While the standard Jetta is more focused on the budget compact sedan segment, the GLI brings performance upgrades, along with a wide range of interior features which are optional to the former. That said, the Jetta GLI is among two performance sedans apart from the Arteon. With the Passat being dead, the Jetta is the only entry-level sedan option from VW in America. Based on the same platform and using the same EA888 engine, the Jetta GLI is not as powerful as the Golf GTI. The 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine under the hood produces 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet, which is down by 13 horses and 15 pound-feet of torque. Apart from the mid-cycle refresh for the 2022 model year, there are a lot of features that are exclusive to the GLI such as a limited-slip differential, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, a new eight-inch touchscreen display, a 10.25-inch Virtual Cockpit, adaptive suspension, and a lot more. A couple of the above features were not standard previously, but with the 2022 model year, there is just one trim available for the Jetta GLI which is the top-spec Autobahn. So, with all of these impressive spec sheets, can it come out victorious when the competition has the Hyundai Elantra N-Line, and the new Honda Civic Si? You will find out soon.

What’s New for the 2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI?

The whole of the Jetta line-up gets a revamped exterior styling, but nothing major. The mid-cycle refresh brought slightly aggressive-looking front and rear bumpers with a honeycomb-designed intake grille. The LED headlights and taillights remain the same. The exhaust pipes, however, are larger to make you hear the four-pot sing properly. There are new wheel designs, introduced with the 2022 model year refresh, including new color options like the Kings Red Metallic and Rising Blue Metallic. Other notable upgrades include a newly designed leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 10.25-inch driver information display, and a larger eight-inch touchscreen from the higher trim since the base S is no longer a part of the GLI team.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Trims

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Trims

Jetta GLI Exterior

If you have read our Jetta review, you will be very familiar with the whole design language of the whole range. However, the GLI, being a sportier iteration, does have elements that make it look different from the rest of the Jetta lineup. The midlife facelift is not as prominent as the recently launched Golf GTI and the Golf R. The Jetta GLI received a wider intake grille with a unique honeycomb pattern, while the lower grille gets a slight design change. The side vents are not fake ones, so they will help with brake cooling. The C-shaped LED DRLs and the headlamps are just the same, including the good-old halogen indicators. The Jetta GLI sits on 18-inch alloy wheels, and they come wrapped with summer performance tires. The rear has LED taillights as standard and a small roof spoiler. Below are the two newly designed exhaust pipes and a fake diffuser, which is just a plastic mess.

Dimensions

The Jetta GLI is very similar to the standard Jetta in terms of the exterior dimensions, except for the length, which is about an inch longer than the Jetta and is 186.9 inches in total. The width and height measure 70.8 inches and 57.9 inches, respectively. Both, the Civic Si and the Elantra N-Line, have shorter lengths by two inches, along with shorter heights too. While the ground clearance of the Jetta GLI is set at 5.7 inches, the N-Line is not too far off at 5.5 inches. The Jetta GLI, however, has a shorter wheelbase of 105.6 inches compared to the Civic Si and the Elantra N-Line by two inches. The VW weighs 3,272 pounds, which is more than both its Asian counterparts.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Exterior Dimensions

Exterior Colors

The Jetta GLI is available in five color options: Rising Blue Metallic, Pure Gray, Kings Red Metallic, Pure White, and Deep Black Pearl. The Rising Blue Metallic and the Kings Red Metallic are the newest additions to the list. Except for the Deep Black Pearl, all the other color options are available with a separate black roof via the Black package. The package also adds blacked-out door-mirror caps and a black-colored spoiler.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Exterior Colors

Jetta GLI Performance

The 2022 Jetta GLI retains the outgoing model year’s 2.0-liter four-pot, which puts out a decent 228 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque. We expected VW to tweak the engine and extract more power, but the available power figures are not disappointing. The torque kicks in quite early, 1,500 revs to be exact, which means that driving in the city will be pleasant enough. The highway driving impressions are not bad either. The low-end torque will help you overtake the car in front of you. We felt that the engine ran out of breath in the top end, and that is when we actually wished VW could have added a few more horses to the engine. Car and Driver tested out the six-speed manual GLI, as it turns out that it can do 0-60 in 6.1 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds. However, for faster accelerations, the seven-speed DCT would be the best choice, as it does 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in 14 seconds flat. The top speed is limited to 126 miles per hour, which is decent in our opinion.

