Do we like the Jetta R-line?

New job means wife and I can no longer carpool into work. I've looked around for similar appliance DD's that would be fun to drive and they all seem pretty similar. Mazda 3/6 are great, but I hate the way they placed the screen in the dash. I like the kias too, (especially the Stinger, but $$) but have yet to test drive any of them. I originally said no Euro manufacturers, because I want it to be reliable, but the Jetta R-line really caught my eye. Seems to be a pretty decent car for 25k. My budget was 15-20k, but as we all know the used market is insane, so I may as well spend a bit more and get a brand new vehicle.

I've read the GRM article, and some other stuff on them. But haven't heard from any real life owners. Does anyone here have one or have experience with them? I would love to hear more!

New Jetta is a very nice car.  Quiet and super roomy.

I would recommend you drag your feet slightly and look for a 2022 Jetta Sport (which replaced the R Line).  The car got a mild refresh for 2022 and also got the new 1.5T which replaces last years 1.4T and adds 10 hp but still gets 40 mpg highway.  With an auto trans MSRP of a new one should be just under $24k.  

I would think dealers will be getting 2022 Jettas very soon.

A 2021 is also a good choice but if you can have the refreshed model with more power and same fuel economy for same price, why not?

I have to agree, Wait for the 22 Sport.

The R line was really nothing different than the S, just had wheels, foglights and awful half white seats.

NBraun said:

I've read the GRM article, and some other stuff on them. But haven't heard from any real life owners. Does anyone here have one or have experience with them? I would love to hear more!

Came here to share the review, but it looks like you've already read it. If I find anything else on the site while I'm poking around, I'll post in this thread for you.

I saw one when shopping for a GTI, and loved the look of it. I was surprised to learn that it was appearance-only. I figured the R badge meant AWD and big HP. Still, its a great looking car. 

I'm not here to encourage you further, but look at the pics I've attached.  $22090 full MSRP with what I think to be attractive wheels, a limited slip front diff, and blacked out trim.  Looks to be a LOT of car for the money.

In reply to Loweguy5 :

I would definitely agree! I'm a little bummed that the '22 don't have leather, and they changed to an all digital dash. But I'm guessing that's not a total deal breaker. 

In reply to NBraun :

Used R-Lines seem to be in the $24-$25k range.  Buy the 2022 Sport, even in an auto and it's under $23k.  Spend another thousand to have Katskin real leather put in (the R-Line has synthetic seat covers anyway).

Where does one find a dealer selling at MSRP these days?  

For every dealer over MSRP there is another one selling at MSRP.  Call around there are plenty of them out there, particularly on sedans.

In reply to Loweguy5 :

What if that sedan is a Civic Si?  

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Loweguy5 :

What if that sedan is a Civic Si?  

This. The Civic Si is the bargain of the century. 200hp, 6 speed and LSD factory equipped. They are quite trackable also(GRM article on it). 

kevinatfms said:

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Loweguy5 :

What if that sedan is a Civic Si?  

This. The Civic Si is the bargain of the century. 200hp, 6 speed and LSD factory equipped. They are quite trackable also(GRM article on it). 

They Probably are a good deal. Unfortunately outside of the budget for me.

Loweguy5 said:

For every dealer over MSRP there is another one selling at MSRP.  Call around there are plenty of them out there, particularly on sedans.

I was rear ended and had to buy a new car last week.  The mark up is the new mark down.  It disappears right away without asking and you get the favor of buying at MSRP.  At least that was my experience at several dealerships.  Worst I saw was $2500, usual was $1500.  Was looking at Tiguans and CX-50s.  Selection of anything interesting was nil.

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

Thats a no dawg.  Honda dealers seem to be charging far over MSRP on the Si.  I grant you that's an exception to my above stated rule.

Figured I would add to this. We test drove a '20 Jetta and Passat on saturday. As well as '21 forte, '20 optima, and a '21 mazda 3. The Jetta was by far my favorite car. Unfortunately they are just getting their shipment of '21 jettas in this month, with no date in mind for the '22's. I need to make a decision this month as I'll probably go broke driving the truck in these times, so looks like I can't wait for the '22.

Figured I would post an update. The Volkswagen dealer was by far the best to deal with, after we had gone to the Honda, Kia, and Toyota dealers. We paid MSRP, but in a time of car shortages and dealer markups, they were extremely transparent about the deal. To the point my wife is already talking about getting a crossover for herself through them.

We've put just over 10,000 miles on the car. I drive 40 miles a day, and it's been on several 4-5 hour road trips thus far. I absolutely love the car. It has it's quirks for sure. The transmission tuning leaves something to be desired, but it does it's job as a very comfortable commuter. I average 32-35 mpg for town/interstate driving and we've gotten as much as 43 mpg on a 65 mph road trip.

I know 10,000 miles is still early in the cars life, but I would absolutely buy the car again.

I was suprised to see "limited slip diff" mentioned on the sport, found this on the VW site:

Electronic differential lock (XDS)

The XDS electronic differential lock improves the traction and handling of front-wheel-drive models. In technical terms, the XDS system, initially developed for the Golf GTI, is an extension of the electronic differential lock (EDS) integrated in the ESP system. As soon as the electronics detect excessive unloading of the inside wheel of the driven front axle during fast cornering, the ESP hydraulic system builds up braking system pressure in a targeted way on this wheel to restore optimum traction. This way, the XDS acts as a limited-slip differential to compensate for the understeer typical of front-wheel-drive cars during fast cornering. Thanks to XDS, handling becomes more precise and more neutral.

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:

I was suprised to see "limited slip diff" mentioned on the sport, found this on the VW site:

Electronic differential lock (XDS)

The XDS electronic differential lock improves the traction and handling of front-wheel-drive models. In technical terms, the XDS system, initially developed for the Golf GTI, is an extension of the electronic differential lock (EDS) integrated in the ESP system. As soon as the electronics detect excessive unloading of the inside wheel of the driven front axle during fast cornering, the ESP hydraulic system builds up braking system pressure in a targeted way on this wheel to restore optimum traction. This way, the XDS acts as a limited-slip differential to compensate for the understeer typical of front-wheel-drive cars during fast cornering. Thanks to XDS, handling becomes more precise and more neutral.

 

Yea, a lot of people saying that there is "nothing special" about the R-line, but this to me is key. I have a GTI with essentially this system and its pretty great. I would grab an R-line because of this diff....

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:

I was suprised to see "limited slip diff" mentioned on the sport, found this on the VW site:

Electronic differential lock (XDS)

The XDS electronic differential lock improves the traction and handling of front-wheel-drive models. In technical terms, the XDS system, initially developed for the Golf GTI, is an extension of the electronic differential lock (EDS) integrated in the ESP system. As soon as the electronics detect excessive unloading of the inside wheel of the driven front axle during fast cornering, the ESP hydraulic system builds up braking system pressure in a targeted way on this wheel to restore optimum traction. This way, the XDS acts as a limited-slip differential to compensate for the understeer typical of front-wheel-drive cars during fast cornering. Thanks to XDS, handling becomes more precise and more neutral.

 

Interesting, I always assumed my (2018) GTI SE had a Haldex-style LSD up front, not an e-diff...

That said,  I drive (and exit-corner accelerate) hard pretty regularly and the GTI diff has been nothing short of amazing in maintaining traction, dry or wet. Much moreso than the mechanical LSDs I've had in olded FWD cars. It's really a very, very good system, and extremely smooth and predictable.