Volkswagen Jetta 1999 - 2005 review

Overview

Volkswagen Jetta 1999-2005 Volkswagen Jetta The fourth-generation Volkswagen Jetta was introduced to the North-American market in late 1998. Classy look, stylish interior, excellent ride quality, good safety records and variety of engine choices contributed to its popularity. The Jetta comes as a four-door sedan or a five-door wagon. Volkswagen Jetta has front-wheel drive, with the McPherson struts in the front and torsion beam in the rear suspension. Inside, the Jetta is comfortable and quiet. The driver's seat is very supportive. The classic dashboard has a distinctive European style. What needs to be improved is the durability of some plastic components. The glove box, the window control trim and some other parts are certainly could be made stronger. On the road, the Jetta handles very well. The ride quality is excellent for a small car. Take the Jetta on the highway and it's easy to see that it was designed for the German autobahns with no speed limit. The front driver's and passenger's airbags, front side airbags, four-wheel ABS system, disk brakes on all four wheels are standard, which is rare to find in a compact class. Optional Traction Control and Stability Control systems were also available. In the NHTSA safety tests, only the 1999 Jetta scored poorly in side impact tests. The 2000-2005 Jetta received five stars for both, the driver and the front passenger protection in the frontal crash tests. In the side impact tests, the 2000-2005 Jetta received four stars for both the driver and the rear passenger protection. For more details, check the Safercar.gov website.

The engine

Volkswagen Jetta four-cylinder 2.0 engine

Volkswagen Jetta 1.8-turbo engine"

The 1999-2005 Volkswagen Jetta was available in North America with four engine choices:
The base is the 4-cylinder SOHC 2.0L 155-hp engine which is fairly simple, but not very durable engine.
The high-performance DOHC 4-cylinder 150-hp 1.8L turbo engine (increased to 180 hp from 2002) is certainly a better choice if you like being pushed into the seat when taking off. However, this engine also is not trouble-free and it needs to be maintained well to last. The 90-hp 1.9L turbo Diesel engine is a great choice if you have long commute to and back from work. This engine can last very long if properly maintained. Models from 2004 came with more quiet 100-hp 1.9L Pumpe Düse diesel engine. Both diesel engines have very impressive fuel economy.
The best choice, in my opinion is the powerful and smooth 2.8L 174-hp VR6 DOHC engine (its power has been increased to 201 hp from 2002). All these engines except the 2.8L VR6 have a timing belt that must be replaced in recommended intervals.

Pros

- Good safety records for 2000+ models
- Interior comfort
- Excellent handling
- Standard ABS system
- Standard 4 wheel disk brakes
- Variety of available engines
- Variety of optional equipment

Cons

- Not the best reliability
- Poor side-impact crash test scores for 1999 model
- Service and parts are quite expensive
- Price
- Too many plastic parts that are less durable than should be.
- Certain models might be costly to insure. Check the insurance quote first.

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