arentz07

After having months of mysterious suspension noises and creaks and rattles in the GTI that were driving me crazy, I gave in. Maybe I'm spoiled by Lexus's quality! However, I decided that maybe a slight change would be all that's needed - something a little softer and longer than the GTI. Moreover, my wife and I have been thinking it'd be good to have something that could more easily fit child seats in the future. Plus, the prospect of having a VW with a new-car warranty is tempting. That's how I ended up in the 2020 Jetta GLI S with DSG.



It's Tornado Red! A red car is a first for me (if you don't include my wife's Versa Note). I've always owned silver, gray, and black cars, so it's nice to have a change. The "S" trim is effectively the base-model GLI, with no nav or premium sound system to be found, along with cloth seats. However, it's unwise to sleep on the base trim of any car, and this one in particular has some unexpected nice things. It has full-LED lights front and rear, and a frameless, auto-dimming, rearview mirror. It has a touchscreen with surprisingly good black levels - easily as good if not better than my GTI Autobahn. The stock sound system is not amazing, but it's solid enough. Also, it has some neat LED ambient lighting with 10 different colors from which to choose.



Driving this car is fun, as expected, but it's a bit softer than the GTI. There's some body roll, and it feels less agile. However, turn-in response is still rather immediate, and the engine and transmission are as great as always. The seven-speed DSG has much better programming for daily use compared with the old six-speed, especially noticeable in creeping or take-off situations. It also seems to hunt less, while providing seamless part-throttle shifts. Somehow, the engine seems to have less turbo lag than before, as the build-up of boost seems almost nonexistent - just an instant response - though I've also not given it 100% throttle yet. The steering is even heavier than in my GTI, but the steering wheel is identical - though the value of fresh, new leather cannot be ignored. The seats are comfy as well, with some bolstering, but not as much as the GTI. The cloth covering makes them feel a bit more cozy. I feel as though a full day of driving in this car would be no problem.




For me, that's exactly what I wanted. Sure, it doesn't feel on-edge, but it's all the better for driving around town for it. I've only driven it some 30 miles today total, but I already feel right at home - partly due to the intuitiveness of driving it. Even the infotainment is easy to use, too. It feels like the old system, albeit with a newer screen and a fresh graphical skin.



Hey, and guess what? Real exhaust tips on a 2020 model year car. That's a win.

All in all, I am pleased. I think this fits my family situation better and is overall just easier to drive.

album: https://www.clublexus.com/g/album/19867608

EZZ

Congrats. The GLI is a nice sporty car.

Toys4RJill

Nice Jetta. I have always liked the current Jetta. And you bought a sedan!

ps. VW went back to timing belts on some of their engines for new models. Not sure if yours might have one. I test drive the Jetta just for fun , was nice an smooth. Really nice experience

TRDRAV4

Nice pickup...curious what kinds of deals they have on them. Wanting a 6MT GLI Autobahn...

mmarshall

Congratulations on your GLI. It's nice that VW still markets sedans in the U.S, which, unfortunately, I can't say for some other manufacturers.

Is your wife expecting? If so, another Congratulations ....and let us know when Junior arrives.

I totally agree that a send or 5-door hatchback is preferable to a 3-door GTI for a growing family. And, yes, its always nice to get a new ride.

Fizzboy7

That is a fine automobile! Wise choice- much more usable and practical.

arentz07

Thanks! I've been pleasantly surprised thus far.

Doing my part to keep sedans alive. 🙂

My guess is that the car has a timing chain, since it has the same engine (or at least one from the same family) as the GTI. I may want to verify that...

Sweet. Yeah I managed to get 2.9% APR along with about $2.5k off sticker, probably in part to how the dealer was already getting some 2021 models in.

Thanks!

Thanks sir! Not expecting right now, but we're thinking we may end up with kids in the near future. I feel like I could never be truly "ready" for kids, you know? So we're thinking it'd have to be soon if it's going to happen.

