Send me an email to let me know what you think of the new Jetta’s looks. Though I like the Jetta’s understated looks, the design won’t make the car stand out in the crowded compact-car segment - especially with the impending arrival of the redesigned Ford Focus, which is one of the prettiest cars to come along in this class in some time. The taillights have a bit of Audi styling to them. (See all the old and new specs compared here.) All in all, it’s a well-proportioned car with sloping C-pillars that finish at a short trunklid. The redesigned Jetta is about 3 inches longer overall, with a wheelbase that’s increased by the same amount. It also sports Volkswagen’s new front-end design - a thin front grille bordered by the headlights - that’s appeared on other cars, including the Golf hatchback. The sedan’s sheet metal is all new, and its lines are more angular than the outgoing model’s. The design doesn’t call attention to itself, but it will still look good years from now. Some observers might call the redesigned Jetta’s styling bland, but I can appreciate the car’s understated elegance, and the look was well-received by other editors. To see a comparison of this trim with the base $14,995 version, the midrange 2.5 SE and the range-topping clean-diesel TDI, click here. I tested manual- and automatic-transmission versions of the uplevel 2.5 SEL trim, which starts at $21,395. The redesigned Jetta sedan hits dealerships this fall and will be sold alongside the previous-generation wagon, which received styling tweaks last year but hasn’t undergone the redesign that the sedan did. In short, in Volkswagen’s effort to be all things to all people with the new Jetta, it may very well lose some of its most ardent customers. The 2011 model will probably be seen as a step backward by Volkswagen faithful who’ve become accustomed to upscale interiors crafted down to the smallest detail. Volkswagen has a dedicated following, and diluting some of the essence of the brand in search of higher sales - which is what the new Jetta does - is a risky move. Many of Volkswagen’s recent cars haven’t really fit into established market segments, but the automaker aims to change that with the redesigned 2011 Jetta sedan, which is roomier on the inside and has a significantly lower starting price to better compete with mainstream models from Honda and Toyota. To see what’s new for 2012, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years. Little of substance has changed with this year’s model. Editor’s note: This review was written in September 2010 about the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.
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