Volkswagen Jetta (1999 - 2004) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I’ve owned my Jetta going on 13 years (got it in October 2000) and have racked up over 100K miles. It has been so much fun to drive. I live and work in the Washington DC area and avoid driving to work like the plague. However, my job moved to an area were mass transit was not readily available. My Jetta made the daily commute almost a joy. When my job moved back to its previous location, I was almost sorry I didn’t have to drive to work. My car has done everything I’ve asked of it without hesitation. Takes off like a shot when I have to do a quick merge onto the highway or ambles happily along when I’m cruising back roads. Handles like a dream except when parallel parking. I get a real workout trying to park in a tight spot. The only real downside to this car is maintenance. The check engine light keeps coming on at disturbing regularity. As a foreign car, I expected it would be more expensive for up keep. But having to shell out several thousand dollars on what has become a yearly basis is a bit much. Overall, though, I will keep this car as long as I possibly can, I love it that much.May 21, 2013

It's an extremely fun car to drive, with predictable limits. Power from the torquey VR6 is more than enough to send you flying into triple digit speeds. Speaking of the VR6, it gets surprisingly good gas mileage if treated right. I often see 10.0-11.0L/100km (21-24mpg) on my daily commute (consisting of city mileage only) to school and work. When cruising on the highway, consumption drops to a commendable 8.0L/100km (29mog). Premium fuel (91 Octane) or more IS REQUIRED! Steering feel & feedback is excellent, along with stellar brakes. Ride is firm (my GLI sport springs can be blamed for that), but it provides the best compromise between performance and comfort. The standard springs were too soft for my liking. Clutch engagement is quite high up on the pedal, but the weight of the clutch is perfect. Fit & finish is stellar both inside and out. The car is 12 years old and there is absolutely no sign of cracking, ripping, or fading on the leather upholstery. The blue and red instrument cluster lighting looks fantastic at night, and all controls are easy to reach. My Jetta also has VW's CLIMATRONIC climate control which is an excellent feature (set it and forget it!). The rain-sensing, automatic wipers also come in handy quite often. Do be sure to turn them off if entering car washes, as the wiper arms can get ripped off. The attention to detail can be seen everywhere in this car... the side view mirror will angle downwards when reverse is engaged to assist with parallel parking, the fuel pump will prime itself when the driver's door is opened before getting in. Things like this make the driving experience that much better... As I stated earlier, the gas mileage is totally dependant of how you drive the car. If treated right, the Jetta will do just fine. Keeping up to date on regular maintenance is crucial if you want your car to last. No out of the ordinary maintenance has been needed. Exterior styling is conservative, but a hint of muscularity can be seen in places like the fender flares. Jetta's tend to have a bit of a "monster truck" look to them in stock from, so I highly advise moving to the VW sports suspension, which will lower the car similarly to how mine is in the picture.Mar 05, 2013

My friend Amy recently lent me her 2004 biodiesel-powered Jetta for the afternoon. This was the first diesel vehicle I had ever driven, but I had an idea of what to expect—lots of low end torque, a narrow power band, and a loud rumbling engine. I was pleasantly surprised. Volkswagen has done a good job of tuning the engine to keep it more user-friendly for drivers used to gasoline engines. The small turbocharger helps spread out the power band without introducing any lag, and the engine is reasonably quiet and consistent in volume throughout the rev range. I thoroughly enjoyed driving this car. The steering is sharp and the body stays completely level in sharp turns, likely due to the low center of gravity and tight suspension. The engine’s overall power (100 hp, 177 lb-ft of torque) isn’t overwhelming, but the 5-speed manual transmission and wide power band make it easy to accelerate quickly when needed. Exterior styling is one of the Jetta’s low points. The design is an evolution of the “folded paper” look of the original 1979 model. Volkswagen seems to think that slightly rounding the creases is an acceptable way to modernize the Jetta. Unfortunately, it still just looks like a boring metal box. The interior is a stark contrast to the exterior. Soft black plastic with silver accents covers most surfaces. The smooth curves of the dashboard and center console have convinced me that this car was actually designed in the 21st century. It only gets better when the headlights are switched on, as everything is bathed in a mellow orange glow. The best part of owning a diesel vehicle is the fuel economy. You really can’t go wrong with the Jetta’s EPA ratings of 31/40 mpg, which put it on a par with much smaller and weaker gasoline-powered cars. After 3 hours of city driving, the fuel gauge needle hadn’t moved a millimeter. For Amy, the ability to run the Jetta on biodiesel is the major selling point of the car. She doesn’t like to support middle-eastern countries that harbor terrorists by buying their exported oil. “I don’t want to give my money to the terrorists”, she says. That may be the best reason to buy a diesel car today. Independence from foreign oil and zero emissions make it a great choice for a socially conscious driver. I think the Jetta can also appeal to those who just want a reliable car that will save them money at the pump, but the purchase price could be a problem. In the US, Volkswagen has always sold the Jetta TDI at a much higher price point than the gasoline model, and used examples have held their value well due to the high quality. Perhaps once diesels begin to catch on in this country prices will become more reasonable.Jan 06, 2013

