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2024 VW Jetta Release Date: When Will The 2024 VW Jetta Be Released? – After receiving a significant overhaul the previous year that included a whole new engine and improved design, the Volkswagen Jetta will remain mostly unchanged in 2023. Even with its spruced-up appearance, it has a reputation for being a wallflower, despite the fact that it is still an inexpensive machine that gets excellent gas mileage and offers a lot of value for the money. Inside, you will discover a cabin that is uncluttered yet has an air of sophistication about it, and there is plenty of space. Even while it comes with a manual gearbox, good handling, and a comfortable ride, the regular Jetta’s performance is only truly on par with that of other entry-level compacts. The Jetta GLI, which is its faster sibling, is a good option to consider if you’re looking for additional speed or personality.
Review
After receiving a significant update the previous year, which included the installation of an entirely new powertrain, the Volkswagen Jetta will enter the 2023 model year with just relatively minor revisions. Naturally, Volkswagen offers two versions of the Jetta: the standard model, which is the one that is being evaluated here; and the sportier Jetta GLI, which is being reviewed in a different article. While the GLI has much more power, handling that is comparable to that of the Golf GTI, and sportier aesthetics, the normal Jetta is designed to be a comfortable and fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Although it has a high-quality feel, a smooth ride, and lots of space for a compact sedan, despite having a new powertrain installed only the year before, excitement is not exactly this vehicle’s strong suit.
This new engine, a 1.5-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, comes standard on all Jetta models, including the S, the Sport, the SE, and the SEL. In contrast, the GLI has a 2.0-liter engine that produces 228 horsepower. The improvements that were released the year before brought with them an updated style as well as several new features. Now included on every Volkswagen model is the company’s Digital Cockpit and Car-Net telematics interface, as well as forward automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and rear traffic warnings. (Those final two used to cost an additional $500), and each of the four grades now comes with additional standard features. However, the level of competition is high, and it hasn’t been standing still either.
The basic Jetta’s 158 horsepower and competent handling suit it well, despite the fact that drivers won’t mistake it for the GLI while they’re behind the wheel. It is hardly quick, but with timings of roughly seven seconds from zero to sixty, it does not seem particularly sluggish either. As a result of Volkswagen’s choice to continue offering only traditional automatic and manual transmissions, the brand’s vehicles seem less sluggish on the highway in comparison to those produced by the company’s rivals who are equipped with continuously variable automatic transmissions (CVT), but this decision does not significantly impact fuel economy. According to the EPA, the automatic Jetta achieves up to 35 miles per gallon combined, and in real-world driving, it often does even better.
The Jetta’s interior has a relatively austere cabin that, depending on your preferences, may come off as either upscale or minimalist. However, the materials are decent for such an affordably priced vehicle, and there is enough space. The Elantra’s back seat, which has 38 inches of rear legroom, is the most spacious in its class; Jetta’s back seat, which has 37.4 inches of rear legroom, is on par with the Civic and is a significant step up from the Mazda’s. The SE and above trims have the finest interiors, with improved materials, heated front seats, and dual-zone temperature control. However, these features are not available with the six-speed transmission, which is a shame.
The active-safety gear upgrades from the previous year go some way toward closing the gap with the Civic and Elantra in this regard; however, IQ.DRIVE is still an optional add-on that must be purchased separately and provides lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control, both of which come standard on the Civic and are available on the medium-grades of most other rivals. The infotainment system in the Volkswagen isn’t terrible either, and it’s a relief that there aren’t as many capacitive-touch buttons as there are in the Golf GTI or the ID.4. The Jetta is still a good compact sedan bargain, especially on the cheaper trims, but its appeal is less than that of some of its competitors. In particular, the lower trims of the Jetta.
Design
The trunk space offered by the Volkswagen Jetta comes in at 14.1 cubic feet, which is just a hair less than what is offered by the Nissan Sentra (14.3), the Hyundai Elantra (14.2), and the category-leading Forte sedan (15.3). The Corolla comes in last with a score of 13.1. Both the Civic and the Mazda3 are available as hatchbacks, which provide much greater space for luggage. The hatchback version of the Civic has a load capacity of 24.5 cubic feet. The single body style available for the 2024 Subaru Impreza is a hatchback, which has a maximum cargo capacity of 20.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 56.0 cubic feet when those seats are folded down.
The style of the Jetta had a significant update the year before last, but unless you are a true VW-phile with good eyes, it will be difficult for you to pinpoint precisely what was done differently. This is a pretty conservative design, much as Jettas have been for the past decade or so, and it appears a touch boring when compared to the more modern and daring style of the Civic and the more aggressive designs of the current Corolla, Elantra, and Kia Forte. The competition in this category is still won by the curvaceous lines of the Mazda.
The inside helps make up for some of the drab exteriors in terms of appearance. The cabin has a quality look and feel to it, which is consistent with a more affordable Audi A3, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, Hyundai, Honda, and notably Mazda continue to provide finer interiors in terms of design. The materials used in the Honda, however, are not nearly as excellent as those used in the Jetta.
Interior
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) both gave the Jetta a rating of five stars overall and a series of “Good” ratings. However, the IIHS did not give the Jetta the “top safety pick” distinction. Although the Jetta received a significant boost with the introduction of frontal collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot monitoring as standard equipment, these features are still not as advanced as those found in the Honda Civic and the Subaru Impreza.