Side note, I think this is my favorite ambient light color.

patgilm

Damn I feel like you just got the GTI and it sounded like you liked the GTI from your posts although there were some quirks you pointed out in your review of it. Good luck with this one, looks pretty sharp. I wonder how long before you tune it.

arentz07

The good news is that my Cobb Accessport is compatible with the GLI! But yeah you hit the nail on the head... too many minor issues at once, plus the aforementioned interior space advantage of the Jetta. Wish I could have kept the GTI longer, but plans have changed.

pbm317

New GLI is definitely a good transition from the GTI. Although I'm still partial to the hatchback practicality overall.

arentz07

Yeah. I had a hard time with that as well. Though, my wife and I both had hatchbacks with similarly-sized cargo areas, so it didn't seem too bad to give up one of them. But then, the Jetta has a really long/deep trunk as well, 14.1 cubic feet. It looks huge in person.

bagwell

Congrats man! always liked the GLI too!!!

hope they didn't rape you on the GTI trade?????????

arentz07

They did okay. Only $1500 less than what I paid for it.

arentz07

It's been nearly three weeks since I picked up my new 2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. I absolutely have been loving it so far. I wanted to go over the car as a whole and how the major auto critics are both right and wrong about their own comparisons of the Golf GTI to the Jetta GLI .




Aesthetics

The GLI is a Jetta. When I was shopping for this car, this was one of its main drawbacks, at least, in my mind. I see lots of 2019+ Jettas in my neighborhood, usually the more basic models with much smaller wheels. So, when my wife and I approached this Tornado Red car, I'd say we were pleasantly surprised at how the car seemed to stand out amidst the Tiguans and Atlases parked nearby. Their muted, metallic paintwork seemed lifeless in contrast to the loud, solid red paint on this GLI. Since taking delivery, I've still barely gotten used to seeing it in the garage due to how this color, complimented nicely by the blacked-out grille and machined wheels, draws eyes to it. I've even noticed other drivers taking a peek at it, including, notably to me, a Veloster N driver, whose car was the iconic light blue of the "N" line.




I have to talk about something other than paint though. This car is still a Jetta, but the combination of the slightly lowered ride height, 18-inch machined wheels, and the subtle gray bodywork wrapping nearly all the way around the car make it look more planted than a run-of-the-mill Jetta. I have to admit, the rear decklid spoiler is likely the thinnest spoiler I've ever seen on a car, but somehow, it works. The headlights are conservatively styled, but their angular appearance and "C"-shaped DRLs make for a more mature look than we are seeing out of the very latest from VW. I think the looks of this GLI will age quite well, since it really isn't over-styled in any way - save for the generous grille opening, most of which is fake. Still, I think it looks better this way.



Inside, the GLI is more or less a dressed-up Jetta on initial appearances, but proves to have some nice touches. The dashboard, for one, has some faux stitching and is softer than I expected. There's 10-color ambient lighting, too, which I have been having far too much fun changing up on almost every drive. I can't seem to decide what I like simply because several options work well for me. I am partial to this Golf R-esque blue, though.



Taking a step back, though, I really appreciate how VW did some other things to make the GLI feel special compared to some other normal family sedan. There are red LED strips on the steel scuff plates on the doors, steel pedals, and seats that feature a striped pattern and white piping with red contrasting stitching. Do I miss the plaid seats of a GTI? A little, but in some ways, these could be better for me. I'm not canyon-carving all the time, so the relatively tame bolsters on this car are actually a boon to comfort. Entering and exiting the car, too, is much easier due to what I perceive as an inch or two higher step-in height. Of course, don't take that to mean the car feels like a Camry to sit in - the seating position is quite nice for driving, a sitting "in the car" position, to be sure.



In terms of material quality, I'll be honest on this - don't worry about it. It's true that you will find hard plastics and cheap-looking buttons, but they are mostly out of the way. For example, the headlight switch is small and lacks the metal-look trim of the equivalent switch in a GTI, but it's something I almost never have to look at thanks to automatic headlights. However, all the touch points in the car are fine. The steering wheel leather is not super-soft, but it is smooth and looks great when it's new. I do despise piano-black trim, and there is quite a bit in this car, but thankfully, it's not a part of the lower part of the center console or in areas that the sun easily hits - perhaps other than the doors. Overall, it's not bad, and it does dress up the interior a great deal compared to a standard Jetta, especially combined with the carbon-look - no, that's not right... aluminum-look - no, wrong again. I don't know, there's silver, somewhat sparkly trim that sort of reminds me of the trim in my former Lexus IS.



One of the main reasons I made the switch was due to the possibility of rug rats in the future. The Jetta has much roomier rear quarters than a Golf. Two more inches of legroom and flatter seats will do that. However, that's not to say the rear seats are plain - rather, they are slightly bolstered, something that surprised me a bit. Then, there's the trunk, which is frankly big enough for pretty much anything I could realistically put in it. 14.1 cubic feet is the volume, but the part that is not evident from that number is the depth. It's quite a far reach to the back seats, and groceries seem to pile in endlessly. I also appreciate the Car-Go system, which consists of some Velco-lined plastic walls that can be Lego-d together to form little dividers and cubbies. It's nice for keeping my portable inflator from flying around the trunk, for example.

