Volkswagen Jetta price quietly increases by $500

Volkswagen has made a big deal about the 2011 Jetta's $15,995 starting price. After all, how many times have you seen those commercials that show a guy working hard to afford the new Jetta, only to find out that it's starting price had been lowered. And then there's the baby-holding dad that drops his cup as the baby drops his bottle after checking out the German sedan's bargain-basement MSRP.

At any rate, you can pick up your cup and get back to work, because the starting price of the Jetta has now been increased by $500. The VW website clearly shows that the S model, which comes equipped with an anemic 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a scant 115 horsepower, now starts at $16,495.

This isn't exactly great news for Jetta-loving budget shoppers, but we hear rising commodity costs is making it more expensive to build vehicles these days, so it isn't totally unexpected. On the bright side, only the entry S model has been given a price bump. The rest of the Jetta lineup is unchanged.