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The Volkswagen Jetta is a mid-size sedan. It was completely redesigned for the 2005 model year, the GLI was added for 2006, and the SportWagen joined the lineup for 2008.Compared to the pre-2005 Jetta, the current generation has a longer wheelbase and wider track and is the biggest Jetta ever. It's also the heaviest, tipping the scales at 3,200 pounds. That extra mass was put to good use, however, with greatly improved structural rigidity, a larger trunk and more interior room, particularly for rear seat passengers. When looking at the Jetta, the eye is immediately drawn to its big, chrome-framed front grille. Chrome is also used in the eyebrows atop the air inlets in the front bumper and, on the SE and SEL, for the side-window surrounds. The next most striking design element is the aggressive thrust and slope of the hood and snout. Compared to other recent nose-forward designs, the Jetta's composite headlights and various inlets and grilles are well integrated into the raked rearward flow of its form. A striking vee, created by the slant of the headlamps and sloping hood lines, is carried strongly toward the rear by the steeply raked windshield and character lines running along the flanks. The tail is a major departure from previous Jetta styling. Larger tail light clusters, now divided between the trunk and rear fender, help widen the proportion of the car's hindquarters in relation to its height, giving it a more substantial, less boxy-looking stern. The round tail lights and brake lights have been singled out as the new Jetta's most derivative design statement. Critics claim they give this Jetta a blander, more Japanese look than previous models. SportWagen hatches carry a small spoiler at the top of the roof and a rear wash/wipe system that clears every part of the glass you might look through. Tail lamps wrap well into the rear side panels but no lights are in the hatch so rear visibility is not compromised loading in the dark. In addition to their 17-inch wheels, SEL models are distinguished by body-colored valences front and rear. More distinctive is the GLI, with a blacked-out honeycomb grille underlined by a red-pinstripe smile, and foglights integrated into matching honeycomb panels in the lower fascia. Lower body trim is blacked out all around, and red brake calipers show through visually massive five-spoke alloy wheels.
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