The other day I put a friend between my kids and their booster seats in the Jetta's rear bench for an ice cream run. The Jetta was a hit.
"Roomy back here."
"Yeah?"
"Much bigger then my 3 Series. What is this car?"
"VW."
"Wow, Passat's are roomy."
"No Jetta."
"Really, this is Jetta? Nice. Even has vents back here."
She was right. The Jetta handled the five of us, including two oversized kid's seats, without a problem. And the Jetta's rear a/c vents on the rear of its console are a nice touch and unusual at this price point.
Then I told her it was a Diesel and she was really amazed.
"But it's so quiet?"
I doubt she'll be trading in the 325i for a Jetta anytime soon, but I wouldn't be surprised if the 335d made her short list when her lease is up in January.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
louiswei says:
10:05 AM, 09/ 4/09
Wait, let me guess, she has an automatic 325i right?
If that's the case there is no way in the you know what that she'll be considering a 335d when her lease it up...
She'll look at the sticker on the 335d and thought herself "That for a 3-series? Are they crazy?" Then walk right to the 328i (or 528i if she wants an upgrade)...
banditone says:
11:00 AM, 09/ 4/09
Louis,
You're probably right. The price of the 335d would probably keep her (like everyone else) from buying one. But just the fact that she would consider a Diesel is a good start. Change takes time.
Best,
Scott Oldham
louiswei says:
11:08 AM, 09/ 4/09
Scott,
I would consider Diesel as well as long as the price is right and ROI makes sense.
The one that I really want is a Diesel hybrid though...
blueguydotcom says:
12:54 PM, 09/ 4/09
Must have been an e46 3 series. The e90 has rear vents and the backseat is quite large. Not quite the level of the high bench seat in the Jetta but very, very roomy.
blueguydotcom says:
12:56 PM, 09/ 4/09
FWIW, Golf 5 Door TDI seems like the best way to get the roomy cabin, TDI and a smaller, better package than the Jetta but still with flexibility.
eric_l says:
09:13 PM, 09/ 4/09
Nice interior and good engine, ok I can buy that. However, the current gen Jetta can hardly be considered roomy for a family type vehicle - I had one of these (ok a regular 2.5L I4) as a rental a few months ago and the interior was compact car small. Its great if you drive around one, two, maybe three people, but I can hardly imagine fitting five people comfortable in it unless the rear seat passengers are all under 5'6". This post suggests that somehow the Jetta is Camry/Accord/Passat sized inside and that is not true at all. Yeah, some of us actually have legs and would like to sit in a car that doesn't cut off our circulation! =D
mikeolan says:
12:10 PM, 09/ 5/09
Yeah, I don't think I would fit 5 people in one, but in the wagon I could see four people for a moderate-long distance ok. It's not up to par with the Altima/Camry/Accord though.
Air vents in the back seat is something I wish every manufacturer did. Ford used to do it on the Taurus, and Nissan does it with higher trim levels on the Altima, but it's such a little thing that makes a big difference.
As a kid I got car sick in the back seat all the time from lack of circulation. The air in the back of a lot of cars can get horribly stagnant.
adjat84th says:
04:34 PM, 09/ 5/09
Eric, that was a 2.5L I5 :)
I think the interior is plenty roomy for the price point and the car's size class. A 6'6" buddy was in the back of ours just this weekend and said he didn't need anyone to slide forward.
eric_l says:
08:46 PM, 09/ 5/09
Ah right, its a 5-cyl. I thought the regular powertrain was responsive enough too and the car handled well, but seriously how can a 6'6" person fit in there comfortably? I'm 6'2" and I could not sit behind myself in that car even adjusting the driver seat as far forward as possible and still drive the car safely. In cars with limited legroom like this, tall people "fit" in the back by displacing their knees to the sides, such that they encroach upon the knee/footroom taken by the center passenger, or they just end up with their knees at their chest level.
The Jetta is a fine car, but I just don't think it can possibly be compared with the larger midsize cars. No matter how peppy the engine or how good the handling, its not worth much if you end up with miserable passengers.