2022 Volkswagen Jetta Consumer Reviews

I bought the 2019 GLI 35th Anniversary Edition in deep black pearl. The car had 23 miles on it when I bought it and is now just over 20,250. I use the car as my daily driver, and commute about 85 miles a day. The car is comfortable, reliable, and gets relativity good gas milage for a turbo performance base Jetta. On average I get between 33 and 35 MPG driving conservatively, at its worst driving aggressively in the city I get around 22 MPG. The car only has a 13.2 gallon gas tank so I have to fill up once a week. The car is very quick from 0 to 60 and the shifts from the 7 speed DSG are quick and smooth. There are times however when hard acceleration at freeway speeds causes what most VW owners know as "DSG Lag" where the car kinda falls flat on its face for a second then accelerates fairly hard. 60 to 90 MPH happens quicker than you realize but 90 up to the governor set limit of 125 takes longer than expected. The tires that came on the car are Hankook Kinergy GT 225/45 R18 the tire is a good all season tire that grips well in dry and wet conditions and decent in snowy conditions. The problem is that the tire from Hankook says they should last 45,000 miles with proper rotations and proper tire pressure maintained. My car is just under 20,300 miles and all 4 tires need to be replaced. I did maintain tire pressure and rotated the tires every 5,000 miles. The intercooler is too small for the high demand of the engine if the driver like myself is a car enthusiast and on the weekend wants to drive the car like the performance car it is. The adaptive suspension is great and when is sport mode offers a nice stiff, responsive feel. The car moves with little drama through tight, winding curves of canyon roads here in Utah. The ride height of the car is a little too high creating a big wheel gap that esthetically does not look appealing for the body lines of the car. It only needs to be about 1.5 inches lower from the factory and would look more aggressive and pleasing. I would not recommend lowering the car more than 1.5 inches as Volkswagen decided to use a plastic oil pan!!! There are companies that make a steel or aluminum oil pan kits for around $60. Volkswagen couldn't just spend the extra $60 during production?? Volkswagen suggests oil changes at 10,000 mile increments, I however do not agree even with modern engine technology and better synthetic oils. I would recommend no more than 5,000 miles between oil changes, as the oil not only feeds the engine components but also the IS20 turbo which is bigger and provides higher boost than the IS12 in the base model Jettas. There are a lot of aftermarket parts for these cars, that in my opinion elevate the car to where I believe it should have been from the factory. My suggestions for simple modifications that will not affect the cars warranty based on The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act but will increase fuel milage (I am now up to 36 MPG), quicker throttle response, and better all around driving experience are: An intake of your choice (preferably one with some kind of separation shield from the hot air of the engine bay), a turbo inlet pipe (all aftermarket inlet pipes have a bigger diameter for better airflow), a turbo muffler delete (a part that connects the charge pipe from the turbo to the intercooler, has a muffler in it to reduce turbo induction noise but causes air turbulence restricting flow and laggy throttle response. A turbo muffler delete is smooth, straight through design and eliminates the turbulence giving better airflow and quicker throttle response), and a catback exhaust because as the engine is breathing more air, the air needs a bigger exit. The interior is comfortable but nothing extravagant, it doesn't need to be though it fits my family of 4 just fine. All in all the car is great from the factory, stock it is quick, nimble, and comfortable. With a few easy to install modifications the car becomes amazing, and a real car enthusiasts ride!!