As you’re well aware, the A7-generation Jetta is getting on a bit. Introduced for the 2019 model year in the US market, Volkswagen’s compact sedan has racked up two “good” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its performance in the small and moderate overlap crash tests.
The updated moderate overlap test recreates a frontal collision in which part of the Jetta’s front end strikes a barrier. Both the structure and safety cell earn “good” marks, and so do the driver’s chest, head and neck, thigh, and hip protection, along with the driver’s restraint performance. Only the leg and foot protection slips to “acceptable,” which isn’t bad at all for a design this old.
Per the nonprofit organization’s report, 2.4 inches of intrusion were recorded in the left side of the footwell, along with 1.6 in the center and 0.8 on the right. The A-pillar held its position as intended, and the instrument panel did not move rearward. At the rear, the occupant behind the driver approaches the front seatback during the impact. While this increases the potential for a head injury, the moderate test recorded no head contact with the front seatback.
The 2027 model year Jetta further earns “good” ratings in both the driver- and passenger-side small overlap evaluations. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Jetta isn’t worthy of anything higher than “acceptable” in the side impact test. The structure and safety cell both scored “good,” yet driver and rear passenger pelvis protection were deemed “marginal.”
Driver pelvis protection and rear occupant torso protection fell to “marginal,” preventing the side test from living up to the expectations set by the frontal evaluations. The bad news continues with headlight performance, which earned the “marginal” rating across every single trim available for 2027.
Photo: IIHS on YouTube
Equipped with LED reflectors that also feature high-beam assistance, the Jetta offers inadequate low-beam visibility on both left curves and inadequate high-beam visibility in multiple scenarios. Thankfully, the low beams never exceeded the nonprofit organization’s glare limits. On the AEB front, automatic braking has a particular blind spot.
The Jetta avoids a collision with a crossing child at 12 miles per hour. Step up to 25, and it reduces impact speed by 12 miles per hour. In nighttime automatic braking tests involving a crossing adult, it avoids a collision at 12 and cuts impact speed by up to 18 miles per hour in the 25-mph test.
Its weak point becomes clear when an adult walks parallel to the road. In this scenario, the Jetta fails to slow in the 25-mph, regardless of whether it uses the high or low beams. At 37 miles per hour, which is nearly 60 clicks in European speak, it fails to slow yet again. The system, however, issues a warning at the moment of impact rather than giving the driver some time to react.
Even the child seat hardware couldn’t do better than “acceptable” by IIHS standards. The safety boffins claim that it’s difficult to maneuver around the lower anchors of both outboard rear seats. Even though it does show its age from the standpoint of safety, the Jetta remains a nicely equipped compact with an enticing MSRP. The 158-hp sedan presently starts at $23,995 sans destination.
Just like the 1.5-liter turbo grades, the GLI also comes with two pedals. The manual was dropped for model year 2027, marking the end of an era for the Volkswagen brand in the US market. Positioned below the Golf GTI, the Jetta GLI will set you back $33,795 from the outset. Instead of an eight-speed auto, a dual-clutch box with seven forward ratios is featured.
