If you’re looking for an economical car, it can often feel like your choices are slim. Luckily, there are a few auto manufacturers that make high-quality, affordable vehicles. Today, we’ll compare a couple of them to see which is worthy of your hard-earned dollar.
Here’s our comparison of the 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan SE and the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta SE.
2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan SE |
vs |
2020 Volkswagen Jetta SE |
$22,050 |
MSRP |
$22,645 |
2.0L 4-cyl |
Engine |
1.4L turbo 4-cyl |
169 hp / 151 lb-ft |
Horsepower / Torque |
147 hp / 184 lb-ft |
CVT of 6-speed manual |
Transmission |
8-speed shiftable automatic |
FWD |
Drivetrain |
FWD |
31/40/34 |
Fuel Economy |
30/40/34 |
While the 2020 Jetta has leatherette seats, the rest of the interior is full of hard, scratchy plastics. While we don’t expect a vehicle at this price point to have premium construction, the interior materials of the Jetta feel particularly cheap. The 2020 Corolla, on the other hand, has soft-touch plastics that are nice on the eyes and the fingers. Similarly, the Corolla has an excellent and ergonomic control scheme; buttons are logically grouped together, with enough of them that each serves a singular purpose, but not so many that cockpit is busy or confusing.
You might be looking at the above numbers and thinking that a difference of one mpg isn’t really enough to qualify as “better fuel economy.” You’d be right if it weren’t for one thing: the 2020 Corolla can be purchased as a hybrid. The hybrid has superior fuel economy is every way, with its mpg spread coming out to 53/52/52. The 2020 Jetta doesn’t have a hybrid option, so what you see is what you get.
Interested in the 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan? Come take one for a test drive here at Arlington Toyota in Palatine, IL.