I found a 2014 Jetta SE 1.8tsi with a manual transmission, Connectivity Package, and 10,000 miles at Carmax a couple weeks ago for a price that I couldn't pass up ($13,690). Being a buyer has some advantages... 
So I traded in my 2010 Sportwagen 2.5 for it. The Sportwagen was great, but I love having a turbo again.
So far, I've added a Hotchkis rear sway bar to dial out some understeer and flatten the cornering. A Neuspeed CAI gives a little more blow-off sound. I debadged it and used some Anthracite gray plastidip on the VW emblems. The 16" snow tires will give way to my 18" Audi RS4 replica wheels in the spring. And the group tint buy is coming at just the right time to darken out those windows.
APR makes a great stage 1 tune on 93 octane that will push it up to 245 hp and 290 tq (stock on 87 octane is rated at 170 hp and 184 tq). I'll likely do that when their annual spring sale goes into effect. APR 1.8 TSI Generation 3 ECU Upgrade
The gearing is really long for mpg, and I can take 2nd gear up to nearly 70mph. 4th and 5th are both overdrives, so I've been getting 38-39 mpg on highway drives on 87 octane. Mixed city driving has been 28-32 mpg.
It still has a hard plastic interior (they improved it for 2015), but that doesn't bother me once I realized how infrequently I touch the dash. It rides and handles well, and is fairly quick in stock form. Still, I'm looking forward to the tune and probably an upgraded clutch at some point after that.
So I traded in my 2010 Sportwagen 2.5 for it. The Sportwagen was great, but I love having a turbo again. So far, I've added a Hotchkis rear sway bar to dial out some understeer and flatten the cornering. A Neuspeed CAI gives a little more blow-off sound. I debadged it and used some Anthracite gray plastidip on the VW emblems. The 16" snow tires will give way to my 18" Audi RS4 replica wheels in the spring. And the group tint buy is coming at just the right time to darken out those windows.
APR makes a great stage 1 tune on 93 octane that will push it up to 245 hp and 290 tq (stock on 87 octane is rated at 170 hp and 184 tq). I'll likely do that when their annual spring sale goes into effect. APR 1.8 TSI Generation 3 ECU Upgrade
The gearing is really long for mpg, and I can take 2nd gear up to nearly 70mph. 4th and 5th are both overdrives, so I've been getting 38-39 mpg on highway drives on 87 octane. Mixed city driving has been 28-32 mpg.
It still has a hard plastic interior (they improved it for 2015), but that doesn't bother me once I realized how infrequently I touch the dash. It rides and handles well, and is fairly quick in stock form. Still, I'm looking forward to the tune and probably an upgraded clutch at some point after that.
