2019 Volkswagen Jetta

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted by Scout1

I agree, Jettas are an attractive option. It would be so much better though with just a little reprogramming of the transmission. Even though sport mode kept the engine running a little bit faster, it would still lug down below 1500 when cruising. That's why I kept grabbing the manual shift to pop it down a gear. In Sport mode, it should keep it up around 2000 I think. That and reprogram it to downshift a bit more smoothly so it doesn't throw your head forward every downshift! It's kinda like having warped rotors as you roll to a stop!


This explains why you got 38mpg on your trip. This car is fully capable of 40+ mpg. These turbo engines develop peak torque from around 1500RPM, precisely the spot the transmission is programmed to operate in. Their bottom ends are built to deal with this, unlike small NA engines. What you perceived a lugging, is normal operation.

 

[blair]

I just looked at a local dealer, very surprised at how cheap they are.

 

[Joe_H]

They usually have very steep discounts at the end of the year. I did a 10k mile per year 36 month lease on a leftover 2017 SE last year for $189/month with zero down. That also included tax/title/docs and first payment. I think they are trying to gain back more customer base after their diesel emission scandal. These things can get ridiculous gas mileage. I know people will call BS, but I've seen sustained 52 mpg on the cluster readout hypermiling on an interstate highway.

 

[jstert]

rather than new i would get a 1-2 year old cpo jetta, without the new model's teething troubles.

 

[CincyDavid]

I was just thinking this morning, during my morning commute, how happy I am with my '17 Jetta. There have been 3 occasions where I wish I had a little more power to beat someone across an intersection, but other than that the powertrain is fine. I don't feel like ANY of these newer automatics with lots of gears are all that smooth, but I keep hearing not-so-great things about the 8 speed in the new Jetta. If mine got destroyed today, I'd probably just get a Passat and be done with it...VW is just about giving those away at the moment and they're proven technology.

 

[Scout1]

Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Scout1

I agree, Jettas are an attractive option. It would be so much better though with just a little reprogramming of the transmission. Even though sport mode kept the engine running a little bit faster, it would still lug down below 1500 when cruising. That's why I kept grabbing the manual shift to pop it down a gear. In Sport mode, it should keep it up around 2000 I think. That and reprogram it to downshift a bit more smoothly so it doesn't throw your head forward every downshift! It's kinda like having warped rotors as you roll to a stop!


This explains why you got 38mpg on your trip. This car is fully capable of 40+ mpg. These turbo engines develop peak torque from around 1500RPM, precisely the spot the transmission is programmed to operate in. Their bottom ends are built to deal with this, unlike small NA engines. What you perceived a lugging, is normal operation.


Maybe a little of that but also the car was brand new and breaking in. I usually see a little worse fuel economy on a brand new car for a while till it breaks in some...

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted by Scout1
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Scout1

I agree, Jettas are an attractive option. It would be so much better though with just a little reprogramming of the transmission. Even though sport mode kept the engine running a little bit faster, it would still lug down below 1500 when cruising. That's why I kept grabbing the manual shift to pop it down a gear. In Sport mode, it should keep it up around 2000 I think. That and reprogram it to downshift a bit more smoothly so it doesn't throw your head forward every downshift! It's kinda like having warped rotors as you roll to a stop!


This explains why you got 38mpg on your trip. This car is fully capable of 40+ mpg. These turbo engines develop peak torque from around 1500RPM, precisely the spot the transmission is programmed to operate in. Their bottom ends are built to deal with this, unlike small NA engines. What you perceived a lugging, is normal operation.


Maybe a little of that but also the car was brand new and breaking in. I usually see a little worse fuel economy on a brand new car for a while till it breaks in some...


True, you broke it in for the next guy.

 

[dgcamero]

Originally Posted by Scout1
Just finished 2 weeks of driving a 2019 Jetta while on vacation in South Carolina. Thought I'd share my impressions; The car was virtually new when I got it with only 400 miles on the odo and I put close to 2000 miles on it. It had the 1.4 L turbo and 8 speed dual-clutch automatic. Not a bad car overall, comfortable, low wind noise so nice when cruising down the highway, decent suspension, big trunk and fairly nice interior. Nice backup camera and lane assist warning plus follow-to-close warning. It may have had auto breaking, but I'm not sure. I did have a chime and display warning go off when I came up on someone too quickly but I was applying the breaks hard at that point so I'm not sure if the car helped or not.

Overall, the drive-train was a bit disappointing. While it had plenty of power it was pretty noisy when pushed. The programming on the trans really keeps the RPMs low and it really lugs this little engine in order to get fuel economy. Speaking of which, fuel economy was pretty good. The dashboard MPG readout often had the MPG showing in the mid 40's for individual trips but I only averaged just over 38 on each tank when I filled up and calculated it by hand.

