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Few compact sedan shoppers are likely to leave the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla off of their lists.
The Civic is a gem with its shapely body and balanced chassis and shouldn’t be missed, but the Corolla misses the mark in most ways and seems to trade mostly on its name.
Enthusiasts will find a lot to like in the Mazda 3, but it’s tighter inside than the Jetta.
The Chevrolet Cruze offers a turbodiesel engine that may lure in some understandably disgruntled Volkswagen owners.
And don’t discount the decidedly Teutonic Hyundai Elantra, which may out German the Germans in some ways.
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 2018 Volkswagen JettaBrowse Used Listings |  2018 Chevrolet CruzeBrowse Used Listings |  2018 Honda CivicBrowse Used Listings |  2018 Hyundai ElantraBrowse Used Listings |  2018 Mazda MAZDA3Browse Used Listings |  2018 Toyota CorollaBrowse Used Listings |
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| Quick Specs | |||||
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The 2018 Volkswagen Jetta is a competent, comfortable sedan, but it’s light on personality and feels a little old against fresh-faced rivals. |
The 2018 Chevy Cruze offers lots of compelling reasons to select it, but we’d like to see more safety tech on its standard equipment roster. |
The 2018 Honda Civic is a good car made better by plenty of options and value at nearly every stop. |
The 2018 Hyundai Elantra adds a versatile hatchback to the fold and makes a more compelling case as a compact contender in a value-packed segment. |
The 2018 Mazda 3 adds standard active safety features to an already compelling value. Among compact cars, this is one to consider. |
Perfectly average in every way, the Toyota Corolla is thoroughly competent, but not at all interesting. |
| MSRP From | |||||
| $18,645 | $16,975 | $18,940 | $16,950 | $18,095 | $18,600 |
| Gas Mileage | |||||
| 24 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy | 27 MPG City / 52 MPG Hwy | 22 MPG City / 42 MPG Hwy | 22 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy | 25 MPG City / 38 MPG Hwy | 27 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy |
| Engine | |||||
| Intercooled Turbo Regular Unleaded I-4 | Turbocharged Gas I4 | Regular Unleaded I-4 | Regular Unleaded I-4 | Regular Unleaded I-4 | Regular Unleaded I-4 |
| EPA Class | |||||
| Compact Cars | Midsize Cars | Mid-Size Cars | Mid-Size Cars | Compact Cars | Compact Cars |
| Style Name | |||||
| 1.4T S Manual | 4-Door Sedan 1.4L L w/1SM | LX Manual | SE 2.0L Manual (Ulsan) | Sport Manual | L CVT (GS) |
| Drivetrain | |||||
| Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive |
| Passenger Capacity | |||||
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Passenger Doors | |||||
| N/A | 4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Body Style | |||||
| Sedan | Sedan | Sedan | Sedan | Sedan | Sedan |
| Transmission | |||||
| Manual w/OD | Manual | Manual w/OD | Manual w/OD | Manual w/OD | CVT w/OD |
| Detailed Spec Comparison | |||||
| 2018 Volkswagen Jetta vs. 2018 Chevrolet Cruze | 2018 Volkswagen Jetta vs. 2018 Honda Civic | 2018 Volkswagen Jetta vs. 2018 Hyundai Elantra | 2018 Volkswagen Jetta vs. 2018 Mazda MAZDA3 | 2018 Volkswagen Jetta vs. 2018 Toyota Corolla | |
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