Cliff notes review of my 2019 Jetta S

"arl" (arl1968)
10/04/2018 at 09:22 • Filed to: None

What ? 2019 Jetta S with the 8 speed tiptronic auto with sport mode ( not the DSG).

Engine ? 1.4 turbo with 147hp.

Options ? Driver’s assistance package (forward collision, blind spot monitor, heated side mirrors)

So what do you get ? A basic sedan that rides very well on the MBQ chassis. 16" alloy wheels, basic stereo.

Review ? It’s the best “basic” car I’ve ever owned. The turbo seems a bit underpowered from the specs, but 8 speed has some steep gearing and it will get off the line no problem and cruise at 70mph easily.

It has that Germanic “tightness” to it - solid doors, solid chassis, etc. I really like how it handles and drives. For a daily driver.

The interior redesign is nice and the basic stereo is very good. No satellite, but Apple Carplay is there, and it just works.

It was under 20K, so for a basic car it’s the bees knees.

Gas mileage is quite good. I’ve never bought a car in my life with mpg in mind. I just bought what I liked. But I get 40+ on long trips and 30+ in the city in the Jetta. Quite amazing.

Mods ? Had to ditch the 16" wheels. While the stockers are alloy and have a nice design - they’re just too small for the car. I added 18" Sport Edition SE-14's and it looks much better. The 18's are in the pics.

Bad ? Seats are not terribly comfortable; I miss my GTI seats. I’ve added a small back rest to the driver’s seat to help my lower back issues.

No dial on the dash for dimming the dashboard lights. You have to do it through the touchscreen - which you can’t access when driving. Which is usually when you want to adjust it.

Weird transmission noise, also reported by many, many 2019 Jetta owners. VW says it’s normal. Goes away in Sport mode. So I keep it in Sport mode all the time.

Longer factory warranty - 6 years 72k miles, bumper-to-bumper. This is good. See transmission noise above.

Why the hell did you sell the cool GTI for the basic Jetta ? The GTI had sunroof creaking issues that multiple trips to the dealer and working with VW corp could not fix. It finally drove me to madness, and in a fit of “FUCK IT” I traded it on the spot for the Jetta (which has no sunroof). It was an emotional buy for sure. But I’m happy with the Jetta. I am using it daily driving %99 of the time anyway - so why not get a larger car for the family, has an auto, and gets killer mpg?

So here I am with a white rental spec Jetta that I like.....AMA

DISCUSSION (16)

pip bip - choose Corrour > arl
10/04/2018 at 09:53

how well does it hoon?

arl > pip bip - choose Corrour
10/04/2018 at 09:56

Hooning in the Jetta is not allowed. Usually it is filled with drooling chocolate labs or children who do not appreciate the hoon .

You can put it in tiptronic mode when accelerating from a stop to get up to 5 5mph quickly and pretend to hoon. But really hooning is frowned on in Jetta- land.

The Ghost of Oppo > arl
10/04/2018 at 10:00

What generation was your GTI?

arl > The Ghost of Oppo
10/04/2018 at 10:05

Current generation. It was a 2017.

The Ghost of Oppo > arl
10/04/2018 at 10:08

Damn, you were having sunroof problems after 1 year?

arl > The Ghost of Oppo
10/04/2018 at 10:13

Yep. They greased it, tweaked it, took the headliner out and adjusted it. It got better for a while, but then it always got worse again.

Finally they agreed to replace the entire assembly. They had to order all sorts of parts. The straw that broke the camels back was when they had all the parts in, but there was some special tool they had to order from Germany -apparently made from unicorn blood and laderhosen. It was on back order for like 3 weeks.

I was just in a bad mood from multiple trips back and forth to the dealer and tired of the bull-crap. So I said “keep your creaky POS and give me something without a sunroof”. And here I am.

Nothing > arl
10/04/2018 at 10:14

Interesting the GTI sunroof had issues. I’ve been researching the Alltrack, and have read about a few issues with leaking with that sunroof. Makes me want to lean towards potentially getting an S model that does not have the sunroof.

arl > Nothing
10/04/2018 at 10:19

Mine never leaked, it just creaked. Most people have no problem with their sunroof, but you will find a group of people who have issues. Leaking, creaking, etc. VW’s sunroof design (IMHO) is stupid. The glass slides outside the top of the roof, and it has a unique, complex rail system.

If they had just used a standard sunroof design (like every other damn car on the road) this wouldn’t be an issue. I like sun roofs and have had many in previous cars, but VW’s implementation is overly complex. If there’s an issue with it, it ain’t easy to fix.

Good luck - I like the Alltracks!

The Ghost of Oppo > arl
10/04/2018 at 10:23

That is a shame.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > arl
10/04/2018 at 10:38

You had troubles with a VW that they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, fix and so you bought another VW? Most people would say that's insane, but having owned six I fully understand...

arl > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
10/04/2018 at 10:42

You are correct. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. LOL!

Yea, a calm person who have driven over the Toyota delaership and bought a Camry.

But I still have a soft spot in my driver’s heart for VW’s. I like the good things they do; their designs are not over-done, their cars are solid, and there’s something about the feel of them I just like (when they’re not broken).

But yea....another VW.

E92M3 > arl
10/04/2018 at 10:56

So you traded a creaking sunroof, for a noisy transmission?

arl > E92M3
10/04/2018 at 11:08

Yes. Yes I did (just not in Sport mode).

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > arl
10/04/2018 at 11:09

I liked my VWs when they were running. But after years of more expensive German machinery I have switched my allegiance to Mazda since they seem to be the most Germanic of the Japanese manufacturers . Now I have a fun to drive vehicle with a concept formerly unknown to me that I think they call ‘reliability’. I might get another VW someday, but only if I have something else as a backup.

arl > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
10/04/2018 at 11:11

What is this “reliability” you speak of?

I hear good things about Mazda. Maybe I’ll test drive a 6 some day.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > arl
10/19/2018 at 14:40

Hope this one holds up for you. I too loved VWs when they weren’t broken. But I am of the B5 era and those were some dark times. Never again.