I went to look at a new Jetta today with my girlfriend. She just totaled her car and she is lucky to be alive. The new jetta is a beautiful car. And it comes well equipped for the money. I can't believe the fit and finish. The quality is the best I have seen for any car including Mercedes. If I didn't have an A4 I would be a Jetta GLX VR6 owner. What a car. But I need to ask. What the hell is with the 2 valve per cylinder technology. And the GLX should come equipped from the factory with 17in. wheels and tires. Other than that the car is perfection. Anyone else seen the car? Check it out on the VW Vortech web site.

I don't think it's over priced because it comes with so many standard features. It's got A/C,Abs,side impact air bags, 4 wheel disc brakes on all models. A Honda acccord is more money. You get what you pay for. But there is no excuse for that engine.

A recent review stated the car was great as a grocery hauler or ever on tge freeway but handling was lousy on more exhilarating roas. By the way where can you purchase the product you recommend to clean the inside of your wheels? Citrus something as posted on the Wheel forum.<p>Thanks.<p>LouisE

You can't an A4 w/ leather, a sun roof, traction control, HID headlamps, automatic rain sensor wipers, heated mirrors, washer nozzles, seats, trip computer, real wood trim, power seats w/memory for 24000 incl. destination charge. That's the price for a stripped 1.8t FWD. The Jetta GLX VR6 is a bargain compared to the A4. And it has 174HP in a lighter chasis.

Thats nothing a set of 17in. wheels and koni adjustable coil overs couldn't fix. The base A4 suspension is no better. I used to buy citrasolv at the bike store for degreasing my bicycle chain. But I found a web site that sells it called www.realgoods.com. It's the best degreaser I've ever seen. Look under the cleaners menu.

I saw it in real life and was commenting from that experience. I've never seen a better built car.

Sat in a 99 New Jetta GLS (white exterior/black interior) and car felt somewhat inexpensive. The "coal bin" look of the dark interior and the inexpensive instrument pod wasn't near the Passat.. or the A4. The driver's side door seemed somewhat misaligned (closed on a slight upward angle before shutting) and the trunk, doors, and hood seemed lighter than the Passat/A4. My mother (who is the shopper here) commented that the car reminded her of her current Honda Civic EX.<p>Regardless of all of that, the only concerns I have are the power of the base engine (115HP) and the wait and price of the GLX VR6 Sport ($25K and "whenever").<p>-josh<br>98.5 2.8qms

Show me ANY Mexican built Volkswagen with build quality that APPROACHES that of any A4, and I'll EAT both cars! You said that a New Jetta's suspension is no more sophisticated than an A4:<br>Wrong again. There's alot more to price/value than<br>whether one car has wood trim or rain - sensing <br>wipers. How many German VW's, Mexican VW's, or A4's have YOU owned?

JETTA = fun-to-drive, affordable, spacious; these are the qualities of the '94 - '98 Jetta that have made it such a success! Who the f**k wants/needs a $25,000. Jetta w/wood trim and RAIN-SENSING WIPERS? WHAT'S the point? Bad move; the '94 - '98 Jetta is the one product that is most responsible for VW-Audi's resurgence in the U.S. market, and its replacement is SMALLER and MORE EXPENSIVE?!?! I don't get it.

First of all I already did show you a Volkswagon that is on par with an A4 concerning build quality. Were you not listening. Go see it before you run your mouth. Second of all What I commented on concerning the suspension was the end result. Both suspensions are very soft and have alot of dive and body roll. The A4 front suspension is the most sophisticated FWD suspension set up made. I made no such comment about sophistication. What post were you reading. You act like someone is attacking your beloved A4. Why can't it be built better than the A4. Just because it's made in Mexico? Grow up! If Rain sensing wipers and Wood trim don't add to the value/price then why doesn't Audi the "luxury line" just give it to you. I don't see HID lighting either. I had to buy freakin leatherette to avoid cloth junk. And the Faux cabon fiber is a real charmer. I hope your hungry because volkswagon is going to shove both cars down your throat. Cheers Mate!

I could buy a number of other automobiles that have the same options, including a new Accord coupe, Infiniti G20, Nissan Maxima, Passat, Contour SVT... etc. Plus historically Volkswagen reliability stinks. Our '88 Vanagon has been nothing but trouble and we used to have a Rabbit that was in the shop more than it was on the road. The Vanagon's cylinder heads cracked at 35,000, 50,000, 80,000, and again at 100,000. The tranny went at under 40,000. 3 broken fuel pumps. Interior is falling apart. Body is rusting through. Various electronic tidbits are shot. Fuel line fell apart twice. etc, etc. I think statistically Volkswagen has a larger percentage of cars leaving their factories that are lemons. Plus there have been some articles written on how quality control at their Mexico plant is poor and the finished product is often not perfect because of the high altitude of the plant having negative effects on raw materials such as plastics and paints. Anyways... I'm not saying all Volkswagens are horrible cars. I'm sure their reliability and quality have improved with their new models. It's just that I don't feel a Jetta is worth $24,000, no matter what they put in it. To me a Jetta is a cheap form of transportation for a high schooler, not a near-luxury car. In the past, the top of the line Jetta was closer to $20,000 and was a nice performing car. Too bad the new GLX version only goes 0-60 in 7.7secs. <p>Mike

If you buy a car according to it's manufacturers reliability in the past then you would never own an Audi. And why isn't it possible to improve on a cars model. An 82 Accord was a piece of junk, but that's not true today. So why is that impossible with the new jetta. I don't know if you people have noticed but things get more expensive with inflation. I'll tell you what I told everyone else don't post about it until you see it!! I SAW IT. Don't post about the Jetta 3 because that's not what I'm referring to.

If you want leather get a 2.8... if not... then you'll have to do with a 1.8t... which is a nice car. I climbed in and out of the Jetta and it felt cheap... close to a Civic or Altima. And no matter what type of Jetta you drive (GL, GLX, SYNCRO) it'll never be a status car... which an A4 is.<p>This whole debate is like comparing Hondas to Acura and Toyota to Lexus. I liked the prior generation Jettas a lot and was disappointed at what I saw at the dealership... and the price... ****, you can get a V6 Accord Coupe for the same asking price... which is bigger, more powerful, and better looking (the looks part is my own opinion of course).<p>

I think the Accord Coupe looks pretty sweet, especially with a rear wing, but too bad no manual tranny. If I could have knocked off another $500-1000 and been able to shift my own gears, then I would probably gone with the Accord instead of the A4. That 200 HP V6 is not bad compared to the 1.8 liter Audi engine.<p>Mike

Yup, Accord Coupe is a sweet car. I just got tired of Hondas... I've had a tuned 95 Accord V6 and a tuned 97 Integra GS-R... A4 is a nice change for me. =)<p>-Dantley

dfs

<br>Accords and Maxima? Gee I hope VW's engine isn't that bad since it's the same as the A4.