If the IQ.SAFETY suite, which includes lane assist, front assist, adaptive cruise control, active blind spot monitoring, rear traffic alert, emergency help, and travel assist, were standard equipment, the Jetta’s ranking in this category would increase. At the moment, it is not even an available option on the S model’s basic trim, and it is only available on the Jetta Sport as an expensive add-on option. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that it is available on manual Sport variants, which is not often the case on other cars with manual transmissions.
The Jetta’s interior has a feeling of high-end luxury, especially in its higher trim levels. Even in its most basic configuration, the materials are of satisfactory quality, and the assembly and finishing are well carried out. The newly standard digital cockpit as well as the redesigned steering wheel, which is shared with the Taos, both contribute to the interior having a more sophisticated feel than the ones found in the Forte or the Corolla.
Passengers in the front seats have plenty of legroom and headroom, but the rear seat is where these kinds of compact vehicles really shine or fail to shine. The legroom for passengers in the back seats is substantial, measuring 37.4 inches. That matches the score of the Civic sedan and comes very close to matching Elantra’s class-leading 38 points. The Corolla comes in last place with a rear legroom measurement of 34.8 inches for its sedan model, and its hatchback model is much worse with a measurement of only 29.9, which is a restriction that prevents some adults from being able to sit in the back.
To our good fortune, the changes from the previous year did not include the contentious interface that Volkswagen included in the brand-new 2022 models of the Golf GTI and Golf R. After using that complicated system with all of its menu options, we find that the older one, with its straightforward 8-inch display, is much more to our liking. Simply said, it functions more effectively, and Volkswagen’s system is intuitive to use and has visuals that are sharp and clear.
The fact that several amenities, such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, and onboard Wi-Fi, are optional upgrades or only available on higher trim levels detracts from Jetta’s overall score in this area. However, it might be considerably worse; for example, several rivals, most notably the Sentra, do not include nearly as much of this equipment at all.
Engine
The engine that was brand new a year ago is the same one that will be used this year, but it still has greater power than the one that was used before. It revs a bit higher, with peak power coming in at 5,500 rpm instead of 5,000, and it produces 11 more horsepower than the older 1.4-liter four-cylinder from 2021, with 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine was introduced in 2021. The S and Sport versions come standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, and buyers have the option of upgrading to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The SE and SEL models come with automatic transmission as standard equipment.
The timings of 7.2 to 7.6 seconds needed to drive from 0 to 60 miles per hour are considered to be acceptable for an entry-level compact car. In contrast, it takes a Civic equipped with the standard engine (a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque) 9.2 seconds to complete the run. To reduce the time down to 7.5 seconds, you will need the 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder engine that comes standard on the Civic Touring model. This engine produces 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Even though it has 169 horsepower available, the standard engine in the Toyota Corolla requires 10 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (its optional mill can do it in 7.3), while the Kia Forte, which only has 147 horsepower, needs roughly 8.2 to 8.4 seconds.
The ride is comfortable, and the steering is quick and accurate in all Jetta models, despite the soft suspension. In addition, the SE and SEL trim levels include Volkswagen’s XDS cross-differential system. This is an electronic version of a limited-slip differential, and it helps enhance Jetta’s cornering and handling capabilities by reducing the torque steer that may occur with front-wheel drive. When it comes to handling, the Mazda and the Honda are in a different league than the Forte, the Elantra, and the Sentra, but the Jetta reacts to the driver in a manner that is comparable to those of those three cars.
Because Volkswagen chose to stay with traditional manual and automatic gears, the Jetta is a more comfortable companion on the highway than the majority of its budget-price competitors, which all utilize continuously variable automatic transmissions (CVTs). Conventional gearboxes are nearly usually superior in terms of responsiveness and produce fewer drones while traveling at highway speeds. Honda and Kia both manufacture extremely excellent CVTs.
The Jetta models with the lowest trim levels earn the highest fuel economy, in part because they weigh a bit less as a result of having fewer levels of standard equipment. The EPA awards the Jetta S and Sport automatics with combined ratings of 35 miles per gallon (31 in the city, 41 on the highway), while the manual-transmission variants get combined ratings of 34 miles per gallon (29 in the city, 42 on the motorway). Only the automatic transmission is available for the Jetta SE and SEL versions, which have a combined rating of 33 miles per gallon (29 cities, 40 highways). In actual driving conditions, the different Jetta models often get somewhat better fuel economy than this estimate. Over the course of a week of testing using a Jetta SEL, we were able to get an average fuel economy of more than 35 miles per gallon.
The Jetta is now about on par with the Civic and the Forte as a result. In the non-hybrid category, the Elantra basic model can get up to 37 miles per gallon combined, making it the clear winner in terms of mileage. In spite of the fact that the Elantra Hybrid and the Toyota Corolla Hybrid both provide greater performance and mileage and the Hyundai Hybrid and the Toyota Corolla Hybrid both offer mileage that none of the other compact sedans can equal, the Jetta is one of the vehicles that come close to being at the top of its category. 2024 VW Jetta Release Date
Release Date
There is a good chance that Volkswagen may revise the Jetta once again for the 2024 model year. But just because something is newer doesn’t mean it’s better; it’s possible that Volkswagen may include some of the more annoying features of its more recently updated automobiles in the 2024 Jetta. We anticipate that Volkswagen will unveil the 2024 Jetta in the autumn of 2023.