I know that VW gets a bad wrap for reliability, but this car has only needed its routine maintenance over the past eight years. The rear brakes lasted 90k, and I just did the front brakes at 125k, and could have gone longer! The diesel engine is rock solid and has great torque. We have the 5-speed manual and would not choose the automatic transmission. Nov 16, 2011

I adore my darling, practical glx wagon! Unlike the other models, mine is actually made in Germany so I feel the build quality is much better. My car is so fun to drive and it carries my dogs, my horses grain bags and groceries all in one trip! I just cannot say enough about this car! I change my oil with only mobile one synthetic oil and I always use the high quality filters made by KT. When I need a new car I am hoping they will make another great wagon!Jan 13, 2011

The VW Jetta is just a solid piece of everyday ordinary driving pleasure. Not much in the way of mechanical difficulties in 6+ years of driving. This car still sounds tight after almost 75,000 miles of driving. One brake job, original exhaust and battery still in car. interior still looks new. Ready for a second set of tires. The mileage is good as well; 30 mpg daily driving 33+mpg on highways, can't beat it.Sep 09, 2010

I loved this car and miss it dearly. Build quality was very good...the doors were very solid and had a tight fit, the dash was made of very high quality materials and overall fit and finish were good. Gas mileage and power from the 1.8T engine were great...I used to average around 30mpg. There was a bit of turbo lag, but once that passed, the car scooted along nicely. The Wolfsburg package added wheels by BBS and a real spoiler, it was a pretty nice looking car, especially in red. One of the only negative things was the cost of replacement parts. I didn't have to do much, but when I did, it was expensive. I think that's typical for VW's. Some VW's have a reputation for poor reliability, but I never had any trouble with mine at all. The car handled very well, pretty flat cornering and the brakes were very good. I'd definitely recommend this car. I'm glad to see that VW made the Wolfsburg available again with the turbo engine...I would have liked to speak with whoever decided to put the 2.5 5cyl in the supposedly special "Wolfsburg Edition." Sep 25, 2009

Beautiful car. I like it a lot, the VR6 has power to spare for a compact car. GLS has every option. Beige leather interior, power everything, moon roof, climate control, cruise, 6 disc changer in trunk, 4 wheel discs, heated seats and mirrors. Handles very well, the 5-speed helps that VR6 engine get up and go pretty quickly. The only down side is having to put a minimum 91 octane in the car and synthetic oil and the high price of European parts, but thats the price you pay to drive most German vehicles. Comfortable, stylish and overall fun to drive, favourite car I've ever owned by far.Sep 22, 2009

The car is pretty quick and has great acceleration. Handling is superb and never has a problem taking tight turns at speed. The car is built great from the ground up. I dislike the plastic front and rear valences but upgrades are available. The appearance of the car is very sharp and aggressive looking especially with the addition of a BOSER hood. The car gets about 20-25 MPG. take like 25-30 to fill the tank and gas is at 2.53 a gallon. Car is so Fun. :DJun 21, 2009

