The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta Is A Good Car Trying To Escape The Irritants Of Modernity

Over the past few years, we’ve started to see the catches that come with modern convenience. Cheap TVs with good picture quality that come laden with sluggish “smart” technology, once-convenient streaming services that have now become the digital equivalent of pay-per-channel cable TV, AI agents nobody really asked for. Stuff that’s grown my already-strong fondness for buttons that are real buttons, plastics that are simple plastics, and things that are simply things. So when Volkswagen revealed the second facelift of the Mk7 Jetta, I had a certain sense of trepidation.

While the bones of this compact sedan may be rather familiar, Volkswagen’s made some recent changes, some of which seem to reflect the not-great mood the company’s in. An update for the 2025 model year added more shiny black plastic and more capacitive-touch controls, two traits that are almost universally panned across the industry. So, is the rest of the Jetta still good enough to outweigh those additions? I spent a week living with one to find out.

[Full disclosure: Volkswagen Canada let me borrow this Jetta for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it clean with a full tank of fuel, and reviewed it.]

The Basics

Engine: Turbocharged and intercooled 1.5-liter twin-cam 16-valve inline-four.

Transmission: Eight-speed torque converter automatic.

Drive: Front-wheel-drive.

Output: 158 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, 184 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,750 RPM.

Fuel Economy: 29 MPG city, 40 MPG highway, 34 MPG combined on the base trim; 29 MPG city, 40 MPG highway, 33 MPG combined (8.2 L/100km city, 5.9 L/100km highway, 7.9 L/100km combined) on all other trims.

Base Price: $25,270 including freight ($29,645 in Canada).

Price As-Tested: $28,755 including freight ($33,245 in Canada).

Why Does It Exist?

More than half a century ago, Volkswagen launched the Golf, its next big thing of the ’70s. With hatchback practicality and Giugiaro’s folded paper styling, it was a smash hit just about everywhere. Why “just about”? Well, while Americans did buy hatchbacks, they really wanted sedans. In 1979, Volkswagen slapped a conventional trunk on its compact hatchback and presto: the Jetta was born. Now well into its seventh generation, the Jetta still fills the same mold it always has: A sensible sedan for North America.

How Does It Look?

It’s been nearly two years since I first saw the second facelift of the Mk7 Jetta, and while the shut lines around the headlights are still unfortunate, I’m warming to the overall look. The down-the-road graphic is a bit less fussy than on the first facelift, and the full-width taillight treatment works. What doesn’t work so well is the available light bar across the front, a styling trend that I’ve always thought was cheap when broken up like it is here. Still, zoom out and the Jetta is a handsome car. It still largely features the chiseled surfacing we liked years ago, and it doesn’t try anything ridiculous.

What About The Interior?

I hope you like shiny black plastic, because for the second facelift of the Mk7 Jetta, Volkswagen’s put it everywhere. Huge slabs across the dashboard, sheets on the doors, even half the shifter’s made of the stuff. Unsurprisingly, it’s a magnet for fingerprints, especially on the fiddly capacitive touch buttons for the automatic climate control and infotainment hard keys. By the way, there’s no haptic feedback on those capacitive touch panels, making them a truly eyes-on affair. If that sounds distracting, that’s because it sort-of is.

Despite these faux pas, look beyond the shiny plastic and fussy controls, and you see things that make a lot of sense. Every real button and switch is satisfyingly damped, there’s enough soft-touch and stitched surfacing to temper any whiffs of cheapness, and the quality of the leather on the steering wheel punches so far above the Jetta’s weight class, there are $60,000 machines that ought to be ashamed at how they upholster the part of a car you touch the most.

Indeed, things keep getting better the farther from the Jetta’s dashboard you get. The front seats are solidly comfortable for several hours in the saddle, and rear seat legroom is proper, albeit constrained by a central hump. The door bins are enormous, and then there’s the trunk, which is fit for two drive-in stowaways. Bonus points for the ultra-wide sunroof that really opens up the cabin, and the chunky physical handle on the inside of the trunk lid for closing the trunk. That latter one’s a detail many compact cars skip.

How Does It Drive?

Arguably, the real party piece of the Jetta sits under the hood: a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a serious plateau of torque. Sure, the party’s basically over by 4,500 RPM, but with short ratios in the eight-speed automatic gearbox, this normal compact sedan feels more eager than it has any right to. Leave the line with a heavy foot, and you’re likely to see the stability control icon flash in the gauges. That’s a good thing. It’s smooth too, with hybrid-svelte auto stop-start for saving gas at traffic lights and automatic transmission programming that’s largely masterful. Even the fuel economy’s a delightful surprise. It might be rated at 33 MPG combined, but I averaged 36 MPG over 325 miles of driving.

Of course, a reasonably strong powertrain can only take a car so far, which is why I’m pleased to report that the Jetta’s chassis keeps up. Taut damping translates to remarkable body control and tenacity for the class, and once you factor in naturally-weighted and accurate steering that’s among the best in the compact car class, the Jetta carries a certain thirst for backroads and on-ramps that just makes you want to fling it around. When you’re done driving like you’re on fire, everything settles down, and you can studiously consider Volkswagen’s trade-offs. Sure, potholes can feel firm, but every bump is a one-and-done motion from the suspension, and the dampers filter out minor imperfections like expansion joints beautifully. The Volkswagen we know and love is still alive, and you can find it in the way the Jetta drives. No high-dollar price tag required.

Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?

This particular Jetta’s jam-packed with electronics, some good, and some not so good. We already touched on the capacitive touch controls for the climate panel and the infotainment shortcuts, but the weird double-trapezoid clash of the infotainment unit and its bezel is also something worth studying. Beyond those annoyances, though, there’s lots to like. I’m talking wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a slick digital instrument cluster with high configurability, an available three-stage heated steering wheel, a litany of USB-C ports, auto up-down on all four power windows, a proximity key fob that’s genuinely small, a solid suite of advanced driver assistance systems, and a perfectly cromulent six-speaker audio system. Add a one-notch V to the three-band equalizer, set the fader a notch to the back, and this small array of speakers performs quite well for the segment.

Three Things To Know About The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta

1. The interior feels a bit cheaper than it did prior to this latest facelift, although the leather-wrapped steering wheel feels seriously expensive.
2. It serves up genuinely outstanding highway fuel economy.
3. This thing’s actually surprisingly fun to drive.

Does The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta Fulfil Its Purpose?

Absolutely, and despite Volkswagen’s own efforts in some ways. Yes, the capacitive-touch stuff is irritating, and yes, the interior of the 2024 model felt a little bit nicer, but the fundamentals of what make a good car a good car are here. Solid fuel economy, a reasonably potent and refined powertrain, mostly nice touch points, a well-tuned chassis, and pretty decent seats, all at a fairly affordable price. You aren’t getting a Civic with this many toys for $28,755.

So how does the Jetta stack up against the competition? Well, it’s a nicer overall package than a Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra, much roomier than a Mazda 3, and more potent than a standard Kia K4, although the Honda Civic still has it beat on overall refinement. The Nissan Sentra definitely has a nicer interior than the Jetta, but its powertrain just can’t keep up with the Volkswagen’s. So, if you’re shopping for a compact sedan, go drive a Jetta. Even with the capacitive-touch controls, it’s a worthy contender at a decent price.

What’s The Punctum Of The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta?

Beneath the shiny black plastic and capacitive-touch climate controls, this is still a seriously good car.

Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal