The VW Jetta GLI is the updated version. We cannot get this one in Europe, we only have the Golf GTI. This one is basically the sedan version and is called GLI. Here also with the red accentuation and this honeycomb front grille, sporty look but already saying, hey, I'm sporty but I'm also still this compromise between everyday driver and some fun sporty vehicle. In daytime running light, you can see the accentuations here around and red contrast here in a vertical style, a great contrast to the Moonstone Gray color.
I think this overall color combination looks really cool. The trim by the way is called Autobahn trim. Here at the side, you can already see that 18-inch wheels are standard for the GLI Autobahn in a high gloss black styling. 4.85m or 187 inches is the length here of the Jetta GLI and its front wheel drive. Soon going to take at the engine spec and you can see it has this classic sedan line. This is the main difference then to the Golf GTI which is this hatchback. Very interesting at the rear, first of all, I think it's a pretty sleek styling, then a small contrasting winglet on the top part. The rear lamps here have this signature light in the lower part and then you have real exhaust tips here. Yay! And what about the sound?
Soundcheck and engine
Under the hood, we have a 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine with 228 horsepower. The acceleration figure, it's just over 6 seconds, now at 6.4 seconds to 60 miles an hour or around 100 kilometers an hour.
Interior: key and doors
The key is light and simple, it is just this plain black but I think it's actually better than all these high-gloss black keys. Then, the door closing sound here, that's actually quite solid. Then, inside the doors, you have some red contrast stitches here and also this special GLI-type red line deco element. What I find quite nice for detail, is that we have a top galvanization here at the window levers.
Steering wheel and seats
Then, the sporty interior, the GLI steering wheel with this insert just like the GTI steering wheel we know. I criticize that these here are capacitive buttons, #capacitiveBS, they look cool but then again, controlling them while driving is a little bit tougher. Seats in the Autobahn trim here, sadly, only animal skin, they offer no alternative, something sportier and more animal-friendly would have been good here. By the way, have you seen that matte black is the thing here also around the windows and also here.
So, on the one hand, you might think that might look cheaper, on the other hand, high gloss black collects scratches and fingerprints and so on. So, what do you prefer? Tell me in the comments. Seat ergonomics is really good, it's very comfortable here indeed, also for tall people, 189, 6'2", still leaves some headroom and this is also equipped here with the glass roof, you can slide this one. I like it when it's just a manual shade, why not? It's so quick and easy and then you can also actually open this one right here that's done electric.
Cockpit overview
Perspective on the steering wheel, actually quite a good size, newly updated digital instruments in 10.25-inch, on the right side, 8-inch infotainment system but that's the one I think it's good, it still has the manual volume knob, on the right side, this tuning knob, for example, or when you are in the car internal GPS, then you could zoom in and out with that. The digital instruments also change color according to the driving mode. In the lower part, we have still a real classic climate unit, I really appreciate that, and either 7-speed dual-clutch transmission like this one or you also get a 6-speed manual and with this button here, you activate the choices for the DCC, dynamic chassis control, that's the adaptive suspension.
Then, you have here the driving mode selection, comfort, change the steering wheel and also the throttle input and the suspension Sport and a little bit stiffer everything. The most thing you will do with this infotainment system, here's an easy menu structure, will be using Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, it's also available wireless but you can choose cable or wireless. I really like the deco elements, what about you? Tell me in the comments. Then, here, what I don't like is the middle console, the cup holders are not adaptive, rather a plain look.
However, what I appreciate against the Golf GTI here in the Jetta GLI, there's this really large storage area for cereal bars, by the way, that will not be eaten in the vehicle and then also here USB-C charging. What's also notable here on the inside is gray and not black. On the one hand, you might say, "Ah, that doesn't fit," but by that, you can better see what's on the inside, it's not just a dark hole.
Rear seats
Although The rear seating is a front-wheel drive, there's still a middle tunnel. Legroom, this actually fits here for four tall adults, so even though this is set to my driving position and headroom, it is close but also directly fits, and the rear comfort here is actually quite decent.
Trunk/boot
Look at that, I appreciate these little details, a small GTI badge even for the rear floor mats here. GTI? Oh, GLI, yes, thank you. As for the trunk or the boot, well, first of all, I criticize that when you close it, it really sounds really bad, partly, of course, also comes from the number plate here. Then, also, when you open it here, do you prefer it when it's covered in black plastic or do you think it's better when it's just metal like this? I think there's like pros and cons, at least it fits the rest of the paint. Then, here, 14.1 cubic feet is the volume and here the normal length is 113 meters or 44 inches, well usable, and underneath, you can also put a spare tire and you can see you can also fold the seats, you have to unlock it from here and then push them through.
Driving Jetta GLI 2.0
Driving part with the Jetta GLI, limited slip differential, let's see how that goes, front-wheel drive only and we start sports mode, S shifting mode and we turn in the steering wheel and go all the way through. Look at that, that was amazing, right? Of course, you shouldn't really do that and I'm not doing that every day but this was a demonstration of how well this system actually works and you can also repeat it the other way around. It really doesn't, you know, rip on your steering wheel, you know, so usually when I have like a lot of performance, front-wheel drive cars and so on, it can happen actually that you lose, you know, the control of the vehicle or something.
