back in 2014 we named the Volkswagen GTI our best cheap speed car for less than
$30,000 it beat the Subaru WRX the Ford Fiesta ST and the then Scion fr-s
but for 2019 the GTI stiffest competition may come from within VW's
ranks and that's with the redesign 2019 Jetta GLI so the GLI is no longer a
hodgepodge of platforms and rear suspensions and engines it's now on the
GTI's MQB architecture it has the same engine the same transmission options
we're talking the same horsepower torque number the same gear ratios in the
dual-clutch 7-speed the last GLI you gave up a lot of that GTI's sporting
character to get the extra backseat room to get an actual trunk but for 2019 is
that still the case so we're here to test acceleration braking handling and
determine is the GLI as good as the GTI
during this test we have GLI the GTI and they're both equipped with the automatic
transmission the 7-speed dual-clutch fantastic transmission in these cars we
focused in a few measure testing areas as well as an autocross course
so in our measured testing these cars are nearly identical
so the GLI desert sixty five point eight four seconds the GTI did 0-60 in five
point nine six seconds so the GLI was a little faster than zero to sixty and
also in quarter-mile time the GLI did fourteen point four five seconds and
ninety nine point one seven miles per hour and the GTI was unnoticeably slower
at fourteen point one two seconds and six for an hour now those look identical
but there was one massive difference between these cars and that's the GLI
has summer tires and the GTI has policies and tires and that's where we
really saw the impact and our measured testing for acceleration and braking and
acceleration the GLI with launch control stuck the tires planted and was gone
fastest time ask the day the GTI with all season
tires took us about eight runs to dial in the time to get gets fastest time
because the tires were spinning we're getting real hot
that difference came through and your braking numbers - massive difference in
braking numbers so the GLI 16 to zero miles an hour took 111 feet the GTI
127 feet huge difference big difference and you can feel that when you stop on
the brakes and the GLI just punkers down no drama stops very quickly
the GTI just skips along the road with those policies entire now our braking
tests are meant to simulate a panic braking maneuver so what we do is we
just throw the hooks out at 60 miles now handling though on our autocross course
the summer tires were a very different experience yeah I think the GTI's
policies and tires became even more of a liability in the autocross because
that's the car you think you know would be like perfectly setup for it the
smaller hatchback and it felt like it was the right car for that but it didn't
have the right tires because it was it was sliding around you weren't his you
weren't able to carry as much speed through some of the bigger turns that
you could in the GLI you were just sliding off course and it really made it
more of a handful than the GLI was at the the shorter wheelbase definitely
showed itself an autocross course but I loved how it trail braking the cars
back-end would kick out and it would just that nose would point toward the
cone the back end would step around and you're off but yet you're battling a
whole lot of wheelspin a whole lot of traction issues with those all season
tires the GTI though it felt like the more precise the car into a test though
it's just the little differences in road feel was better communicated it just
didn't have the grip that the GLI did yeah and I think once we got out onto
the street where we are now that some of the differences between the tires were
more minimized and it became less of an issue and that helped the GTI I agree
the the GTI came across as the more engaging car to drive with more direct
feel through the accelerator steering and is definitely the pick in you are
valuing the most of the driving experience I thought
rattle Tippin was more precise the GLI just it still felt a little mushy yeah
yeah it's still a little bit more comfort oriented than the GTI and I I
think if that's what you want like maybe the GLI is the better choice you because
it does have a little bit more ride comfort it doesn't quite beat you up as
much in terms of suspension firmness but you give up that precision that you're
talking about where you know the steering isn't as direct it doesn't kind
of turn it as quickly there's a difference there
yeah the GLI is almost like if you made a copy of the GTI you made a copy of the
copy of the copy you've got the deal yeah there it is
there were some other characteristics that stood out between the two
specifically we only talked about making the experience more engaging from the
GTI's and you hear more till the turbo noises you hear more exhaust the exhaust
goes blop between gear shifts and you just don't get that in the GLI
I feel like the GLI like its augmented and to note is it's very aggressive its
natural engine note their exhaust note is less so Wow both cars do have the
Augmented sound right options that you can dig into the menu and change so even
though there are a lot of similarities I feel like between the Jenna GLI and GTI
we talked about I mean the same engine the same transmission the same
differential just to name some of the things I feel like these cars are still
for different buyers I mean on the one hand there's the GTI which I kind of
feel is like it's a if you want sportiness all the time whether you're
just going to the grocery store or just kind of having fun on a back road that's
your car where this one like a little bigger the Jetta GLI that we're in a
little bigger a little softer it's a little more relaxed in just a little bit
more comfortable while still giving you that great GTI performance yeah it's got
a ton of values a lot of value I like how there's more backseat room now even
though the the golf is a hatchback if you need just trunk room behind the
backseat the Jetta gives you that and pricing if you hit on value so the two
cars we're testing are separated by a $295 the GLI is more expensive than the
GTI and here's everything you get in the GLI that you don't get in the GTI for
the same price the GLI has a moonroof dual automatic climate control GTI has a
manual power driver's seat GTI manual seat the GLI has ventilated seats in
addition to heated seats leather upholstery the digital cockpit remote
start and this big 8 inch touchscreen versus the GTI is a small or six and a
half inch touchscreen Ando model we test it you get that same
awesome long warranty granted if you live in the Midwest like we do you're
buying a set of all season tires for this or winter tires so there's an extra
eight hundred to a thousand dollars if you choose the the summer tires on like
this cars and claim to it but the heightened performance that this car has
versus its predecessor it's good I mean it's really good yeah I mean it it
really transforms the car into something different than you know your ordinary
Jetta I mean it's it's just the way it drives and like the performance numbers
you're talking about the design - it's got a lot that makes the car its own
thing yeah for sure I mean I put this on my list I've got a subaru impreza
hatchback right now and you know the life kid
we're help grilling it so I could definitely see a sedan like this with
more usable trunk space we got the car seat in the backseat that never leaves
the backseat I can't fold the backseat and use the back seat for a hatchback so
something with the bigger trunk makes more sense for me and I think it will
for a lot of people whose lifestyle just doesn't fit in a small hatchback anymore
but you still want that high-performance experience and that does deliver this