Oct 14, 2026 · 10 min · 10 segments
In a world obsessed with SUVs, does a traditional compact sedan still deserve a place in your driveway? In this episode of *TechMobility Topics*, I get behind the wheel of the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta…
Ken ChesterHost
The Volkswagen Jetta is a small family car developed and marketed by Volkswagen since 1979 as a 1980 model.
As of April 2014, 12 years ago, Volkswagen had sold over 14 million Jettas, that's globally, making it the automaker's top-selling model.
In the late 1970s, company officials saw that the hatchback body style of its Golf, uh, what we called Rabbit in the United States, and it was smaller, uh, lacked some of the traditional presentation of a four-door sedan.
Volkswagen stylists took note of the controversial styling of the AMC Gremlin, who knew? Which was a truncation of the Hornet sedan.
In this case, Volkswagen reversed the process by essentially grafting a new trunk onto the tail of the Golf to produce the larger Jetta sedan.
The seventh and current generation of the Volkswagen Jetta arrived in 2018, being unveiled at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
It rides on the company's MQB platform, which is shared with the Golf hatchback and the Atlas SUV.
Entry models to the VW lineup were refreshed for 2025, adding revised styling, interior refinements, and new technology.
The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta is available in four trim levels, and I need to stop right here.
To attain that figure, the Jetta features active radiator shutter and air curtain intakes on each side, which allow air to flow smoothly past the front wheel arches.
To further optimize airflow, the Jetta utilizes aerodynamic wheel designs and underbody panels.
Base power for the Jetta is provided by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that makes 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.
Energy is transmitted to the front drive wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
For the base Jetta, for the regular, standard Jetta, a manual gearbox is not offered, and all-wheel drive is not available.
The Volkswagen Jetta, sold in North America, is manufactured at the automaker's Puebla, Mexico, assembly plant.
The Volkswagen Jetta is a small family car developed and marketed by Volkswagen since 1979 as a 1980 model.
As of April 2014, 12 years ago, Volkswagen had sold over 14 million Jettas, that's globally, making it the automaker's top-selling model.
In the late 1970s, company officials saw that the hatchback body style of its Golf, uh, what we called Rabbit in the United States, and it was smaller, uh, lacked some of the traditional presentation of a four-door sedan.
Volkswagen stylists took note of the controversial styling of the AMC Gremlin, who knew? Which was a truncation of the Hornet sedan.
In this case, Volkswagen reversed the process by essentially grafting a new trunk onto the tail of the Golf to produce the larger Jetta sedan.
The seventh and current generation of the Volkswagen Jetta arrived in 2018, being unveiled at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
It rides on the company's MQB platform, which is shared with the Golf hatchback and the Atlas SUV.
Entry models to the VW lineup were refreshed for 2025, adding revised styling, interior refinements, and new technology.
The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta is available in four trim levels, and I need to stop right here.
To attain that figure, the Jetta features active radiator shutter and air curtain intakes on each side, which allow air to flow smoothly past the front wheel arches.
To further optimize airflow, the Jetta utilizes aerodynamic wheel designs and underbody panels.
Base power for the Jetta is provided by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that makes 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.
Energy is transmitted to the front drive wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
For the base Jetta, for the regular, standard Jetta, a manual gearbox is not offered, and all-wheel drive is not available.
The Volkswagen Jetta, sold in North America, is manufactured at the automaker's Puebla, Mexico, assembly plant.
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