Overview & Reviews

Fully redesigned last model year, the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta features only minor changes. The SEL and TDI trim levels now offer a Fender audio system, while last year's Sport package for the SEL has been discontinued.

• Fuel-efficient diesel model.
• Well-equipped
• Spacious interior and trunk
• Smart electronics interface

• Lackluster interior materials
• Sluggish throttle with automatic
• Numb steering
• Wheezy base engine.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 69.00

• 

  Good run around car - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Vw - August 3 - 8:39 pm

  This is a decent car I went from a Honda pilot to a Jetta people complain about acceleration but most compacts are slow and have CVT transmission anyway so it wont matter what compact there all slow. I like the interior and trunk space sad thing reason why I gave it 3 stars is the gas mileage is the same as my pilot. But this car does the everyday commuter job for getting around.

• 

  Lasted only 75000 miles VWdesign FLAW - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By unhappyvw1 - July 20 - 1:38 am

  Bought as certified pre-owned with 23K miles Loved the car great mileage ect Drove it to work 70 miles (reason we bought it) and at quitting time tried to start only to have engine turn over then lock up. Turns out after some research these motors have issue with inter cooler As motor is run in cold weather air that comes in freezes on inter cooler as the day warmed up ice thawed and when I tried to start water was sucked into engine (NOT GOOD) Dealer will do nothing out of warranty 600 price tag to just evaluate it. Issue with VW since 2009 USE EXTREME caution before purchase Cost 8-10K to replace this motor

• 

  Lemon Car - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By g_simpson - June 25 - 4:03 am

  At 12,000 miles, the high pressure fuel pump blew up, destroying the whole fuel system. ($7500) That was bad enough for a one year old car, but then it did it again at 23,000 miles. Search the internet for articles about this problem, but VW has covered it up well. The dealer said they fix about 2 per week. The car suddenly lost power going 70 mph on I-5, then died. Just barely made it to the shoulder. Very scary. I hoped the new fuel pump they installed would be a better design, but obviously it was not, since the car blew up again 6 months later- same thing- high pressure fuel pump. We sold the car, and lost $10K. My friends Jetta did the same thing. Big rip off by VW.

• 

  Numb steering and bad gas mileage - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By Edmund Liu - April 4 - 10:45 am

  The steering is so numb that a U-haul Ford cargo van drives better than this little car. Comfortable ride compared to Japanese rivals. Only gave me one trouble that the lock housing cracked and was fixed by warranty. I mostly drive around town so I got 16.5 MPG no matter what kind of gas I used ( I noticed that Chevron gets a little better, not the tire pressure problem ) I never see a 200 miles out of a full tank ( 14.5 Gal ). I believe the max MPG I got on freeways is 29. It feels safe. Doors are very heavy. Solid build quality. AC vents want to fall apart all the time, and I dont know why. Engine is sluggish when started if the day is cold. Overall, if you want a safe car and dont care about anything else, this is the one for you.

• 

  Wish I never bought this car... - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By domdpt - May 25 - 2:53 am

  I was new to VW and relatively impressed by the Jetta, although I really wanted the GLI I was not ready to pay $30,000 for a small sedan. The car was ok to start, however within 2 months all door panels were rattling, suspension squeaked, and engine became sluggish. Almost 1 year later and after a few trips to the dealer, all door panels still rattle, the engine is not responsive, and MPGs are getting worse. VW quality has slipped a lot from what i can gether, and the dealer is less than willing to help fix the problems. Unless you get a GLI, do not waste your money.

• 

  Good... but... - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bigal11 - November 13 - 12:14 pm

  52k miles. Nice look, cheap interior. Doesnt feel or sound as solid as my German built 13 TDI Golf. Ventilation controls feel frail. No mechanical problems yet but fear of the fuel pump issue lurks. Generally we like the car but wouldnt buy it again. MPGs the same as my traded 08 Civic 5sp, so no advantage using pricy diesel ar paying VW service rates. Particulate filter is a joke. Burning raw fuel without contributing to forward motion hurts efficiency. Whats up with the $12/qt oil? VW owns the arbitrary spec and charges for access to it. Truthfully, I wish I could have my Red 01 Jetta again. Better materials, better MPGs, simpler, better ride and handling qualities.

• 

  rosemary12 - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By rosemary12 - February 18 - 7:19 am

  I bought this car in August of 2012 from the VW Dealer in Bedford Ohio. I bought this Jetta new after selling my BMW 5 series before walking into the dealership. I decided to buy a Jetta since I heard that many people who drive BMWs have switched to the the Jetta model since they like the German engineering. Biggest mistake I made in my life. I paid cash for the car and got a black sel with every feature you could get-including navigation and special wheels. All said and done I paid over $30,000.00 for this car with an additional extended warranty. As for the interior the plastic seats are very uncomfortable. No power adjustable seats, no telescoping steering wheel. Sold this car!

• 

  6 months on and still have build quality issues - 2012 Volkswagen Jetta
  By bobgoblin - September 3 - 4:27 am

  If youre not driving on a newly paved road the ride is appalling thanks to the old-timey torsion beam rear axel. Mine was even worse thanks to VW not installing the rear shocks properly. VW claimed thats just how the car road and refused to even look at it. I had to take it to my body shop guy who found the problem. The windsheild cracked at 500 miles when I hit a pothole & I had to get my lawyer involved to fix that since VW initially refused. Constant stalling problem which took VW a month to track down: stuck fuel pressure release valve. Is a 6-speed transmission that came with a 5-speed gearshift: it took a month to convince someone at VW why that was incorrect. etc.