If you value space above all else in your compact sedan, there isn’t a better car suited to your needs than the Jetta. Before setting off on a recent Garden Route trip that would see five adults and their luggage loaded into the Volkswagen, I had misgivings about the Jetta’s ability to keep them content and comfy. But, everyone fit without too many histrionics and the enormous luggage bay swallowed various bits of suitcase and wine bottle with ease.
Back in the office, I decided to have a look at our cabin space and ISO-block boot measurements to see how the Jetta stacks up against its main rivals, in this case the brand-new Kia Cerato and our current Top 12 Best Buys choice for compact sedans, the Hyundai Elantra.
In terms of rear-seat legroom, the Jetta measures 764 mm between the front and rear seatbacks. The Cerato (which hardly feels cramped) musters 715 mm and the Elantra 720 mm. Volkswagen’s engineers should be congratulated for achieving this on a wheelbase that measures 49 mm shorter than the Korean twins’. But they didn’t stop at rear legroom; the German’s boot is also between 32 and 72 dm3 larger.
I wish the Jetta trumped them on spec, though… The lack of USB and Bluetooth is still a major bugbear, especially on the flagship in the range and one of the more expensive sedans in the segment.
Otherwise, it’s thriving business as usual with the Jetta; I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Volkswagen.
Mileage on arrival (km): 1 618
Mileage now (km): 11 121
Fuel consumption (litres/100 km): 6,28
We like: excellent space utilisation
We don’t like: tricky clutch