Engine and Transmission

Under the hood lies a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, the same engine we have witnessed with both the Golf GTI and the Golf R. But unlike the breathtaking performance churned out by the performance hatches, the Jetta GLI’s engine puts out 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The engine drives the front wheels only. Yes, there is no 4Motion AWD system. However, you can choose between a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT. The latter will cost you $800. If compared to the Civic Si or the Elantra N-Line, the Jetta GLI is a more powerful option. The Elantra N-Line’s smaller 1.6-liter turbocharged engine puts out 201 horses and 195 pound-feet, while the Civic Si is in a similar ballpark with a couple of pound-feet less than the N-Line. However, please do note that Jetta GLI’s boasting power figures come at a cost. It does not only hold a higher price tag, but also needs to run on premium gas to extract the power.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Performance Stats

Handling and Driving Impressions

Be it on the mountain roads or a racetrack, the Jetta GLI’s handling dynamics are pretty impressive. We have loved the earlier GLI’s capabilities on the road, as it underpins the famous MQB platform. The steering feedback is good for the segment and with the limited-slip differential, taking fast corners is not something you should worry about. As the 2022 model year of the GLI is limited to just a single trim, the car is offered with the adaptive suspension as standard, which will adjust the damping according to the current drive mode. So you can just put on the Sport mode and just push it to its limits without worrying much. The Comfort and Eco modes soften up the suspension and tune down the throttle response for a more relaxing drive. As for the braking performance, the Jetta GLI takes 174 feet to come to a standstill from 70 miles per hour. We would recommend the six-speed manual variant of the GLI, if you want more control over gearshifts, as the DCT variants tend to short shift and are hesitant to hold higher revs when cornering.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Mileage

While packing a fairly powerful engine, the Jetta GLI holds its frugal nature. The EPA rates the compact sedan with 26 miles per gallon in the city, 37 miles per gallon on the highways, and 30 miles per gallon combined. These ratings were with the standard six-speed manual transmission. The seven-speed DCT variants, however, are slightly less efficient. According to the EPA, these variants are rated with 24 miles per gallon in the city, 36 miles per gallon on the highways, and 30 miles per gallon combined. Both the Jetta GLI variants come fitted to a 13.2-gallon gas tank that will deliver about 400 miles before you run out of fuel.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Fuel Economy

Jetta GLI Interior

Inside the Jetta GLI, you will find a good quality cabin with a few hard plastic bits, but that is common in this price range. As the 2022 GLI is available only in the top-spec Autobahn trim, the cabin comes with all the bells and whistles, like a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat with memory functions, a newly designed flat-bottomed steering wheel, a fully digital 10.25-inch driver information display, a new eight-inch touchscreen display, leather seats, and many more features baked in. The dashboard design, similar to the standard Jetta, is a minimalist’s choice. You will have physical buttons and knobs on the center console instead of touch-sensitive buttons for controlling the HVAC systems. The center console has a few dummy buttons which might make things look a bit cheaper for a $30,000 sports sedan, but there are a lot of things to like about the overall design approach too. The dashboard has soft-touch plastics, while the door panels are majorly wrapped in faux leather. The stop-start button is placed on the center console, where the shifter size will change depending on your transmission choice. We would rate the cabin of the new Jetta GLI 8/10 as it is well-equipped and looks more modern than the Civic Si.

Seating and Interior Space

As for the seats, you will have perforated leather upholstery as standard, which was previously leatherette. The seats are very comfortable and have enough bolsters to hold you in place while you go crazy with the corners. The seats have contrasting red stitches around the sides to elevate the athletic charm the GLI delivers. But what appears to be equally important is how spacious the cabin is. We can assure you that the Jetta GLI will not disappoint you in that matter. The front holds a headroom of 38.5 inches, a decent 55.9 inches of shoulder room, and 41.1 inches of legroom. The second row has a slightly compact 37.2 inches of headroom, 54 inches of shoulder room, and a good 37.4 inches of legroom. Both the Civic Si and the Elantra N-Line have usable back seats, just like the Jetta GLI. The front rows of all three performance sedans have good headroom and legroom. The same thing can be seen at the rear too, with almost similar headroom and shoulder room. The Civic Si and the Jetta GLI have identical rear legroom, while the Elantra N-Line has 0.6-inch longer legroom. The rear row hip room of the Civic Si is slightly compact, about two inches less than the GLI and the N-Line.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Interior Dimensions

Interior Colors and Materials

The Jetta GLI comes in just one interior color, which is the Titan Black. The black leather upholstery has contrasting red stitches. The dashboard and the door panels have black soft-touch plastics. The leather-wrapped steering wheel with the GLI logo has red inserts on the lower part of it. The manual gear shifter features leather treatments, while the DCT models have an aluminum gear selector and aluminum paddle-shifters behind the steering wheel.