I suppose I should also mention the infotainment. This is one of the things that's most similar to the GTI. They've re-skinned it, and they have added Car-Net integration, as well as deleting traditional USB inputs in favor of USB-C. Overall, it just feels like a minor update of the system in my GTI - overall, not a bad thing. It's easy to use, and most days, I rely on Android Auto anyway.

Driving

So, of course, if you are even reading this, you are either interested in my drama or actually like driving and cars that can bring you some driving enjoyment without being straight-up toys, so let's get into that. The GLI is often called a "GTI sedan", which is meant to refer to the fact that now, the GLI is as close to being a GTI sedan as it has been since its inception. This is especially true in terms of drivetrain, where it shares an EA888 turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a 7-speed DSG transmission, along with the same VAQ electronically-controlled limited-slip differential. Mercifully, VW have decided to make the VAQ standard, even, making the GLI a relative bargain, ostensibly offering the same capabilities as the GTI, just in a sedan package and for a few thousand less.



However, what auto journalists don't realize when writing such words as "GTI sedan" is that I exist, and when I read that, I think that they mean a GLI is the same as a GTI minus the body and interior. I'm here to tell you that it isn't.

First of all, the GLI really does feel like a family sedan outside of the red accents and sportier appearance package, when initially driving the car. The seating position is slightly higher than in the GTI, and the seats are bolstered more similarly to a normal Golf than a GTI. It feels more airy than the GTI, and the styling of the interior is distinct, too, with more angles and contrast. When driving around normally, the steering is nicely weighted, and is even a bit heavier than in the GTI, but it retains the GTI's variable-ratio steering, quickening up the farther off-center it goes.

So, raised ride height and Americanized seat bolsters aside, it's still a GTI sedan, right? Well, this car's demeanor, if you will, is simply different. The car smooths out smaller road imperfections more effectively than the GTI thanks to its slightly taller tires and longer wheelbase, and it seems to be less firm overall. Sometimes, the car does resonate a bit over broken pavement, but I have to say, it's notably quieter than the GTI on similar surfaces. This is a car that I could drive all day and be just fine.

There should naturally be trade-offs in handling, and I think that's true, strictly speaking. The Hankook Kinergy GT tires that this car wears make it impossible for me to really say the extent of the handling differences, but I will say this - it reminds me a bit of my former Lexus IS. The GLI turns in well and has good reflexes in transitions, thanks in part to the well-tuned steering, but it doesn't feel as eager to turn as the GTI did for me. However, there's really not a lot of body roll, and the body roll is only noticeable to me in a slalom.

The powertrain is definitely a highlight, and certainly a welcome GTI trait. The power is immediate and always available - provided boost is also present. Turbo lag at anything over 3000 RPM is quite brief, however, and that's aided by the fact that the 7-speed DSG is more adept than the old 6-speed at making intelligent shifting decisions in city and highway driving. The downshifts, whether commanded by a paddle or automatically performed by the transmission, are some of the quickest and most satisfying I've ever experienced. Outside of a PDK, I don't think you can beat the downshift response in this car. The upshifts are quick, as well, though slightly delayed in comparison to the downshifts. In the "S" transmission mode (normally accessed via the Sport drive more), high-throttle upshifts give me a little kick, unlike the 6-speed DSG.

Overall, there's enough performance here to have a lot of fun with. I would say that, like the GTI, the steering and drivetrain are some of the highlights, though again, they don't feel exactly the same in this car. Maybe that's the "L" in GLI talking - "Grand Luxury Injection". I think the slightly more relaxed, yet still very eager nature of this car, makes it easier for me to take it less seriously and just have fun.

Speaking of which, it has auto start-stop. You know, I don't mind it that much, especially considering I've been getting about 28 MPG combined, compared to roughly 26 MPG with my former GTI in similar conditions. Maybe I am getting old, but I don't feel the need to be snobby about these systems if they actually help. However, I do tend to turn it off when the engine is still cold. Something about a car that's not fully-broken-in starting in the cold scares me.



Conclusion

Anyway, overall, the GLI is its own thing, and I like that a lot. It felt more different from the GTI than I expected - mostly in ways that make it more usable and still equally fun. I am excited to throw some good tires on this car and take it for a proper drive when the weather is nice. Anyway, hope this wasn't too rambly and that you learned something.

Fizzboy7

Truly one of the nicest styled cars on the outside. The rims are just about the best I've seen on any sedan.