Photo: SB-Medien
Volkswagen is going to stand and fight for the hot yet affordable sedan market. Despite the rise of crossovers and rivals like the Civic Si/Elantra Sport, they are now developing an all-new Jetta GLI.
We honestly don't know if this is going to be a 2019 or a 2020 model. But there's already a 2018 model year GLI that does without the manual gearbox. Mexico is going to be re-tooled around the end of the year, so we should see the switch to the MQB platform soon.
We're honestly not sure how good the new Jetta will look, but the CC-replacing Arteon has shown the company is less prone to making understatements.
While the overall width is about the same, the length of the Jetta's wheelbase has increased. This GLI prototype is riding on the 18-inch alloys from the GTI. There are no prop shafts at the back, so it's still FWD-only. That might not sound important, but powerful cars are getting tricky to launch using only the fronts.
And while the Civic and Elantra have relatively small engines, the Jetta GLI will continue to use a 2-liter turbo motor. We expect it to produce 220-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. By comparison, the Si makes only 205-hp and, more importantly, 192 lb-ft. That's a 34% torque difference. Obviously, the gearbox is also going to set them apart.
Obviously, we're not too fond of the exhaust system, since the tips look feeble. But at least they've got a twin setup with a muffler on either side of the car, so it might sound better than we expected.
This particular prototype seems to have LEDs on all corners, but this could be an option. Speaking of which, you should save a little extra for the digital dashboard and piloted driving. They will make the daily commutes a little bit more tolerable.
We honestly don't know if this is going to be a 2019 or a 2020 model. But there's already a 2018 model year GLI that does without the manual gearbox. Mexico is going to be re-tooled around the end of the year, so we should see the switch to the MQB platform soon.
We're honestly not sure how good the new Jetta will look, but the CC-replacing Arteon has shown the company is less prone to making understatements.
While the overall width is about the same, the length of the Jetta's wheelbase has increased. This GLI prototype is riding on the 18-inch alloys from the GTI. There are no prop shafts at the back, so it's still FWD-only. That might not sound important, but powerful cars are getting tricky to launch using only the fronts.
And while the Civic and Elantra have relatively small engines, the Jetta GLI will continue to use a 2-liter turbo motor. We expect it to produce 220-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. By comparison, the Si makes only 205-hp and, more importantly, 192 lb-ft. That's a 34% torque difference. Obviously, the gearbox is also going to set them apart.
Obviously, we're not too fond of the exhaust system, since the tips look feeble. But at least they've got a twin setup with a muffler on either side of the car, so it might sound better than we expected.
This particular prototype seems to have LEDs on all corners, but this could be an option. Speaking of which, you should save a little extra for the digital dashboard and piloted driving. They will make the daily commutes a little bit more tolerable.
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