SE 4dr Sedan
2008 Volkswagen Jetta

2008 Jetta Photos
Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 SE "I think we're gonna have to buy a Volkswagen," I told me wife just hours after signing for the keys to a 2008 Jetta 2.5 SE. I had only done about four miles in the car and, already, the near-luxury interior and throaty exhaust had won me over.But my wife was skeptical of a sedan's ability to handle the needs of our pack-rat family even if it did have 170 horses. So I drove the handsome little VW a couple of days more before turning it over to her for toddler-toting duty. I felt sure she'd see the positives of German engineering by week's end. %Gallery-18993% All photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc. White has never been one of my favored car colors. It's a non-choice, safe and devoid of personality. And white cars are hard as hell to photograph. Our Campanella White Jetta could have pulled off a convincing marshmallow impression had it not been for that black and chrome grille, the sparkling, mirrored headlights and blacked-out rear valance. It's available dressed all in black, and, with the brightwork around the side windows and grille, it's a gorgeous package. The Jetta's standard 16-inch wheels are well-fitted to the car's 101-inch wheelbase. Larger shoes might look better, but who wants the added weight and tire cost? Oh, and the optional 17s are another $1,200. Contrasting our Jetta's stark-white exterior was its almost entirely black interior. Black leather seats, black leather steering wheel, black carpet, black user's manual. You get the idea. The light-gray roof pillars and headliner are obviously there as a reminder that you're driving, not spelunking. But cave-explorers don't get heated, well-bolstered seats, or eight airbags, or a telescoping steering wheel. Not that they'd need any of those, of course. Alright, bad analogy, but we were glad our Jetta included the glass sunroof to let in some spring sunshine. Before turning the keys over to my wife, I strapped down our super-duper kid seat in back. I can't think of a modern car that doesn't have the safety-enhancing LATCH system to install child safety seats, but I have never seen any as aesthetically pleasing as the Jetta's. For those of you without kids, I'm talking about simple, metal attachment points to which a child's seat is strapped. Two straps snap onto loops buried somewhere in a car's back seat cushions, and one strap attaches to a hook either behind the rear seat in SUVs, or, in passenger cars, on the shelf in the rear window. Most cars have utilitarian attachment points that are not even seen until called into duty. Volkswagen has such a keen sense of detail that even their rear LATCH point got prettied-up by one of the company's designers with a brushed-steel look and feel. Alone, it won't sell a car. But it might make loyal customers out of first-time VW buyers. You listening Ford? GM? Chrysler? Toyota? Installing the …
Full Review
Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 SE "I think we're gonna have to buy a Volkswagen," I told me wife just hours after signing for the keys to a 2008 Jetta 2.5 SE. I had only done about four miles in the car and, already, the near-luxury interior and throaty exhaust had won me over.But my wife was skeptical of a sedan's ability to handle the needs of our pack-rat family even if it did have 170 horses. So I drove the handsome little VW a couple of days more before turning it over to her for toddler-toting duty. I felt sure she'd see the positives of German engineering by week's end. %Gallery-18993% All photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc. White has never been one of my favored car colors. It's a non-choice, safe and devoid of personality. And white cars are hard as hell to photograph. Our Campanella White Jetta could have pulled off a convincing marshmallow impression had it not been for that black and chrome grille, the sparkling, mirrored headlights and blacked-out rear valance. It's available dressed all in black, and, with the brightwork around the side windows and grille, it's a gorgeous package. The Jetta's standard 16-inch wheels are well-fitted to the car's 101-inch wheelbase. Larger shoes might look better, but who wants the added weight and tire cost? Oh, and the optional 17s are another $1,200. Contrasting our Jetta's stark-white exterior was its almost entirely black interior. Black leather seats, black leather steering wheel, black carpet, black user's manual. You get the idea. The light-gray roof pillars and headliner are obviously there as a reminder that you're driving, not spelunking. But cave-explorers don't get heated, well-bolstered seats, or eight airbags, or a telescoping steering wheel. Not that they'd need any of those, of course. Alright, bad analogy, but we were glad our Jetta included the glass sunroof to let in some spring sunshine. Before turning the keys over to my wife, I strapped down our super-duper kid seat in back. I can't think of a modern car that doesn't have the safety-enhancing LATCH system to install child safety seats, but I have never seen any as aesthetically pleasing as the Jetta's. For those of you without kids, I'm talking about simple, metal attachment points to which a child's seat is strapped. Two straps snap onto loops buried somewhere in a car's back seat cushions, and one strap attaches to a hook either behind the rear seat in SUVs, or, in passenger cars, on the shelf in the rear window. Most cars have utilitarian attachment points that are not even seen until called into duty. Volkswagen has such a keen sense of detail that even their rear LATCH point got prettied-up by one of the company's designers with a brushed-steel look and feel. Alone, it won't sell a car. But it might make loyal customers out of first-time VW buyers. You listening Ford? GM? Chrysler? Toyota? Installing the …
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Retail Price

$19,850 MSRP / Window Sticker Price
Engine 2.5L I-5
MPG 21 City / 29 Hwy
Seating 5 Passengers
Transmission 5-spd man w/OD
Power 170 @ 5700 rpm
Drivetrain front-wheel
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