Compare the2023 Toyota CamryVS 2023 Volkswagen Jetta

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Jetta doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Camry are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Jetta doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Camry has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Jetta doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Camry has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Jetta doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Rear Cross Traffic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Jetta doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Camry offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Jetta doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Camry’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Jetta.

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Jetta only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Camry and the Jetta have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta:

	Camry	Jetta
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	247
Neck Injury Risk	20%	31.7%
Neck Stress	262 lbs.	354 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	58 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	21%	41.6%
Neck Stress	136 lbs.	152 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	141 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta:

	Camry	Jetta
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	136 lbs.	188 lbs.
Hip Force	296 lbs.	317 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	289	306
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	164	239
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	622 lbs.	627 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Jetta:

	Camry	Jetta
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.85 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	1182 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	185	274
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.79 in	1.97 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Camry, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 3.2% less likely to roll over than the Jetta, which received a four-star rating.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Jetta last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Camry 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Jetta. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Jetta ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Camry’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Jetta’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Camry’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Jetta’s camshafts. If the Jetta’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Camry has a 600-amp battery. The Jetta only offers a standard 480-amp battery.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Camry’s reliability 13 points higher than the Jetta.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 58 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 23rd.

Engine

The Camry AWD’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 44 more horsepower (202 vs. 158) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Camry’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 45 more horsepower (203 vs. 158) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Camry XSE AWD’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 47 more horsepower (205 vs. 158) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (185 vs. 184) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Camry XSE’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 48 more horsepower (206 vs. 158) and 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 184) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Camry’s optional 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 143 more horsepower (301 vs. 158) and 83 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 184) than the Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Camry AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Jetta (14.4 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Camry FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Jetta (15.8 vs. 13.2 gallons).

Transmission

The Toyota Camry comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Jetta.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Camry’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Jetta:

	Camry	Camry TRD	Jetta
Front Rotors	12 inches	12.9 inches	11.3 inches
Rear Rotors	11.06 inches	11.06 inches	10.7 inches

The Camry stops much shorter than the Jetta:

	Camry	Jetta
70 to 0 MPH	156 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Camry has larger standard tires than the Jetta (215/55R17 vs. 205/60R16). The Camry SE/XLE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Jetta (235/45R18 vs. 205/60R16).

The Camry LE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Jetta S’ standard 60 series tires. The Camry XSE/TRD’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Camry LE has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Jetta S. The Camry XSE/TRD’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Jetta Sport/SE/SEL.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Toyota Camry has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Volkswagen Jetta has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Camry has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Jetta’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Camry has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Camry flat and controlled during cornering. The Jetta’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Camry’s wheelbase is 5.5 inches longer than on the Jetta (111.2 inches vs. 105.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Camry is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Jetta.

The Camry TRD handles at .94 G’s, while the Jetta pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Camry XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Jetta SEL (26.7 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Camry a Mid-size car, while the Jetta is rated a Compact.

The Camry has 5.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Jetta (100.4 vs. 94.7).

The Camry has 1 inch more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom, 3.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Jetta.

The front step up height for the Camry is .8 inches lower than the Jetta (15” vs. 15.8”). The Camry’s rear step up height is 1.5 inches lower than the Jetta’s (14.5” vs. 16”).

Cargo Capacity

The Camry has a larger trunk than the Jetta (15.1 vs. 14.1 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Camry easier. The Camry’s trunk lift-over height is 26.8 inches, while the Jetta’s liftover is 28.7 inches.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Camry. The Jetta doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The Camry uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Jetta uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Jetta doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

If the windows are left open on the Camry the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Jetta can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The Camry’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Jetta’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Camry’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Jetta’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

Both the Camry and the Jetta offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Camry offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Jetta doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Camry is less expensive to operate than the Jetta because it costs $54 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Camry than the Jetta, including $232 less for a water pump, $347 less for a muffler, $133 less for a starter, $71 less for a fuel pump and $87 less for front struts.

Recommendations

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Camry	Jetta
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

The Toyota Camry outsold the Volkswagen Jetta by almost 8 to one during 2022.

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