The short version
Jurong West is a large housing town where ordinary Singaporean life is the point. It offers schools, malls, parks and local centres across a wide spread of mature and newer estates. Centrality is the clear compromise, and the size of the town makes the exact neighbourhood important.
The town works best when work and school are in the west. Housing near Jurong East benefits from a larger regional centre, while the outer estates rely more on their own neighbourhood shops and buses. The roads are broad and the town can feel anonymous, but that is balanced by a straightforward daily routine.
I would choose Jurong West for value and completeness, not for a central social life. It is a sensible family base if the commute is tested honestly.