Volkswagen Jetta GLI Trunk and Cargo Space

For day-to-day use, the Jetta GLI’s 14.1 cubic feet offer decent practicality. The boot can hold up to three full-size suitcases and a few duffles, or your monthly groceries, without much hassle. If that is not enough for you, the 60/40 rear split seats can maximize the cargo capacity. VW has done engineering to good use of cabin space. There is a fairly spacious glove box, twin cupholders, and a storage bin inside the front hand rest. The rear cupholders are tucked inside the folding center armrest.

Volkswagen Jetta GLI Infotainment and Features

Features

As you already know that the 2022 Jetta GLI is available in only one trim, which is the Autobahn. It means the feature list is quite long and some of them would be:

- Dual-zone automatic climate control

- 10-way power-adjustable driver seat with three-way memory settings

- Leather-wrapped steering wheel

- Heated and ventilated front seats

- Wireless charging pad

- Remote start (DCT only)

- 10-color ambient lighting

- Panoramic sunroof

- 10.25-inch multi-information display

For the asking price of $30,995, VW offers a good amount of features that are hardly available with both the Civic Si and Elantra N-Line. The IQ.Drive suite comes fitted as standard, packing features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, forward collision mitigation, and a few other features which we discuss in the latter part of the review.

Infotainment

The 2022 model year of the Jetta GLI swaps the 6.5-inch display for a bigger eight-inch display. This display makes the accessibility much easier, along with the screen’s good color reproduction and responsive nature, it is a pleasant experience. The MIB3 system is the company’s newest system, and the GLI has benefitted most from it. The interface is quite user-friendly, and thanks to VW for retaining the physical buttons and knobs. However, the steering-mounted touch-capacitive buttons are not the best we have used. The system includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, along with features such as SiriusXM, navigation system, USB ports, and a nine-speaker BeatsAudio unit with Surround Sound tech.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Problems and Reliability

While the refreshed 2022 model year of the Jetta lineup is still very new, it does not have any complaints, nor does it have recalls registered by the NHTSA. VW cars are not leading in terms of reliability, and the outgoing model year has proven that with three recalls. The first recall was registered due to a rearview camera malfunction. The second recall was about missing bolts from the front seats, and the third one claimed to be for fixing the airbag deployment. But these were of the outgoing model year. The present 2022 Jetta GLI is clean till now, but we will update you guys if we encounter any recalls for major reliability issues in the coming days. The J.D. Power has consumer ratings for the standard Jetta with 75 out of 100, which is “Average”. It scored 76 out of 100 in the Quality and Reliability section, but we are sure that the Jetta GLI with its better build quality will make the ratings better.

As for the warranty, VW will provide up to four years or 50,000 miles of basic coverage. The drivetrain warranty is up to four years or 50,000, which is not as impressive as Elantra N-Line’s 10 years or 100,000 miles of coverage. Other coverages include two years or 20,000 miles of free maintenance, up to three years or 36,000 miles of roadside assistance, and a warranty against rust of seven years or 100,000 miles.

Warranty

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Warranty Coverage

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reviewed the Jetta GLI, but has rated only for the side crash tests. Although it has gained a full five-star rating in the overall side crash ratings, it is yet to be tested thoroughly. The outgoing pre-facelift Jetta scored impressively well with a full five-star rating, so we are expecting similar results from the updated 2022 model year. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has rated the car with “Good” in almost all the major categories. We think that it could not have the “Top Safety Pick” award because of its “Marginal” headlights and the pending crash mitigation tests. At this moment, you might be thinking about the safety of the Jetta GLI being shady, and it gets trounced by both the Civic Si and the Elantra N-Line. Both of the latter cars have better safety ratings and even the “Top Safety Pick” awards.

Key Safety Features

On the road, you will have the IQ.Drive suite of driver assistance features watching your back. It comes standard with the Jetta GLI and packs features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, blindspot monitoring, forward collision mitigation, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams. Other important passive safety features include six airbags, a rearview camera, tire pressure monitoring, emergency braking assist, stability control, and passenger airbag occupant deactivation.

Verdict: Is the 2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI a Good Car?

