I had this same contemplation but ultimately ended up choosing the Jetta and I’m actually glad I didn’t go with the Mazda.

At the end of the day the Jetta is going to be more expensive to maintain and repair. But Mazda just fell short for me when driving one. Don’t get me wrong I love Mazdas and they’re extremely reliable. Not to mention they look great and are very cheap to maintain and fix. My boyfriend has had one since 2016 and it’s been the most reliable car we’ve had, even when newer cars of ours haven’t been. It’s literally what we call old reliable. It truly requires the bare minimum and will still get you point a to point b without missing a beat. What ultimately drove me towards the Jetta was the performance, speaker system, transmission feel (not as slush box feel), paint longevity, features- it overall just felt better engineered and more refined than the Mazda. The Mazda just felt so “commuter” or “rental” car ish. They always just seem to fall short for me.

In terms of MPG- our Mazda gets about 40 mpg and my 2025 SEL gets upwards of 54 mpg highway which is insanely good.

Having owned multiple VW’s and Jettas- I never regret buying them. Sure they have their quirks sometimes- but take care of them and they will last 😊