If you observe closely, the new, seventh-generation Volkswagen Jetta has a tell. Ignore the strakes on the hood that make it appear a bit like a shrunken Passat. Don't be fooled by the shiny chrome exhaust tips integrated into the rear-bumper valance—they're fake. Instead, trace the major character line from the little badge on the passenger-side front fender back along its length. There, hiding within the crease in the metal, is the Jetta's fuel-filler door. Look familiar? Of course it does: It's nearly the same shape as on the Golf, once again the Jetta's platform-mate.
For 2019, the Jetta moves to the MQB platform, VW's do-everything, be-everything architecture, which made its U.S. debut in the 2015 Golf (and also underpins the Tiguan and Atlas as well as the Audi A3 and TT).
The Jetta now shares many components with the seventh-gen Golf, including its steering and front suspension, crash structures, HVAC, infotainment software, and even its 13.2-gallon gas tank. But no sheetmetal.
Certainly the relationship is more complicated than it was in the era when the Jetta was a Rabbit with a trunk grafted to its hindquarters.
2019 Volkswagen Jetta SEL
But it's from axle to axle and under the hood that the sedan diverges most from the hatch. VW stretches the Jetta's wheelbase to 105.7 inches, nearly two inches longer than the Golf's, and the Jetta's overhangs make it almost a foot and a half longer overall.
2019 Volkswagen Jetta SEL
Certainly the relationship is more complicated than it was in the era when the Jetta was a Rabbit with a trunk grafted to its hindquarters.
Fuel economy grows by as much as 7 mpg, with all Jettas now hitting 30 mpg in the city according to the EPA.
The old cut-rate interior is much improved.
The Jetta now offers one of the most comprehensive feature sets in its class, and the price even gets an across-the-board trim.
The new Jetta gets upgraded gearboxes: a new automatic with eight gears rather than six, and a slick six-speed manual that replaces the commodity-car five-speed.
Higher trim levels (like you see here) offer automatic climate controls.
The new Jetta leapfrogs its platform-mate in one area: Digital Cockpit. Now Volkswagen offers it as an enticement to spend $25,265 for the SEL trim; it's a feature unavailable on any Golf save for the stratospherically priced $40,000-plus Golf R.
Rear passengers get 1.8 inches more legroom than in the Golf, although they'll sacrifice almost an inch of headroom. And don't plan on seating three adults across the back, as the Jetta's middle seat is cramped.
The Jetta is less expensive than the Golf by more than $2000.
About that trunk: It has shrunk in the new model relative to the previous Jetta, although the Golf's comparatively enormous cargo hold is more a testament to efficient hatchback packaging than any deficiency of the sedan.
The Jetta's turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four with 147 horsepower carries over from last year and is the only engine available—at least until the arrival of the sporting GLI.
The Jetta feels punchy, with excellent throttle response and virtually no turbo lag.
If you boot it off the line, even the automatic-equipped car will squeal its front tires and trip the traction control. However, a clean launch with the eight-speed produces only a 7.7-second zero-to-60-mph time, merely average for the class.
Indeed, smooth is the Jetta's mien; it's a yacht rocker rather than a hard rocker.
The new Jetta uses the same front struts and steering system as the Golf, although Volkswagen reverted to a rear torsion beam for the Jetta.
In a small concession to sportiness, R-Line models get brake-based torque vectoring. Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires shunt steering feel but don't keep the Jetta R-Line from matching the Golf's 0.83-g roadholding and the Jetta S from surpassing it with 0.85 g in lateral grip.
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