VOLKSWAGEN has redefined its Jetta sedan, moving away from converting its Golf hatch into a sedan and starting from a blank canvas to enable a longer wheelbase for a roomier interior and better-proportioned looks for greater showroom appeal.

The larger footprint also places the segment-straddling Jetta more firmly in the mid-size category, being just 25mm shorter than its more expensive Passat stablemate.

Plenty of Golf-derived engineering is still hidden under the Jetta's larger, all-new, Californian-designed bodywork, and much of its interior will be familiar to anyone who has travelled in the brand’s popular small hatch.

Volkswagen has further broadened the Jetta’s appeal by taking a scalpel to the price but is it enough to compete in the tough medium sedan market?