This is my wife's car, and we love it. It has excellent build quality, it's fast, and has nearly telepathic brakes. We have had it since new, and never done any major work to it, the brakes are 80% (60K) and it looks like new. It is a dream to drive, and the seats are good (heated), it also has a premium sound system which is great for such an inexpensive car.Apr 02, 2009

Handles well; accelerates well (with added chip & cold air intake unit); brakes well especially around corners. Def go with the vr6, that engine is by far VWs best. Build quality is superior to most american built cars..but still could be better. The interior is sweet and the Bose system is pretty nice as well. I love the black on black leather look too. Overall its a fun car to drive. I'd suggest upgrading the tail lights and headlights, its a much better look. And the cold air intake unit adds that extra umph when you floor it. Also, debadging makes the ass end look so much better.Jan 18, 2009

The mark IV Jetta has received less than stellar reviews for reliability, particularly regarding its electrical system. However, I've been nothing but thrilled with my turbo GLS model since the first day I drove it off the lot. It's not too big or too small, the trunk is huge, the gas mileage only improves as I near 90K miles, and the acceleration is great! The car is also very solid and quiet. It's a ton of fun to drive. I typically get tired of cars within two or three years of ownership, but I still love my VW after more than eight years! I don't plan to ever get rid of it!Oct 22, 2008

I've had this car for about a year and a half and put roughly 20k miles on it so far. It is one of the best cars I've owned. I've read many bad reviews on the car and it's series and it was listed in consumer reports cars to avoid. Mine is slightly rare in that it is the GLS, leather, premium sound, moon roof, seat warmers, etc. but it's manual transmission. The only problem I've had with this car was in winter time in Washington state. The rain gutters clogged up and caused water to get into the car. I was easily able to treat the issue and it was a few months before it happened again. I may be annoyed with this issue every few months but now I'm living in southern California and I park my car in a garage. Issue avoided. The car is responsive and handles well. Plenty of trunk space. I get complements on it all the time. People say it's a cute little car or that it just looks good. People who sit in it are usually impressed with the look and feel, especially at night. Though the back seat doesn't have much leg room for a 4 door. The cup holders block radio control and the readout. However, there are buttons on the steering wheel so it's a minor issue. Sep 17, 2008

I was looking for a '02 to '04 Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally and had a car salesman friend of mine looking for one on the auction circuit. He wasn't having much luck finding one so one of the times that I was visiting him at his dealership he was a good salesman and said "well this Jetta is about the same type of car as a Lancer, why don't we take it for a test drive." Although I had always thought of VW's as girly cars(partially due to my isi-in-laws VW bug, and cars like the Rabbit or early boxy Jettas). I swallowed my pride and took a test drive. It was more comfortable than I thought was possible. I was hooked, it responded in handling, and acceleration much better than I had expected and better than the Lancer that I once had('02 Mitsubishi Lancer SE). Thoughts of an upgraded version of my old car soon left my head and I was asking where to sign. It helped that my friend gave me a screaming deal(at least $1500 under what most dealers were selling the same car for)but in addition I have been very well pleased with the performance and comfort of my Jetta. The only time that it has let me down is when I had to spend $1200 fixing the clutch that the previous owner had fried.Jul 21, 2008

2.0 gl, 5 speed manual trans, 225/40 inch lowprofile tires on 18 ince black 5 lug with chrome lip rims, neuspeed cold air intake, eibach lowering springs, full limo tint, 10inch jl W6 subwoofer with a 500/1000 jl amp. and a soon to come neuspeed supercharger with an estimated 50 additional horsepower and a 3 inch exhaust. This car has amazing handling, great high end performance and beautiful interior.Jun 09, 2008

I had the opportunity to drive this vehicle from Johannesburg down to Cape Town, and back in December 2006. We had a fully loaded boot, with a trailer. The nice part is, that this TDI might only have about 80KW of power, but the amount of torque is upped, due to the diesel engine. It easily cruises in the drive gear, and passing traffic only requires planting of the right foot. I also love the interior styling, and attention to detail. All in all, a nice car.Dec 31, 2007