The Volkswagen Jetta was a bit of a surprise in that it was a little difficult to find good mounting locations for a phone or GPS. A tablet isn’t going to be easy to mount in this vehicle. The car is simply too small and a tablet is too large. None of our typical go-to locations will work out. Fortunately though, we found some good locations for a phone or GPS.
Mount Analysis
This is the second Volkswagen we have looked at. Our initial article looking at mounts for a Volkswagen Passat was an easier one to write. Lots of good places. Even a tablet can live in this larger vehicle.
First, let’s look at the locations that will work well.
Our typical photo of the vehicle interior accompanies this article. Nice big dash. Windshield is easy to reach. The center air vents are located in an unusual position halfway down the dash. That negates use of this location for a mount point. Here’s the deal though, this is a photo of a 2019 model. It looks like model years prior to 2019 had the middle air vents near the traditional location at the top of the dash. So if you have a model prior to 2019, the middle air vents are usable.
Now for the locations we didn’t like.
The cup holder is oriented too far back to be use as a good mounting location. We like this location for applications that don’t need to be referred to while driving, but the location isn’t great on this car, so we don’t recommend using it.
The other location we like to look at is the seat bolt. Unfortunately, the seat bolt isn’t easy to access in the Volkswagen Jetta, so we have to pass on this location too.
Mount Recommendations
The most popular location for mounting a cell phone or GPS continues to be the windshield so let’s start with those mounts. The Volkswagen Jetta windshield can be easily reached by the driver.
We’re beginning to see larger smartphones so we want a mount that can fit almost any phone. Consider the Arkon Slim Grip Ultra Travel Mount for the windshield. The cradle opens to over seven-inches which is easily large enough to hold almost any phone with or without a case. This mount features an expandable cradle with support legs which can be moved from side to side to leave any port on your phone or tablet exposed to run cables. The mount that can be adjusted at the base and the cradle. The mount accommodates landscape and portrait orientations.
Remove the cradle and adapter from the above mount to hold a Garmin GPS. The ball is 17mm in diameter. It will snap right into the socket on the back of any cradle from a Garmin automotive GPS.
This mount includes an adhesive dash plate. It’s a round plate that is smooth so the suction cup can stick to this just like the windshield. This enables use of either mount on the dash. The Volkswagen Jetta has a large dash and this is a good location for mounting a phone or GPS.
Prior to the 2019 model, the Volkswagen Jetta air vents are perfectly positioned for a mount. Use the vents between the passenger and driver. Keep the caveat in mind that’s only if you have a model prior to 2019 where the vents are located near the top of the dash.
One of our favorite air vent mounts continues to be the Andobil Air Vent Mount. The mount will hold a device up to 3 3/4 inches wide. A ball and socket allows the cradle to swivel in any direction. Like the previously discussed windshield mount, the cradle is removable to expose a 17mm ball suitable for a Garmin vehicular GPS such as a Garmin Nuvi or Garmin Drive. We reviewed this mount awhile back and liked it a lot.
Summary
So to summarize, the windshield and dash are the best locations to mount a phone or GPS in a Volkswagen Jetta. The air vent is fine, as long as the model is prior to a 2019. The cup holder and seat bolt are not good locations for mounting a device in a Volkswagen Jetta.