1996 Volkswagen Jetta Specs

3 powertrain configurations on federal record for the 1996 Volkswagen Jetta: 1.9L 4-cyl Diesel; 2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline, rated up to 38 MPG combined by the EPA.

Source: EPA federal records (fueleconomy.gov) · Updated 2026-10-26 · By CarWhere Research

1996 Volkswagen Jetta engines, transmissions, drivetrains and EPA gas mileage
Engine	Transmission	Drivetrain	City	Highway	Combined
1.9L 4-cyl Diesel	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	34	44	38
2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	19	26	22
2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	20	28	23

Jetta by year

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984

Buying a used Jetta? Specs are the easy half.

Check which Jetta years to avoid (federal complaint and recall records), see the live Jetta value by year, then check the specific car: the Full VIN Report shows that VIN's factory build, recall record, and market history before you pay for it.

Frequently asked questions

What engines does the 1996 Volkswagen Jetta have?

2 engines on federal record: 1.9L 4-cyl Diesel; 2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline, offered with Manual 5-spd, Automatic 4-spd and Front-Wheel Drive. The full per-configuration table is above.

What gas mileage does the 1996 Volkswagen Jetta get?

EPA combined ratings run 22–38 MPG depending on configuration — the table above shows city/highway/combined for each engine, transmission, and drivetrain.

Is 1996 a good year for the Volkswagen Jetta?

Specs don't answer that — the federal complaint and recall record does. See the Volkswagen Jetta year-by-year reliability verdicts at carwhere.com/research/years-to-avoid/volkswagen/jetta, built from NHTSA data.

How do I get the specs for my exact VIN?

These are the federal-record configurations for the 1996 Volkswagen Jetta overall. For one specific vehicle — its exact engine, trim, factory options, and original window sticker — decode the 17-character VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. EPA's public vehicle dataset (fueleconomy.gov) — the federal record of every US-market configuration since 1984 — refreshed 2026-10-26. Public-domain data; republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).