But here, here also with the DSG when the U-turn is actually too short or too crisp, back-forth, easy solution, some sound actuation here in the interior but the exterior exhaust sound, we heard it earlier, is actually not too bad. So, it feels really very agile and it's so well to control, you can see here, I hit the throttle quite hard, I don't have to correct the steering wheel, very well done also here from this LSD... limited-slip differential, right? Not the other LSD.
So, we're turning on Highway number One, a beautiful road of course, and every lane change is a lot of fun. It has a very crisp and direct steering, especially here in the sport mode, you have a little bit more resistance, so there's no dead zone area in the steering. When you go to comfort mode, you have a little bit less resistance, so it feels softer. I would really prefer the sporty setting at the same time, DCC, dynamic chassis control, that's the adaptive suspension. When we go to the sport mode, I also get more feedback from the suspension but still, even here in the sport mode, it is very comfortable. This is a car that presents the compromise between an everyday driver and still something more spicy, something fun for your everyday driving life and it works very well indeed.
So, what I would prefer as for driving setting could be, for example, let's say you want a little more comfort on your daily commute, then you could pick a normal comfort mode via the custom settings, and in the custom settings, you can adjust it and then, for example, set the suspension to soft but the steering to the sport. that's also your preset in this very mode. So, that is what is being done quite often and I think that's also quite a good setting. Still, as I said, if you are in the sport mode, the suspension is still soft or comfortable enough. What's also happening here in the sport mode, shifting up later, shifting down earlier, so you always are at a higher RPM.
That's, of course, also helpful for sporty driving. You definitely have enough punch. As for these all-season tires, they're fine. Let's take it that way. Of course, yes, you have more performance with pure summer tires, no doubt about that. You also lose something in the acceleration figure and so on but you can live with this compromise. Always about pros and cons, of course, with the all-season tires, you also have advantages because it's just more convenient. That's also the reason, you know, they went for that.
Yeah, it really depends on what you expect from the vehicle but it still feels nice and sporty also as for the dampening from the tires, having here 18-inch wheels, it's absolutely fine. This combination, of 18-inch wheels and adaptive suspension gives you enough comfort. Here at 55 miles per hour, so almost 100 kilometers an hour, noise insulation is also good. There's not much wind noise.
There's not much tire noise, everything on a very good standard and when I do some lane changing here, like, yeah, it's always a lot of fun. It's really cool. Does not shake up or something, it feels kind of like the Golf GTI. So, between the Golf GTI Hatch and the Jetta GLI sedan, you don't feel much difference in the driving feel. They're both very good and especially the handling, you feel that you are in control all the time. You do exactly what you want and the vehicle does exactly what you want.
This to me one of the best aspects. It has these compact dimensions. It's not really long. It's not really wide and that is also a reason why it's so much fun and to me, the key thing about this vehicle is really this everyday compromise and also, of course, the relatively affordable price. Of course, maybe cars used to be cheaper in the past but here the thing is you have already a car that is fun, that is sporty in the driving but you don't pay as much money as for a true sports car yet at the same time, you have this performance.
Also, when you want to go like slalom alike, it's no problem at all. DSG, by the way, should you go for the manual or the DSG, well, in traffic, of course, it's an advantage to have the dual-clutch transmission. It's just more relaxing, easier, and so on. At the same time, you can use this automatic downshifting especially if you are in the S sports mode and just pin it down, then you have to wait a little bit but then it comes.
The alternative would be you can also use the shifting paddles. So, if I want to accelerate a little bit quicker, yeah, use the shifting paddles and I'm in a lower gear, and so on. So, that is also something you can do and that's, of course, also fun to use the shifting paddles here and play a little bit with the RPM. Of course, if you are a purist car enthusiast, then, of course, you could also go for the manual version and enjoy that. Here, once again, accelerating out. It's not a rear-wheel-driven car but let's say they made this sporty front-wheel-drive concept as good as possible.
Of course, a pure rear-wheel-drive would get you out of the corners a little bit better because the rear comes around a little bit better and so on but here, no traction loss and so on and I think with the horsepower figure they have here, that's better than some of the vehicles that are tuned even higher. I mean, there's sometimes like this 2-liter 4-cylinder which go like 300, even sometimes 400 horsepower and they're like, what the hell?
Of course, then with all-wheel drive but then there are even stronger just front-wheel-drive versions, and at some point, I think it's just too much and here, I think they picked the right tune. You don't really need much more power just by the front axle. More power, I think, just makes sense when you have then all-wheel drive or rear axle alone and so on. So, this everyday compromise is really cool and you have your Jetta live spiced up. Oh, there we go. Here, this is the normal Jetta SE trim, also a little bit over one but yeah, you can also see from the exterior that we have the one that is spiced up and we definitely feel it here in the driving part, everything is on, go around the corner or change the lane. Well, of course, when we're talking about the Autobahn trim here, we have more Autobahn episodes also for you from Germany with the Golf GTI or also with the Golf R.
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