The 2012 Volkswgaen Jetta GLI provides sportier performance at a great price. 

In the past, I have owned a couple of Jettas, so when I was invited to the media launch of the GLI – it brought back great memories and made me eager to test drive the new “North Americanized” version.  After a two-year wait, The Volkswagen Jetta GLI is back with a reinvented and redesigned sharp look and lower price tag.  

The GLI is Jetta’s “sportsline” model, similar to the GTI version of the Golf.  For those of you who look for cars with a sportier touch you will be excited for a starting price of $27,475 – which is $2,500 cheaper than its previous 2009 version.  It’s not just the price that will get you excited, but the overall performance and look has been refined.  Volkswagen listened to its complaints about their Jetta and spruced up the GLI to build it with the European touches that had made it a success.

The Jettas of the past and of today are very different as they are currently being built in Puebla, Mexico.  Volkswagen’s long-term goal is to make them more affordable vehicles and in turn create more sales. This has led to a small downgrade in quality for the Jetta, but an upsurge in sales.  The Jetta has become a top-ten seller in Canada and a cornerstone of Volkswagen’s success with Jetta sales up 164 percent.

At first glance, the GLI catches your attention with its sleek and sporty look.  The first thing that gets a hold of you is the new honeycomb grille that places the GLI badge front and centre.  When you get to the back of the vehicle, you will notice smoked tail lights and a twin exhaust.  It also has bright red brake callipers, front/rear sport bumpers, side skirts, and 17” alloy wheels to give it that sports car feel.

When you sit inside you can immediately tell that the interior is designed for comfort.  Most of the fixings come standard including soft-leather sports seats with red trim stitching that creates that racing feel.  There’s also red stitching around the leather steering wheel, gear shift, and hand brake handle. Volkswagen dealt with numerous complaints about its prior basic and hard plastic dashboard and has rectified that with the use of soft-touch plastics.  Automatic climate control, six-speed audio with touch-screen, Bluetooth connectivity, and Sirius Satellite radio rounds off the rest of the standard amenities which are very impressive.

There are a few options which can be added to enhance your driving experience.  You can upgrade with a technical package that includes a built-in navigation system and a Fender premium audio system for $1,290.  Furthermore, you can add a power sunroof for $1,400 and 18” alloy wheels for $975.  

You don’t have to worry about many downgrades when it comes to the GLI as it’s propelled by a 200 horsepower, 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.  It also possesses 207 lb-ft of torque peaking at a low 1,700 rpm, which is hands-down one of the best engines on the market today.  For greater stability, the GLI is proud to have a multilink rear suspension instead of the regular Jetta’s torsion-beam rear axle.  The torsion-beam needed to be addressed as it raised many eyebrows of Volkswagen owners which caused them to second-guess the newly modelled Jettas.  

The base model comes with a six-speed manual transmission, but if you would prefer the six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) with Triptronic paddle shifters it will only cost you an extra $1,400.  I must say after testing different triptronic/dual-clutch systems, Volkswagen’s DSG is the best in the business.  The smooth transitions within gear changes are astonishing as there is absolutely no interruption in driving power.  There are two-modes that you can drive in – the regular and sport mode.  In its regular driving mode, the shifting is quicker for better fuel efficiency; while sport mode stretches out the gear shifts to get the most out of the engine in each gear.

We really got to test the sportiness of the GLI around Mosport International Raceway just north of Bowmanville, Ontario.  To top off this fun-filled racing venture, Volkswagen brought in Canadian racing legend Richard Spenard to provide some helpful tips.  The one thing I can safely say is that the stability control was working to perfection as I pushed down on those aluminium pedals and swung the GLI around each corner.  You can steer with ease into and out of each corner with complete control.  It was truly a joy to fully test what it’s capable of doing which you just cannot do driving throughout the streets of Toronto.  The GLI compared well with the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart I recently tested, which is one of the top-sporty cars in its segment.  

Volkswagen has done their homework on what their old customers like, as well as adding a lot of new customers by lowering their prices.  The new GLI has been crafted with the European-spirit that Volkswagen is famous for.  If you are looking for a sporty car with a lot of bite – the GLI looks like the best bang for your buck.