2012 VW JETTA GLI: It’s a betta Jetta

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/08/2012 (4985 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Drivers everywhere love the Volkswagen Golf GTI. And so they should: The car provides one of the purer driving experiences available from a small car, transforming a regular Golf into a minor pinnacle of performance.

The same formula should apply then to the 2012 GLI, the automaker’s highest-performing Jetta, right?

Well, not so fast.

The GLI is certainly no run-of-the-mill Jetta. Riding on smart-looking 18-inch wheels, the $27,475 (to start) Jetta GLI offers more power than the standard car, uses an independent sport-tuned suspension, a better interior (with a great, flat-bottom leather steering wheel) and a sportier exterior.

It is the Jetta I would choose if a Jetta were in my future, even rising above the much-adored Jetta TDI (diesel) because, in part, the GLI’s fuel economy is so good.

Out on the highway, at mostly 120 km/h, it was not hard to achieve 6.5 litres of gas consumption per 100 kilometres in the GLI — pretty close to Transport Canada’s rating of 6.1. In town, my average again hovered very close to the official figure of 8.8 L/100 km.

Yes, the diesel is more frugal, but it doesn’t have the same sporting personality or snazzy looks. It’s as though the front-wheel-drive GLI beats with an entirely different heart. Although it’s about the same price as the diesel, it’s cheaper than the GTI by some $1,900 before tax.

The performance bargain is evident the moment the GLI’s premium fuel is forced into the 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder, the same engine used in the smaller GTI, and it lets loose all 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. There’s a wee curse of turbo lag, followed by a rush of acceleration that falls off at its peak — not quite the linear and smooth delivery I was searching for, but nothing to start a forum discussion about either.

Actually, my complaints about the GLI are scant: The tiny start button, awkwardly located, seemingly needed to be coaxed to make it work correctly. It drove me batty with its inconsistency, which was followed by an unpleasant-sounding start, almost as if metal were scraping against metal. And I could not, as part of the keyless entry, regularly lock the doors by the door handle with the key in my pocket. Nor would the electronic display between the gauges register speed in digital numbers the way I like.

The interior quality of the GLI ranges from typically good and tight German specifications to some plain and cheap plastics. Good thing the excellent Bluetooth, simple navigation, and clear-sounding, 400-watt digital Fender audio system kept me distracted enough not to dwell on some of the interior parts.

Aside from those minor gripes, the GLI does a good job of being a pleasing sedan. It has a large trunk, ample rear-seat legroom and some of the sweetest steering I have enjoyed outside of a BMW or Porsche. Though some of have complained the electromechanical steering in the GLI is numb and light, it seemed perfectly weighted to me, with excellent response and immediate turn-in. Honestly, it was one of my favourite parts in the GLI package. The deft steering made the car feel eminently playful.

Although the car weighs a not-insignificant 1,432 kilograms, the GLI never felt nervous on the winding country roads that surround our nation’s capital. There is some wind and road noise, however, and our press car suffered from an annoying suspension squeak whenever it suffered a significant jolt.

The six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual transmission shifted crisply and cleanly, even if it tends to shift somewhat early in full-auto mode. Switching over to sport mode cures the transmission of its efficiency exercises, and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel make the manual mode the most fun of all. In essence, the multi-mode options on the DSG gearbox make the GLI malleable to whatever mood most suits its driver.

But is the GLI a true driver’s car? On paper and in theory, it certainly should be. The car, built in Puebla, Mexico, carries forward the DNA of the Golf GTI. Essentially, it aims to be a larger GTI with a trunk. Indeed, it looks sharp, rides well and offers decent performance.

The problem, then, might not be with the GLI itself, but rather its GTI sibling, which has set VW’s performance metrics so high the GLI has to be that much better. The new GLI is certainly a rewarding car, but it needs to be better, sharper, leaner and more capable than its smaller peer if it’s going to earn the highest praise all by itself.

— Postmedia News

THE SPECS

Type of vehicle: Front-wheel-drive sports performance sedan

Engine: 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder,

Power: 200 hp @ 5,100-6,000 r.p.m.; 207 lb.-ft. of torque @ 1,700 r.p.m.

Transmission: Six-speed DSG automatic

Curb weight: 1,432 kg with DSG

Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS

Tires: P225/40R18

Price: Base/as tested $27,475/$33,240

Destination charge: $1,365

Transport Canada fuel economy (L/100 km): 8.8 city, 6.1 hwy.