If you are like many, you never want to spend too much money. Alternatively, if you don’t have much dough to spend in the first place, keeping the purchase price to a minimum is a major factor in the buying process. With car purchases being a big chunk of change. What do you do, when you want a nice car but don’t want to spend a fortune?
You think “Previously Owned Automobile,” a nice way of saying “Used Car.” Even then it is going to set you back around twenty G’s. With the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta at under $19K, you can think new as an alternative. With Jetta’s starting price of an S model at $18, 545 (add on the $450 driver assistance package, because it could save your life.)
However, is an under $19K car worth buying?
With the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, you get more car for the money than if you bought the same 2018 model. VW has re-engineered the seventh generation Jetta under the MQB Platform making this sedan even better value than ever before.
The VW Jetta was born 40 years ago as the next step up from the Golf (Rabbit as it was known in the USA.) That Golf/Rabbit replaced the much-beloved Beatle in the mid-1970’s. In that time Jetta has become one of the most successful sedans with worldwide sales of more than 17.5 million, 3.2 million sold in the USA alone.
Base Model Jetta
How good is the lowest priced 2019 Jetta S? We loved the fact that you could get it in a 6-speed manual. Maybe it was because of the oddity of a manual transmission, but more as we drove it and its more upscale brothers. VW interpreted their lowest trim level of the Jetta in much the same way they started out as a car company, which is how it came to the US in the 1950’s. VW provided a basic, well-engineered car, that was a bit out of the ordinary. While today the Jetta may no longer be out of the ordinary, as VW now conforms to the pack with design and fluid-cooled engines.
Jetta S
The S gives you much of what the more expensive Jetta trim levels have to offer, without the cost. While it does skimp on a few things, they are not all that impossible. Cloth Seats, a single USB and the 6.5-inch center screen are noticeable but not a hard stop. For example, there is a real key, while it is a modern switchblade key, not some radio-wave thing that you never know what to do with once inside the car. The other models have remote keys with push-button start. Eco-driving mode, because when you are cheap from the get-go, you want to run with it. Other features that score one in the wallet like 16” alloy wheels and tires. Real 16” alloy wheels, not steel wheels with plastic hubcaps, so it does not look less expensive.
You Get A Lot In The S
You get what the other trim levels have on the Jetta: More headroom, knee room, and shoulder room than the previous generation. Trunk space is 14.1 cubic feet, and split-folding rear seats (60/40) are standard. Jetta for 2019 has a 1.4 Turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine with 147hp, 184 ft-lbs of torque, which runs on regular 87 octane gasoline, this is the same engine for all trim levels. Standard LED lights all around multi-function wheel, car-Net-App-Connect (that connects to Apple Carplay and Android Auto). Moreover, safety features like automatic post-collision braking. Add to that VW’s People First Warranty, a best-in-class 6-year/72,000-mile with bumper-to-bumper coverage (See VW for limited warranty details), that can be transferred to subsequent owners. Not much is optional on the base S Trim Level: Start/Stop which is a fuel saver and an 8-speed automatic with Tiptronic and sport mode.
Take an S trim level 2019 Volkswagen Jetta for a drive, if, for nothing more than the manual transmission, you will be surprised with what $18,995 (plus a low $850 delivery fee, then local taxes and tags) buys.
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