What consumer wouldn't want more? With the all-new fifth-generation Jetta that will go on sale later this year, Volkswagen is betting that customers are ready to step up to more size, more power, and more features. The upsized Jetta grows an inch in width and height and a whopping seven inches in length, graduating from premium subcompact to premium midsize status. Still smaller than the also-redesigned Passat, the new Jetta gets more juice, courtesy of a 2.5-liter inline-five with 150 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque, like Audis of yore. Though pricing of the "Hecho en Mexico" Jetta will start below $18K, a feature-rich standard equipment list is enhanced with stability control, head-curtain airbags, a six-speed automatic transmission that aids powertrain reponsiveness, a new independent rear suspension, and electro-mechanical steering for a more dynamic driving experience. And if buyers catch a whiff of the Phaeton luxury flagship in the Jetta's rear flanks, that's all the more reason to get enthusiastic about VW's best-selling model in the U.S.
