Raffi Kazanjian of Eurosport Accessories"Very nice car... much more Jetta than I'm used to. It brings it up to a whole new level on a par with the Passat. I think VW is being very smart with this car. The company is taking it in the right direction. It'll tap into a bigger market, which is good for Volkswagen and good for us.
"Good torque for a base model. It'll smoke the tires off the line. I like the steering. It's very stable at high speeds. I hate this color though; black would look great.
"We've been poking around the engine and already found areas we can improve. Our intake and exhaust should net some 15 bhp. And it'll sound great given the inline five-cylinder. Great suspension. It's about time we got a proper five-link rear setup. It'll respond well to even mild chassis tuning.
"This is a big car. I like the proportions of the previous generation better. However, with it I think VW will hit a whole new crowd."
Dave Anderson of Autobahn Designs"I think this is an entirely new car for Volkswagen. Considering this is the base model, you can't even begin to compare it to previous generations. The amount of standard features is amazing. This is luxury you'd find on cars much more expensive. And it drives like a luxury German car as well; it feels very solid, very planted. For a base engine, this five-banger is damn good, light years better than the old 2.0-liter.
"I wasn't too keen on its styling but it's starting to look better. I think the only reason people think it's a German Corolla is because of this silly color.
"I can't wait to re-do the front and rear clips. All this car really needs is a tiny bit of attention and it'll be stunning. We've already ordered ours. I'm very positive we can do great things with it."
Aaron Neumann of Neuspeed"The new Jetta will need to grow on you for a while. It's obvious Volkswagen has built this car for the American market so it's styling is a bit more mainstream. I've heard people refer to the new Jetta as the German Corolla. I think it's more of a 'Corolla Killer.'
"This thing has got loads of standard features you'd never see in a Japanese import. This is the most luxurious entry-level car out there right now.
"Overall it feels very tight, totally German. Considering this is the base model/engine, it is very torquey. Then again it's a heavier car, so VW could not rely on its older four-cylinder engine.
"Neuspeed has already begun a tuning program. There's plenty of room under the hood for some sort of forced induction. We're working on a supercharger right now. It will let us get sizable gains while being CARB approved.
"The new Jetta proves that VW is being responsive to the U.S. market. It's a very solid piece of work that stays true to its Germanic roots."