Car Gazing
Sporty GLI fills microscopic hole in Jetta lineup
By Derek Price
There's something about Germany that makes it the world capitol for fun-to-drive cars. Perhaps it's the hoards of skilled engineers, lack of speed limits, or abundance of beer that fosters this motherland of spirited driving that brought us Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW.
Oh yeah ... let's not forget Volkswagen.
Often overlooked as a maker of cheap economy cars, Volkswagen is starting to move all its products upscale to more closely match those of its Bavarian brethren. Whether it's a brilliant strategy or corporate suicide we don't yet know, but one thing's certain: VW is getting an ego.
Even its lowly Jetta sedan – once derided as the noisy, diesel-slurping, exhaust-burping curse of American highways – is becoming more luxurious and refined with each passing year. Its latest incarnation, the sporty Jetta GLI, feels surprisingly BMW-like.
Like all Jettas, the GLI is a fun, practical, handsome sedan with outstanding handling and an incredible interior. But the GLI takes the fun a step further, adding a 200-horsepower V6 engine, six-speed manual transmission, sportier suspension, and boy-racer trim to look and feel like a world-class sports sedan.
The result is a car that begs to be pushed hard through corners because of its stiff suspension that allows little body roll and its wide, grippy tires that keep it firmly stuck to the road. As if that weren't enough, the 2.8-liter VR6 engine is smooth and powerful when accelerating, and the brakes are spectacular.
GLI is just one in a long list of Jetta flavors that are starting to make VW dealerships look like Baskin Robbins. In addition to the top-of-the-line V6 engine, there are three four-cylinder choices: a powerful 1.8-liter turbocharged model (180 horsepower); the base 2.0-liter version (115 horsepower); and a 90-horsepower, turbocharged diesel that gets 49 miles per gallon on the highway.
To further complicate things, four transmissions are offered: a four-speed automatic, five-speed automatic, five-speed manual, and six-speed manual, all of which are only available in certain option packages. It's nice that so many combinations are offered, but picking the right one can be tedious.
No matter which version you settle on, all come with one of the best interiors available in modern compact sedans. Materials seem much more expensive than one would expect in the low-priced Jetta – it starts around $17,000 and tops out in the $26,000 range – and the switches and knobs have the same precise feel and tight fit found in the super-expensive German dreamcars.
Practicality is also one of the Jetta's strong points, as a large trunk and generous leg room add unexpected comfort and convenience.
Perhaps the Jetta's greatest strength is also a weakness. It's been around a long time, and while that's allowed for a great deal of improvement through the years, it also means the body is starting to look dated. Its arched roof, once deemed radical and progressive when it was introduced in the mid-1990s, now seems rather boring for such a lively, fun-to-drive car.
Other downsides include pricey options that quickly drive up the price, and rough-riding suspensions on some models that can be unpleasant if you're not used to the European tendency to place performance over comfort.
All in all, the Jetta continues to show that sedans can be both fun and practical, and the new GLI model just widens its appeal.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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