The 2012 Volkswagen Jetta comes in five levels of trim, working its way up from the Base, through S, SE up to the ultimate SEL trim.
The Volkswagen Jetta Base comes with manually adjustable driver and passenger seats, durable fabric upholstery , tilting and telescoping steering wheel, power locks, power windows and fifteen inch steel wheels with 195/65R H all season tires. The S comes in with power heated exterior mirrors, keyless entry, air conditioning, and CD player hooked up to a powerful four speaker sound system. Optional extras start to kick in with the S model, with the first being cruise control, sunroof and a center console for the front seats.
Stepping up to the Jetta SE means that cruise control and the front center console become standard to be joined by rear seat center armrest and leather effect vinyl upholstery. Optional extras for the SE include leather bound steering wheel, heated front seats, touchscreen interface, SD memory card reader, six CD changer all of these topped off with sixteen inch alloy wheels with 205/55R H all season tires.
The Volkswagen Jetta SEL comes with all of the SE's options as standard as well as fog lamps, manual front seat lumbar adjustment, trip computer, navigation system, rear disc braking system as well as seventeen inch alloy wheels with 225/45R17 91W all season tires.
The new VW Jetta come equipped with six airbags as standard taking in driver and front row passenger airbags, side airbags in front as well as side curtain airbags for the front and rear, electronic stability program, tire pressure monitoring, brake assist, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, seatbelt pre- tensioners, traction control and rear door child safety locks.
Fuel consumption for the Volkswagen Jetta base and S versions come as a 2.0-liter four-cylinder automatic, according to the US EPA, averages out at 25 miles per gallon, with 21 miles per gallon in the city and 31 miles per gallon on the highway. The Jetta SE and SEL's 2.5-liter 5 cylinder engine with automatic gearbox provides a slightly more economical ride with the EPA recording 27 miles per gallon as an average, with 23 miles per gallon in the city and 33 miles per gallon out of it.
The Volkswagen Jetta Sedan comes up against a lot of competition for the mid range saloon category customer competing against such redoubtable rivals as the Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer DE, Ford Focus S, Honda Civic, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Kia Forte, Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza, Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra and the Suzuki SX4.
The 2012 Volkswagen Jetta has undergone a change of styling that while reducing the roof height actually provides more space for driver and passengers and once again pushes the sedan forward in the face of some very strong opposition.