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There has to be something special inside a vehicle that can make it all the way from Denver to Springville on less that a single tank of gas. Such was the explanation that our driver gave us when he arrived with the Jetta. It was right around a 485-mile trip and the Jetta was still a quarter full.

That puts the mileage right around 42 mpg, well above the EPA estimate of just 38 highway. The 1.4T is the smallest engine offered in the Jetta line up, but has proved to be a workhorse and miser in the mileage department. During our week with the Jetta, we were able to maintain mpg over 37, even with most of the driving being around town.

There is a soft spot deep down in our hearts as we both have a certain amount of love for the Volkswagen Jetta as we owned a 2007 GLI version for about seven years, and it was really hard to part with it when the day finally came. The fact that it was bright yellow and also a special edition really didn’t have much to do with it. Not! Our older model was extremely fun to drive and we were excited for a week with the newest version of what has become the most popular and best-selling vehicle in the Volkswagen line.

The SE model that Volkswagen provided for us was more than we expected, having driven the GLI model for so many years. Appealing to a broader demographic, the new Jetta SE comes standard with many options that we didn’t expect in what could be categorized as an entry-level family sedan. Volkswagen even points out that this is the only German engineered sedan that starts under $19,000, making it affordable to a much broader buyer.

The new Jetta has a more chiseled look with sharper angles all around, in our opinion, giving it a more aggressive look with an attitude that yearns for the open road!

The SE with the 1.4T is based on a 4-cylinder engine that makes 150 horsepower and 184 foot-pounds of torque, it gets to 60 in just over 7 seconds. Not a race car by any stretch, but more than adequate for any of the acceleration needs that we had during the week.

Back in 2011 when VW released the new version of today’s Jetta, there were some that thought they had used some materials that were not quite up to the old VW engineering standards in order to lower the price of the vehicle and keep up with other manufactures that were offering comparable vehicles at a lower price point. Those myths have been put to sleep over the past six years as the interior was very upscale, in our opinion.

Inside, the SE-equipped Jetta came with many extras that impressed us at the moderate price point that came with the vehicle. For instance the leatherette-covered seats were extremely comfortable and even included heat up front. They were, however, manually adjustable.

On the technology side, the Jetta SE comes with a 6.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system standard, which includes Bluetooth connectivity for smartphones that is easy to hook up. There is also an HD radio along with SiriusXM and USB connector to charge mobile devices and play music. Absent, however, was Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — something we have come to expect from all the vehicles we drive.

Standard was a backup camera, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross path detection. There was also keyless entry and pushbutton start at the SE trim level.

Another thing that VW does very well is making all four windows auto down and up, a great feature that we enjoyed even on our personal Jetta. Why other manufactures don’t take a lesson from this, we will never quite understand. It seems trivial but it is great when you spend time with the vehicle. New is also pinch protection on the Jetta so that little hands will not get hurt if youngsters inadvertently put them in the path of a traveling window.

The SE came with heated rearview mirrors on each side with embedded turn signals, 18-inch alloy wheels, heated washer nozzles, and a power-sliding sunroof. Not bad for less than $23,100.

Volkswagen also does their pricing a little different than most by giving each trim-level certain features with all the options on that trim included, thus giving the vehicle only one price and not adding on to a base price as most other manufactures do by adding extra options. In the VW world, one has to go up a trim level to get more options.

Also included with this package were function controls on the steering wheel for radio and phone and other options like miles till empty and actual mileage of the vehicle.

There were also our coveted heated front seats and Volkswagen’s version of OnStar in Car-Net that is a subscription-based service that will come to your aid in the event of an emergency and other features like that.

The keyless entry worked very well and was similar to that of a Toyota where one a tug on the handle unlocked and opened the door and a push in the proper location when exiting locked all the doors, and the pushbutton start is something that is nice in any vehicle, although the button location in a VW is on the center console not the dashboard, something we always have to readjust to.

We thoroughly enjoyed our renewed association with a Jetta for a week, and in some ways it made us wish we still had ours around. For a great ride in a German vehicle, be sure and check out the new line up of Volkswagens at Ken Garff Volkswagen in Orem at 195 E. University Parkway, (801) 714-2300.

Base price: $22,245

Price as Driven: $22,245