A lot has been said about the controversial new U.S.- spec Volkswagen Jetta. Whatever your feelings about it, the new Jetta is no longer simply a Golf with a trunk, the sedan now has its own distinct style and personality -- a good thing if you ask us. Get behind the wheel of a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI with the Autobahn package and its distinctiveness becomes even more apparent. So what exactly is different about the Jetta GLI? Thankfully though, some things haven't changed, namely VW's sweet 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection I-4 propelling the Jetta GLI. Some may think the 200 hp/207 lb-ft engine would be a bit underpowered for this vehicle (0-60 mph comes in 6.5 seconds on to a quarter mile in 15.1 sec at 94.9 mph), but actually it's perfect. Any more power and you'd be constantly fighting with the onboard traction control nanny that isn't overly intrusive but is unfortunately undefeatable (though we hear VW might be working on changing that). While you only have one engine choice for the GLI, you do get the option of two different six-speed transmissions -- VW's dual-clutch DSG automatic or manual -- our tester had the latter.
Testing the GLI turned out to be a bit of a disappointment due to the ever present nanny. It was hard to get a true feeling for how this car can perform. Acceleration runs were also limited due to the traction control system, allowing different amounts of wheel spin with each run and activating in different ways each time. Just once I would have loved to have been able to launch the car the way I wanted to, even if it ended up being slower, which I doubt it would have been. The new Jetta GLI is an amazingly competent and fun car to drive. I was able to turn many a mile on some perfect roads just outside of L.A., and by perfect I mean perfect roads for evaluating. It's a beautiful combination of smooth and broken twisty pavement, long sweeping turns through numerous hills and valleys, with a bit of highway to top it off. The GLI doesn't ride quite as flat as the outgoing car, but its 0.90 g lateral acceleration number is nothing to sneeze at, and it doesn't rattle your teeth loose either.
Also have these raised edges which will keep that dirt, debris, and liquid from getting onto your carpet. Our WeatherTech floor mats are going to contour perfectly to our vehicle and have that textured bottom to prevent our feet from slipping. Now that we've gone over some features we'll show you how to get this installed. We'll start by removing our factory mats. Today on our 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, we're doing a test fit of the WeatherTech Front Floor Mats in black. Part number WT443381. These are also available in tan. Part number WT453381 and in grey, part number WT463381. We've already got our driver's side installed over here. As you can see we have these channels all along the bottom that are going to prevent dirt, debris and liquid from getting onto your feet. We have our raised edges, which will prevent that dirt, debris and liquid from getting onto your carpet. The WeatherTech Floor liners fit up underneath our dash to give maximum protection. Today on our 2013 Volkswagen Jetta we'll be looking at our best hitch options.
On the top we have a CURT class one, part number C11072. On the bottom we have a Draw-Tite class one, part number 24866. Now the main difference between our two hitches here today is the construction. Our CURT hitch has a round tubular construction, which is more aesthetically pleasing in my mind, whereas our Draw-Tite is a rectangular construction. Then there's our safety chain attachment points. Today on our 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, we're doing a test fit of the Yakima HalfBack 3 trunk mount bike rack. That part number Y02635. Now, we already have our bike secured down. We're first going to show you have we do that and then we'll go over some features. We have two cradles in place with three points of contact with our zip strips. There's going to be two on our frame here and one as our anti-sway strip in the back. Today on our 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, we're doing a test fit of the Yakima Fullback 3 trunk mount bike rack. That part number is Y02633. Now, we already have our bike secured down. We're first going to show you how we do that.