The Jetta GLI, just like any other car, has its merits, and demerits. On the positive side, you will get to see a punchy powertrain, great overall handling dynamics, thanks to the adaptive suspension, and the limited-slip differential. Other notable plus points of the Jetta GLI are the fully digital 10.25-inch driver information display, the newly designed steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, along with leather upholstery. But considering the pricetag, all these features should be a part of the car. That said, there are a couple of demerits, which we would like to point out. The first thing to note is the safety ratings, which are decent, but nothing like the Civic Si or the Elantra N-Line. Secondly, the warranty coverage. Options like the Elantra N-Line offer a lot better warranty from Hyundai and that ensures how your car will perform in the long term. That said, for the price, the Jetta GLI holds a good spec-sheet, and is an impressive compact performance sedan for $30,995.

What is the Price of the 2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI?

The starting price of the 2022 Jetta GLI has gone up to $30,995, excluding destination charges, which is $995. The price has gone up by a whopping $4,650, and that is because VW decided to kill the entry-level S trim. The said price of the Jetta GLI is for the six-speed manual transmission variant. VW offers the GLI with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which will set you back another $800 to make it $31,795. The Black package is the available package and is priced at $595, adding 18-inch blacked-out alloy wheels, black roof, mirror caps, and a black-accented rear spoiler.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Models

Technically, there is just one model available for the Jetta GLI, which is the Autobahn. The previous entry-level model, S, is not a part of the Jetta GLI anymore. The decision has increased the MSRP, but surely has elongated the features. The Autobahn model features a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot, along with an FWD system, and a six-speed manual transmission as standard. You can spec your Jetta GLI with a seven-speed DCT if you want.

Being the top-spec Jetta GLI, the Autobahn packs all the basic features, including 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, limited-slip differential, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, keyless entry and ignition, and rain-sensing wipers. The top-level features such as leather upholstery, adaptive suspension, ventilated front seats, a 10.25-inch driver information display, panoramic sunroof, and an eight-inch touchscreen display, all are part of the Jetta GLI.

The ID.Drive safety suite comes aboard as standard. It packs features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, blindspot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and frontal collision mitigation.

What Volkswagen Jetta GLI Model Should I Buy?

Apparently, there is just one model, and that is the Autobahn. So the choice you have is between a six-speed manual and a seven-speed DCT transmission. We would suggest the seven-speed DCT variant if you are planning to get the Jetta GLI as your first car. The manual transmission is the one for you if you really want to take advantage of holding higher revs while you take down corners like a hooligan. Also, it is easier to maintain and has lower possibilities of breaking down.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Comparisons

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Comparisons

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI vs 2022 Honda Civic Si

For starters, both the sedans are well-built for the price. The Jetta GLI edges out in better performance, handling dynamics, and cabin features. The Civic Si is relatively newer and is in its new generation. However, it is priced less, so you wouldn't mind the lack of performance and the up-to-date tech for better reliability, which the Civic Si has to offer. The Civic Si starts from $27,300, which is about $3,000 cheaper than the Jetta GLI. If you want our pick, our spirited hearts wouldn’t want to settle for the slightly boring Civic Si. So you know the answer.

2022 Volkswagen Jetta GLI vs 2022 Hyundai Elantra N-Line

Being cheaper by about $6,000 is not something to hide. The Elantra N-Line is a serious value-for-money performance sedan. It demolishes the Jetta GLI in terms of the overall styling. Hyundai also promises a long-lasting warranty for its cars, and the N-Line is no different. The Jetta is superior in the performance side of things, including the availability of adaptive suspension. But remember, there is the beast of an Elantra N which you can get for a few hundred dollars more than what you will pay for the Jetta GLI.

FAQ

Q: Is the Jetta GLI a new car?

The Volkswagen Jetta GLI arrives for the 2022 model year with a mid-cycle refresh.

Q: How efficient is the Volkswagen Jetta GLI?

The EPA has rated the standard six-speed manual Jetta GLI with 26/37/30, while the DCT variant gets 24/36/30 for city/highway/combined.

Q: How much is a Jetta GLI?

The Jetta GLI starts from $30,995, without the $995 destination charges.

Q: What is the top speed of the Jetta GLI?

The Jetta GLI can speed up to an electronically limited 126 miles per hour.

Q: Is the Jetta GLI a reliable car?

Compared to the Elantra N-Line or the Civic Si, the Jetta GLI falls behind in terms of reliability.