1999 Volkswagen Jetta Compact Car Reviews & Ratings

From the front seat there is plenty of room for a driver that is well over six feet tall. There is sufficient headroom even when equipped with the optional sunroof. The front bucket seats are built in the European tradition and therefore may not have as much cushion as some may like. Others will find them supportive and quite comfortable. The knob for adjusting the recline mode of the seat back is difficult to reach. Though this has been a Volkswagen design for years, it is one we would like to see changed.

Rear seat room is at a premium if driver and passenger position their seats to the rearmost location. We moved the seats slightly forward to accommodate a full load of passengers while retaining a relatively comfortable position for a tall driver. The rear seat features 60/40 fold-down capability as well as a pass-through feature for skis and fly rods. Three shoulder harness are installed in the rear for maximum safety.

In the Teutonic German fashion, the controls, switches and instruments are easy to see and manipulate. We were a bit skeptical when VW announced they were using blue lighting with red points on their instruments. Though blue is used as lighting in the aircraft industry, it can be difficult to read. However, our skepticism vanished quickly as darkness fell on our drive. The shade of blue that illuminates the instrument panel makes the numerals easy to read and the stark contrast of the red pointers make them stand out as if floating in thin air. In our GLS test vehicle the leather-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel felt good in our hands. This firm grip goes right along with the sportiness of the Jetta. A new radio adds manual tuning to the scanning feature, making it possible to receive weaker signals.

Driving is where the new Jetta shines the brightest. The Jetta's ability to take curves at speed makes driving it a shear pleasure. We tested it along California's Pacific Coast. From San Diego to the small village of Mendocino far above San Francisco, the Jetta kept us entertained. It handles long interstate cruises very well -- its stability made us feel like we were driving a larger vehicle.

The VR6 engine has more than enough torque to pass a slower vehicle without downshifting from fifth gear. Numerous times we found ourselves caught behind a large truck and the Jetta had plenty of torque to get us to the front of the line in nothing flat. The close-ratio manual transmission makes it a joy to move through the gears. The shifter has a more solid feel than in years past, making it easier to make quick shifts. The steering is very precise with excellent on-center feel -- there's absolutely no play in the steering. This is a real driver's car.

The new Jetta is a breeze to drive day in and day out. It is a vehicle that we could just as easily jump into for a long commute or a quick run to the corner market. With its varied road conditions, the Pacific Coast was the perfect place to test the Jetta. The VR6 engine allowed the Jetta GLS to gobble up the miles in a manner reminiscent of larger and more luxurious vehicles.

This new Jetta showed its handling prowess on each twist and turn along California's coast. At the absolute limit of adhesion, there's a slight bit of understeer making the Jetta easy to drive quickly. But you have to drive very hard to reach that limit. On heavy-footed acceleration the Jetta tracked true with no detectable torque steer. In high-speed sweeping corners it feels like it's on rails.