I kept it in "sport mode" which raised the RPM's by about 300 or so and kept it just under 2000 RPM under most conditions. But for a "sport" mode, it still shifts really early. I also frequently shifted it into manual mode to pick a better gear for various cruising conditions. Jerkiness was another issue. You felt every downshift when coming to a stop. On normal acceleration, it would often feel like it was bogging due to the early shifts but then when you press the accelerator further to gain some speed it would lurch forward as it downshifted. Kinda difficult to drive smoothly.

Finally, it does have the start-stop feature so it turns off at stop lights pretty regularly. Unfortunately, when it stops it lurches a bit. There was a button to defeat the feature but it has to be pushed every time you start the car, default is enabled. So overall, not a bad little car but some rough edges with the drive-train...


Sadly, you forgot to add that it's nearly vomitously hideous. Did you run 93 octane on your drive or 87? 87 will cause timing to pulled and make it feel sluggish.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted by dgcamero
Originally Posted by Scout1
Just finished 2 weeks of driving a 2019 Jetta while on vacation in South Carolina. Thought I'd share my impressions; The car was virtually new when I got it with only 400 miles on the odo and I put close to 2000 miles on it. It had the 1.4 L turbo and 8 speed dual-clutch automatic. Not a bad car overall, comfortable, low wind noise so nice when cruising down the highway, decent suspension, big trunk and fairly nice interior. Nice backup camera and lane assist warning plus follow-to-close warning. It may have had auto breaking, but I'm not sure. I did have a chime and display warning go off when I came up on someone too quickly but I was applying the breaks hard at that point so I'm not sure if the car helped or not.

Overall, the drive-train was a bit disappointing. While it had plenty of power it was pretty noisy when pushed. The programming on the trans really keeps the RPMs low and it really lugs this little engine in order to get fuel economy. Speaking of which, fuel economy was pretty good. The dashboard MPG readout often had the MPG showing in the mid 40's for individual trips but I only averaged just over 38 on each tank when I filled up and calculated it by hand.

I kept it in "sport mode" which raised the RPM's by about 300 or so and kept it just under 2000 RPM under most conditions. But for a "sport" mode, it still shifts really early. I also frequently shifted it into manual mode to pick a better gear for various cruising conditions. Jerkiness was another issue. You felt every downshift when coming to a stop. On normal acceleration, it would often feel like it was bogging due to the early shifts but then when you press the accelerator further to gain some speed it would lurch forward as it downshifted. Kinda difficult to drive smoothly.

Finally, it does have the start-stop feature so it turns off at stop lights pretty regularly. Unfortunately, when it stops it lurches a bit. There was a button to defeat the feature but it has to be pushed every time you start the car, default is enabled. So overall, not a bad little car but some rough edges with the drive-train...


Sadly, you forgot to add that it's nearly vomitously hideous. Did you run 93 octane on your drive or 87? 87 will cause timing to pulled and make it feel sluggish.

The 2019 Jetta is vomitously hideous?

Says the guy with an 07' GTI and a 98' ML320?

 

[Scout1]

I ran 87 since that was what it had on the fuel door label.

 

[Scout1]

Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Scout1

I agree, Jettas are an attractive option. It would be so much better though with just a little reprogramming of the transmission. Even though sport mode kept the engine running a little bit faster, it would still lug down below 1500 when cruising. That's why I kept grabbing the manual shift to pop it down a gear. In Sport mode, it should keep it up around 2000 I think. That and reprogram it to downshift a bit more smoothly so it doesn't throw your head forward every downshift! It's kinda like having warped rotors as you roll to a stop!


This explains why you got 38mpg on your trip. This car is fully capable of 40+ mpg. These turbo engines develop peak torque from around 1500RPM, precisely the spot the transmission is programmed to operate in. Their bottom ends are built to deal with this, unlike small NA engines. What you perceived a lugging, is normal operation.


What do they do to the bottom end to handle lugging? i know diesels have a lot heavier duty design and can run slower but are these 1.4 bearings wider or something?

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted by Scout1
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by Scout1

I agree, Jettas are an attractive option. It would be so much better though with just a little reprogramming of the transmission. Even though sport mode kept the engine running a little bit faster, it would still lug down below 1500 when cruising. That's why I kept grabbing the manual shift to pop it down a gear. In Sport mode, it should keep it up around 2000 I think. That and reprogram it to downshift a bit more smoothly so it doesn't throw your head forward every downshift! It's kinda like having warped rotors as you roll to a stop!


This explains why you got 38mpg on your trip. This car is fully capable of 40+ mpg. These turbo engines develop peak torque from around 1500RPM, precisely the spot the transmission is programmed to operate in. Their bottom ends are built to deal with this, unlike small NA engines. What you perceived a lugging, is normal operation.


What do they do to the bottom end to handle lugging? i know diesels have a lot heavier duty design and can run slower but are these 1.4 bearings wider or something?


Wider bearings is one thing, although I don't think they're much wider because that increases friction and lowers fuel economy. The crankshaft is more rigidly supported, so it doesn't allow the crankshaft to flex and the bore to stroke ratio is close to 1:1 or below, so the engine is square or undersquare. This puts less load on the connecting rods and bearings.

Most modern NA engines are oversquare, their bore is bigger than stroke.