2019 VW Jetta GLI First Drive: A GTI With A Trunk Once More?
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee鈥擶hen I was a little kid, my dad owned an A3 Volkswagen Jetta GLI in Tornado Red, with cloth seats, a spoiler, and BBS wheels. In 2019, the Jetta finally gets what it deserves in the form of the redesigned GLI performance variant, which no longer plays second fiddle to the Golf GTI. The GLI also gets the GTI鈥檚 honeycomb grille, a pair of actual exhaust tips, LED daytime-running lights, a driver-oriented center stack, and a suspension lowered by 0.6 inch compared to the regular Jetta. Patterned heated cloth seats are standard, while ventilation is available. The only-for-2019 35th Anniversary Edition and the top Autobahn trim receive standard Dynamic Chassis Control. It offers five settings鈥擭ormal, Comfort, Eco, Sport, and Custom鈥攖o adjust the powertrain and steering feel, and they offer clear, well-defined differences in character. The modes also affect the adaptive dampers that are (for now) exclusive to the 35th Anniversary car.
VW also includes a limited-slip differential and its XDS brake-based torque-vectoring as standard. The former helps manage wheelspin and improve power delivery, while the latter will brake an inside wheel to aid turn-in and mitigate understeer. Part of our drive took place on the hellaciously windy Tail of the Dragon, the perfect showcase for the aforementioned bits given its 318 corners in just 11 miles of tarmac. They worked well, dialing out push and allowing the car to sprint away from each corner exit with as much grip as possible given the occasionally damp conditions. That said, the manual version鈥擨 wrung out a stick-shift S on a road loop near Lake Santeetlah鈥攊s simply more enthralling. Shift effort is light but precise, and the lever sinks into place with just the right amount of feedback. The clutch is calibrated near perfectly, with a clear engagement point, and the pedal placement and responsive throttle facilitate easy heel-and-toe downshifts.
The brake system includes standard 13.4-inch vented front discs straight off the Golf R. The brake pedal is progressive and communicative, with gentle pressure delivering gentle deceleration and firmer, deeper squeezes giving big stopping power. A passel of driver-assistance technologies is among the standard features the GLI has over the base GTI, which also include dual-zone automatic climate control and LED headlamps. Post-collision braking, forward emergency brake assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear traffic alert are all included. All GLIs also get VW App-Connect, which allows for phone projection through MirrorLink, Android Auto, or Apple CarPlay, controllable through a touchscreen that measures 6.0 inches by default or 8.0 inches if you pony up more cash. The new Jetta GLI perhaps isn鈥檛 quite as sporty in terms of character or styling as the GTI, but it鈥檚 better than it鈥檚 been in several generations and is a feature-packed, budget-friendly choice for enthusiasts that requires little compromise. I should let my dad know.
I wasn鈥檛 planning to test drive the 2019 VW Golf GTI Rabbit Edition during a recent visit to Ontario Volkswagen, but the special Rabbit Edition Cornflower Blue color and styling grabbed my attention and wouldn鈥檛 let go. 鈥淲hat do you think about that color? 鈥?It was my friend and general manager of Ontario VW, Earl Reed, coming down the stairs from his office. 鈥?I replied. The next thing you know, I鈥檓 test driving the Rabbit Edition in another very cool color, Urano Gray. Click play below to listen to my complete review of the special 2019 VW Golf GTI Rabbit Edition, or you can read the review below. Either way check out all the pics of this truly special, and very limited availability, enthusiasts鈥?V-Dub from our friends at Ontario VW. 1983 was a good year. 鈥淩eturn of the Jedi鈥?had been released, Mario Brother鈥檚 made its debut, and Volkswagen came out with its 1983 Mk1 Rabbit GTI. You may or may not remember its red plaid seats, snowflake wheels and golf ball shift knob, but it was something. This 1983 version had a true cult following and helped create and launch the hot hatch.
