It sounds dramatic, but there are few newer cars left on this planet like the front-wheel-drive Volkswagen Jetta GLI. Offered as a performance version of the perfectly fine-to-rent Jetta, the GLI comes fully loaded with both features and personality. Paramount is its powertrain: a spunky 228-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission is standard. A manual-transmission four-door sedan is as common as common sense. (For a little extra VW offers an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic.) Its closest competitors, the Honda Civic Si and the Hyundai Elantra N are both newer than the GLI, but offer a similar penchant for driving entertainment. While the GLI’s age has left it behind in terms of its former equal, the 244-hp Golf GTI hatchback, it’s still fun to drive. It comes standard with heated and ventilated front seats and leather upholstery. And in a package that completed our 75-mph highway fuel economy test at 36 mpg, the GLI’s continued existence is one worth celebrating, even if it’s been around longer than its competitors.
What’s New for 2024?
The VW Jetta GLI stays much the same for 2024 with the exception of a limited-edition 40th Anniversary model. Only 1984 (the year Jetta GLI was introduced; not a reference to the famous George Orwell novel) will be built. The anniversary edition gets interesting additional badging inside but better than that, drops the starting price of the GLI significantly. It comes standard with exclusively-designed cloth seats.
