“Are you okay with that parking spot, sir, or would you like me to find you a bigger one?”
“Who, me?! Uh, sure, I don’t want to door ding someone else’s car. Thanks!”
No, this wasn’t the Ritz–it was the general self-parking lot in Disney World, where the attendant seemed worried about my expensive car. And no, I wasn’t driving a new Porsche: I was in a $33,000 compact sedan with a Volkswagen badge on the front.
Meet the Jetta GLI. I guess that $650 Black Package (black wheels and mirrors) paid off! But that friendly parking attendant’s reaction was a great acknowledgement of this car’s purpose: Be a budget sport sedan that stands out among the other cars on the road, while still being perfectly practical and getting 32 mpg on regular gas.
What’s a Jetta GLI? Any VW fan will recognize the red lipstick on the grille, a performance torch carried all these years from the original Rabbit GTI. This is basically a Mk8 GTI with a trunk instead of a hatchback.
Same fun, playful MQB chassis. Same excellent, torquey drivetrain (228 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft.). Same sharp twin-clutch DSG transmission (or six-speed manual). Same electronically controlled clutch-type limited slip. And, sadly, the same hateful capacitive buttons throughout the interior.
The two cars don’t just feel like stablemates but like twins, and we’d struggle to differentiate them besides the obvious three-box vs. two-box body styles. We’ve written at length about just how fun and fast the new GTI is on track, and all that praise holds true for the Jetta. If you love GTIs but your lifestyle means you’d rather have a big trunk than a hatchback, this is the car for you.
What about all of the other entry-level sports sedans in the world? Yeah… it’s 2025, so good luck with that. The Jetta once struggled to compete in a crowded field, but finding any sedan–never mind one with sporting pretensions–in modern America has gotten more challenging.
A base BMW 3 Series starts at $12,000 more than the GLI. Mazda has taken the turbocharged Mazda3 upmarket, forcing an automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. And Subaru’s WRX has a high price, polarizing looks and horrible fuel economy. The Elantra N is an absolute hoot, but I think this car does a much better job of settling down on a road trip with your family.
But, of course, there’s always the Civic Si. It’s even a few grand less expensive, starting at just $30,250. Compared to the Civic, though, the Jetta has more power and an optional (and excellent) twin-clutch transmission.
But the real thing it has is perfectly encapsulated by that friendly parking attendant’s reaction. The Civic looks cool, but the Jetta looks, feels and drives premium. And, for many car buyers, that’s enough of a reason to choose it over the competition.
And while we haven’t tested the GLI on our official test track, the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park, we have tested the current Civic Si and the current Volkswagen GTI. The verdict? The Volkswagen was a full 2.5 seconds around the track, suggesting the Jetta’s lap times might be a bit more premium, too.
In short: The Jetta GLI is a fantastic daily driver that looks great, is priced right, and turns heads even when the driver knows it’s “just a Jetta.” Kudos to VW for still making sedans–and great ones–in the modern era.
Comments
The GLI is a nice package in that VW "all arounder" kind of way. The comps to other cars in the article are valid. A Hyundai Elantra N will absolutely show its tail lights to a GLI...unless I'm driving the N and Randy Pobst is in the GLI.
It's a swift car if not the outright quickest in class.
I think it's the last VW product to offer a manual in the USA, but I could be wrong. That said, I have a DSG in my GTI, and since no one else can see this, I'll say... it won me over! But that stays strictly between us.
And a nice thing for the GRM fans: basically everything that y'all did to the project GTI could be done to the GLI.
Coniglio Rampante said:
That said, I have a DSG in my GTI, and since no one else can see this, I'll say... it won me over! But that stays strictly between us.
On a more serious note, I always imagined the DSG to offer just enough fun without spending half your life 1-2-1-2 in traffic.
I just turo'd a '24 GLI across florida for the last week and mostly enjoyed it. Since literally every other car I own is a manual it took me a while to get used to the DSG. It wasn't bad. the car is certainly better than most other things in it's class. I was not a fan of the turbo boost curve though. The difference between part throttle no boost and part throttle ALL THE BOOSTS was a very small window.
Got a great deal on a 2025 manual (12% off MSRP) the day before the trrrrrif pricing set in. Kudos to Autobarn VW.
Really lovin' it. Miss the Fender Audio from my last VW but IMHO you just can't beat this for the money. Yes, there are some small faults but I'm very happy with the purchase. Love the updated styling.
In reply to iansane :
Putting the DSG into S wakes it up. Wish that could be the default position.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I'm under the impression that most DCTs are programmed with a default state that makes it behave as close as possible to a "traditional" automatic in the same way that some CVTs are programmed to act like they have gears–some consumers might be put off by a transmission that drives differently, if that makes sense.
SliderX
New Reader
4/9/25 1:30 p.m.
GLI is under the older MK7/7.5 platform so the EA888 gen 3 engine. Not a bad thing, it's a solid combo and gets great MPGs. MK8 GTI with the newer engine and platform is DSG only for 2025 models. Not many choices these days for someone looking for a fun 4 door manual daily. Civic Si would be a strong competitor for this, better shifter, more engaging in the turns but less power and worse engine.
LukeGT
New Reader
4/9/25 2:28 p.m.
GLI's are the absolute best sedans for an enthusiast daily IMO. I currently have two MK6 GLI's, one for me and one for the wife that are the daily drivers. Granted that they both have excellent maintenance history, if I do say so myself, but they've been Rock Solid and super fun to drive, even on Tail of the Dragon. Mine is at 125k with the wife's at about 86k. The versatility of these things is really impressive.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
VW certainly could have done that, but I imagine they didn't for fuel mileage numbers and also so some moron doesn't go faster than his brain works upon putting the car in gear in a parking lot.
As an aside though, moving the shifter one, small "click-motion" is literally easier than depressing a clutch, brake, throttle pedal or turning on the hvac, so on the grand scale of things, I don't find it too bad at all.
Colin Wood said:
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I'm under the impression that most DCTs are programmed with a default state that makes it behave as close as possible to a "traditional" automatic in the same way that some CVTs are programmed to act like they have gears–some consumers might be put off by a transmission that drives differently, if that makes sense.
Agreed. In normal mode, the DSG shifts up and down like the best "traditional" auto transmission I've ever driven. "Sport" makes the transmission noticeably more sharp but not to the point of annoyance, as in some vehicles. Still, some folks may not like that. At a choice is offered.
Just my $.02 .
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