2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: Convincingly Slaying The Tail Of The Dragon
After a brief hiatus in 2018, the Volkswagen Jetta GLI is back in 2019 to mark its 35th anniversary. The folks at VW insist that this is a genuine sports sedan and they wanted to leave no doubt about it by inviting us to a test drive on the legendary Tail of the Dragon in the U.S. The Jetta GLI is built on the same MQB platform as the Atlas, Tiguan, Golf and GTI. The last one also shares its engine, namely a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that cranks out 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Compared with the previous generation, these numbers are up by 18 hp and 51 lb.-ft., respectively. Transmission choices include a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG. With the Sport mode activated, the latter proves quick and very sharp. Regrettably, though, it forces some of the gears to change even if you decide to control the transmission using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Oh, and it鈥檚 a bit of a shame that designers ignored drifting enthusiasts by replacing the traditional parking brake handle with an electric switch. A genuine sports sedan? The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI almost seems shy to admit it.
In other words, this car has all the performance credentials you would want, yet it barely shows. If not for a few red accents here and there, most people wouldn鈥檛 be able to tell the difference with a base Jetta. Of course, this is nothing new. Volkswagen is historically known for going with understated designs over fancy, in-your-face propositions. The sound effects are nice, too, but disappointment sets in when you realize that the engine is amplified through a dedicated cabin system. Automakers have a habit of choosing flat, uncrowded roads for their press events鈥攖he sort of setting that also helps them achieve the fuel economy numbers they advertise. This time, however, Volkswagen opted for a completely different strategy. We were invited to drive the 2019 Jetta GLI on U.S. Route 129 a.k.a. the Tail of the Dragon. Stretching across Tennessee and North Carolina, it features 318 curves over a distance of just 17.7 kilometres. As we tossed the car around, we felt as if we were sitting in a food processor! The sedan handled itself like a champ on this sinuous road. Its swift acceleration allowed us to quickly blast from one corner to another.
As for its overall dynamic capabilities, they definitely meet our expectations of what how a German sports sedan should handle. The suspension has just the right amount of firmness, while its precise steering makes directional transitions easy. The previous-generation GLI failed to win over a large crowd as buyers preferred the five-door GTI. 3,300 below the old model. 31,695 before freight and delivery charges. 995 will tack on the Driver Assistance package. The latter includes autonomous emergency braking, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams. Originally launched in 1984, the Jetta GLI turns 35 this year. To mark the occasion, Volkswagen is offering the aforementioned 35th Anniversary Edition. You can recognize it from the standard GLI with 18-inch Sevilla black alloy wheels featuring red rings, a black-painted roof, rear spoiler and mirror caps, plus special badging on the seats, door sills and floor mats. To tell you the truth, we expected more from this anniversary model. Many people have lamented the size of the seventh-generation Jetta, so you will hear the same comments about the GLI: too long, too wide, too heavy, etc. In reality, it鈥檚 not so bad. The car is now 0.8 inch wider and 0.3 inch taller with a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase, so it would be a stretch to say Volkswagen went over the line. Compact sports sedans with front-wheel drive remain a pretty rare sight. The segment essentially comes down to the Honda Civic Si and Hyundai Elantra Sport. Despite its AWD setup, the Subaru WRX is another option.
WASHINGTON 鈥?One of the original hot hatches is still in the game. Even with stiff competition, the Golf GTI excels with refinement with a fun-to-drive attitude that handles comfortably on highways as it does on empty back roads. So how does the top-of-the-line Golf GTI Autobahn change things for Volkswagen? First is the price. 37,110 fully loaded price tag is no cheap date. But spending that money gives you one great handling front wheel drive car that鈥檚 very fun in the curves, thanks to the beefed up suspension of the (DCC) Dynamic Chassis Control. You can choose different modes for your suspension setup depending on the amount of sport you want in your drive. While not the most powerful hot hatch, it still pleases with a punchy Turbo 4 that鈥檚 very smooth in its power delivery. My ride for the week also came with the optional DSG automatic. 1,100 and choose the manual, but the DSG changes gears very quickly and it was smooth most of the time. It has a strange start and very slow driving on hills, almost like a manual car.
Fuel economy is a bright spot with this Golf GTI. I managed 29.2 mpg in my 500 miles on regular grade fuel. Where VW has stepped up its game lately is on the technology front. Now, it鈥檚 standard for VW to include Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Blind Spot Monitoring. 1,095 GTO Autobahn Driver鈥檚 Assistance package that adds Lane Departure Warning with lane Assist. It can even assist in parking the car, though I found it strange to let the car do the work for you. Inside is a hit for this hot hatch, with great space for a car this size. Heated front seats and the driver鈥檚 power seat has plenty of adjustments to get that perfect seating position. Rear seat riders have a good amount of space for this compact hatch with ample headroom and usable leg room for most. I fit three children in the car, tightly, with car seats and a booster, but two adults would be all I would try.
