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Originally posted by: thewizard16
"You've said my thoughts pretty much. For a car that really doesn't do anything much better than the Civic or Corolla (especially Corolla, since it has more luxury-ish features), or even Mazda 3, the price difference should kill it. I don't see how they can sell a standard compact car at the same price as a nice midsize car with luxury options."

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Some C/D members have said that a comparison between the Corolla and Jetta is as unfair as one between the Jetta and BMW 3-Series (one's cheaper, but they don't compete). What a load of bulldump.

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Originally posted by: thewizard16
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So what do they think the Jetta competes with? I'm not on C/D right now, but I might go look at it later."

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The Jetta supporters (actually, I think it's down to supporter) hasn't really made that clear.

The new Jetta has some good and some bad. On one end, the new base motor is an improvement over the old 2.0. On the other hand, VW softened up the car's ride and handling, gave it styling that is not only bland, but looks like it's aiming to be confused as a Corolla, and considering some of the competition, the car is pretty overpriced. Especially as you start tacking on options. Not that that's anything new, since I feel that VW's as a whole are all a bit overpriced and have been for a while. You can get a Mazda3 with practically everything the Jetta gives you for several thousand less and still have a car that performs better and is more engaging to drive, not to mention more reliable (unless VW has improved their standards at the Mexican plant). For the price of the "Value Package" Jetta, you can get a Corolla that will offer you similar equipment, styling, performance, and better reliability for a couple thousand less. The worst part is that the 2.5L Jetta can approach $28K, I'm afraid of how pricy the models boasting the higher end motors will go.

I generally liked the old Jetta better. It was a much better looking car, at least. And while the old Jetta was also rather overpriced, IMO, when it was released there really wasn't anything else out there that was quite like. For those wanting a small car that felt like more like a premium car but couldn't fork over the money for an A4 or 3 series, the VW was a decent compromise. I could see why someone would pay more over a more traditional compact like a Corolla or Civic. But now with the Mazda3 on the scene, there is a choice when it comes to premium compacts. And I think by moving to blander styling and softer ride/handling, VW has made a mistake and will lose VW faithful. VW has given up all that made the previous Jetta appealing, IMO. They abandoned unique, European styling and firm, sporty European road manners for blander, Japanese styling and softer, less engaging road manners.

Those things wouldn't have been so much of a problem (making the VW lineup appeal to a wider range of more-traditional consumers, giving them a much-needed sales increase) were it not for the substantial price increase over an already-expensive vehicle that came with it.

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Originally posted by: ifcar
"Those things wouldn't have been so much of a problem (making the VW lineup appeal to a wider range of more-traditional consumers, giving them a much-needed sales increase) were it not for the substantial price increase over an already-expensive vehicle that came with it. "

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Good point.

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Originally posted by: Kevin
"I think with VW in financial troubles this is a terrible mistake.  It's pretty self explanatory, but a car the size of a Corolla should definitely not be priced at $30k, at least not here and now."

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Well, some of the entry lux cars aren't much larger than a Corolla, but they at least have significantly better performance, and high-end features. The Jetta has some nice features, but it's not sufficient to warrant the price tag.