The VW Jetta has been with us since 1980, when it was introduced as literally a “Rabbit with a trunk.” Back then, Americans didn’t take any car seriously unless it had a traditional three-box design, like a sedan or a coupe. Fast forward to today, and Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust is a most appropriate theme song for the sedan as we know it.
Volkswagen put out a fascinating comparison of the original and latest versions of the Jetta showing just how far the car has come over the past almost 40 years (plus some interesting ways it hasn’t). I added my own extensive experience with a mid-run model, our 2003 Jetta. Of course, we’ve since turned it into a Smyth Ute, but I drove it for several months as the sedan that VW intended before converting it last summer, and drew from that experience for a three-way comparison.
Justin Hughes 