Photo: Autohome.com.cn
Every year in March, we get to see a bunch of entirely undisguised prototypes that Chinese buyers are going to get soon. 2016 is no exception, as the Jetta GLI has just been spotted in the flesh and is likely to debut at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show.
This is the second new model from Beijing, after the Buick Encore facelift, but it's arguably a lot less attractive to look at. The 2016 Jetta GLI sold in America looks exactly the same except for the wheels, which we think were borrowed from the Golf GTI Edition 35 (Mk6 model).
Last time we checked, the Chinese-spec Jetta was a crappy mix of old Bora parts. So this 2016 model is technically all-new, except... it's not. But we think the Chinese customers might be getting swindled by VW in the engine department.
Last year, we took a brochure that we received from a VW stand in Shanghai and discovered that the Polo GTI facelift had been launched with a turbocharged 1.4-liter TSI engine making 150 PS, not the 1.8 TSI the Europeans are getting. Based on that info, we suspect the Jetta GLI will offer the 170/180 PS engine from the Jetta 1.8T Sport.
Automakers keep telling us that Chinese customers want many features and lots of legroom, not power. However, we've made plenty of online friends in Shanghai who seem to be just as crazy about power as we are.
We could be wrong, as Autohome tells us the Jetta GLI will feature a 2.0 TSI engine from the EA888 family that produces 200 PS and 280 Nm (206.5 lb-ft) of torque. However, we've never heard of such a thing, as those specs stopped being relevant in 2013.
As boring as it is, the 2016 Jetta is not bad. It's got independent suspension at all corners now, and the 1.4 TSI engines are starting to make sense when you can't sell too many diesels.
Last time we checked, the Chinese-spec Jetta was a crappy mix of old Bora parts. So this 2016 model is technically all-new, except... it's not. But we think the Chinese customers might be getting swindled by VW in the engine department.
Last year, we took a brochure that we received from a VW stand in Shanghai and discovered that the Polo GTI facelift had been launched with a turbocharged 1.4-liter TSI engine making 150 PS, not the 1.8 TSI the Europeans are getting. Based on that info, we suspect the Jetta GLI will offer the 170/180 PS engine from the Jetta 1.8T Sport.
Automakers keep telling us that Chinese customers want many features and lots of legroom, not power. However, we've made plenty of online friends in Shanghai who seem to be just as crazy about power as we are.
We could be wrong, as Autohome tells us the Jetta GLI will feature a 2.0 TSI engine from the EA888 family that produces 200 PS and 280 Nm (206.5 lb-ft) of torque. However, we've never heard of such a thing, as those specs stopped being relevant in 2013.
As boring as it is, the 2016 Jetta is not bad. It's got independent suspension at all corners now, and the 1.4 TSI engines are starting to make sense when you can't sell too many diesels.
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