2012 Jetta - Awful

[fdcg27]

Sorry to hear this.
I'd have thought that the five cylinder would have been reasonably peppy, but I guess not.
The base 2.0 must be a real stone.
VW has brought some models down to the price range of competing offerings from other makers, but has apparently gone a little too far in cheapening the cars.
Is the interior shot above from a Jetta?
It may be simple, but it also looks really cheap.
The old Jetta interiors looked pretty rich.
A simple interior can also look really nice and exude quality, as anyone who's owned an old Mercedes or BMW knows.
Why can't VW offer something better given the cost advantages of Mexican labor?
I hope that VW reliabilty and dealer service have improved, since the typical buyer looking for a I'm not a VW hater, either.
Our one VW was an '81 Vanagon, and it was as reliable and as durable as a hammer.
It was, as Car&Driver wrote in their road test at the time, a Porsche among vans.

 

[97tbird]

I agree - Simple doesn't mean it HAS TO BE cheaply built.
My wife's 2003 Elantra has one of the most simple interiors I have experienced, but it's not cheap feeling at all. Switches, gauge cluster, arm rests, middle console etc all feel soft on surfaces, and very well put together. (sunvisor brackets were the only part that was actually 'cheap' in that car.

I have sat in previous gen Jettas and they were STILL simple, but one look and a touch is all you needed to see/fell how much better the materials were, as was fit and finish. That thing in the picture looks absurdly cheap, and just badly built.

But cheapening the interior is not new..
Saturn SL series, Altima, Accord, Camry...They all did it.

 

[fdcg27]

Well, the interior of my '12 Accord is certainly cheaper looking than those of either the '97 or the '99 we have.
It's also cheaper looking than that of my mother's '03.
Not as cheap looking as that VW interior, though, which also looks really dated, as though it were lifted from an early 'nineties Japanese pickup.

 

[Thermo1223]

I had a 2007 Rabbit before they updated the 2.5 I5 to 170HP it only had 150HP and could easily pass when needed.

You can't judge a car manufacturer's product by the way a rental company maintains it plus that stigma.

Yes the new Jetta was made at a price point to compare to Civics & Corollas. Apparently it worked because they are selling like mad.

Personally I have never been let down by any of my VW's even when I did something wrong to it. To me they are more reliable than most things but I will agree Mazda has the edge of driving dynamics. Our 3 was a wonderful thing to drive around briskly in.

 

[cptbarkey]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Well, the interior of my '12 Accord is certainly cheaper looking than those of either the '97 or the '99 we have.
It's also cheaper looking than that of my mother's '03.



the 99 accord vintage while the dash holds up pretty well, the layout is pedestrian and uninspired. the 03-07 is probably the pinnacle of quality/design. cant comment on the 12 vintage but the pictures look very nice.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: buster


My wife has a 2012 Jetta with the 2.5L as a rental. This car is awful. It feels heavy, has the worst lag in acceleration I've ever experienced in a car and the interior is bland.


My wife's 2.5 Jetta has no problem in the acceleration department, the low end torque is great and it doesn't have any problem with throttle response at all. Perhaps this rental car needs to be broken in a bit further to loosen up the engine? Or it's just a poor running example perhaps?