Popped by my local VW franchise Stohlman VW - while I would probably never buy another VW I wanted to see how the VW Jetta GLI (DSG-equipped) compares with its similiar Audi A3 brethren.

My first initial impression of the GLI compared to the Audi A3 2.0 DSG - this car is definitely a better handler - I don't know if it's the weight distribution or a different rear axle - I do know that all of the suspension bits from the upcoming GTi are in this GLI and that may be what the difference is. Very flat cornering, extremely good steering feedback - on par with the MINI Cooper. Probably the best handling VW product I've ever driven - even better than an R32 Golf.

The interior - typical very nice VW - the car I drove was red with black leather interior - we ***** about our MINI leather - I think VWs quality is a bit worse on the leather. The dash is very well laid out and extremely easy to get the information you need. The car was equipped with Sirius (the evil satellite radio company) however you can get the car with XM and there was a 6spd manual GLI on the lot with XM. The steering wheel has to be the nearest thing to a true racing style steering wheel that I've ever seen offered by a car offered in North America - save for some expensive Ferraris and Porsche's. You can check out pics of the interior and exterior on VWs new and future model site.

The engine - very very nice! Same as the Audi A3 2.0. God I LOVE that DSG transmission - I really hope that MINI can offer something similar to a DSG for the 2007. You can make it fart just like the Audi A3 2.0 too!

Styling - the front looks much better with the addition of the egg crate syle GTi grille - I can forsee a lot of parts orders to www.parts4vws.com to replace the butt-ugly grille in the non-GLI Jetta. The butt looks stupid and Toyota-esque. It hasn't grown on me yet and I don't think it will. Colors, blue, red, black and light and dark silvers. No white which is a bummer because I think this car might actually look good in white.

EPA mileage estimates - 31 Highway 25 City. Didn't check out the 6 spd manual specs.

Pricing - not great - more than 28k for the model I was looking at - and it didn't even include navigation. You can't get a GLI with just a sunroof, heated seats and XM - you have to buy unnecessary options to do that. That ticks me off. Base price with no options is $24,405 - good luck trying to find one configured with no options!

Overall a good effort for VW - hopefully this will generate some excitement for VW - all of their models are very very stale. I eagerly await the much delayed GTi 2.0 DSG.

 

Interesting, but I can't get over the Toyota Corolla looks of the new Jetta.


VW has and MUST churn out EXCELLENT products or they won't be able to turn the corner in time! Just read on the paper today that VW's global sales have declined 77% since 2001 and the company announced last week massive job cuts in Germany. The competition is killing them from every front and VW stupid mistakes (Phaeton sedan, et all) have finally caught up with them.

Best to luck to VW. They will need it. VW is in the same sinking boat as GM

 

Bringing the good stuff over to the States would help.

 

From everything I've read, and a review from a Norway friend, the new Golf GTi/Jetta GLi is going to be an absolute blast!

VW might have something good going on here If they can keep the price down it won't be hard to move good cars.

 

The current DSG can only handle about 250hp though. I'll stick to the ol' manual tranny until they cure that.

 

totally disagree with you. Overall sales in the world dropped 77%, come on, be realistic. Yes, the sales in US dropped a little, just because they were in a transition, new Jetta, Passat, Glof...etc. The same with GM, new trucks and big SUVs with much better gas mileage are on the way. You might not see too many VW in US, but on the other side of the world, they are all over the place. Keep in mind, they have SEAT (which is killing the whole Spain and Italian market-despite FIAT), Skoda (dominating Eastern Europe), Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley... They are the biggest in Chinese market.
I am not an advocate for VW, but I believe they will stay in the market as long as GM, maybe longer.

 

Kurt,

thanks for sharing your experience. The new GLI is a cool car. I think it is reasonably priced, too. But I would still wait for the new GTI, which will be a killer car. I do not think it will have the same dynamics as the MCS, or the fun factor, but will be a very refined quality hot hatch. I still do not understand why we don't get the high output diesels like 140hp TDIs in Europe. That is a common mistake that VW is repeating. Lack of strategic marketing, they have such cool powerplants, we only get the oldest ones.
But overall, the new GLI, is great:smile:

Berk

 

It was published in the Miami Herald business section. Yes, VW is a troubled car marker whether you like it or not and they have a long history trail of reasons why they are finding themselves on that position today. 77% sales drop since 2001, tough to swallow as it sounds. If they are laying off workers and forcing others into early retirement, is not because things are exactly "rosy" looking for them.


You can disagree with me all you want, but you can't argue with the tough realities VW is facing in the US market and the world. I have been to Europe several times and are well familiar with the Seats, Skodas, you name it, but VW needs to turn around quickly.

VW ceded the Jetta market to Mazda. The current Mazda 3 is everything the current Jetta is not, and cheaper to.

 

Dude, I think you need to read some of the insider auto trade journals and this site: www.autoextremist.com

You seem to be oblivious to VW's failures. Like they say, you can't cover the sun with one finger and this seems to be your attitude that VW has made some little mistakes, but they will be back shortly. Wishful thinking my friend.


VW's mistake (Among many others) of the decade is called the Phaeton sedan. A sales flop of nuclear proportions. VW channeled resources/money/development to create a answer for a question no one was asking for. Meanwhile, dealers were suffering with stale versions of the Jetta/Golf/Beetle/Passat. New products are coming out for too late in the game.

VW has a terrible quality/realibility perception in the uS market and the lousy dealer network is no help either. VW's attempt to cannibalize Audi sales has put them in further trouble. Speaking of Audi, they are still battling the worst resales values/perception in the luxury car segment in despite of great product

Subscribe to some of the heavy duty industry trade publications and get acquinted with the realities of VW which are scary to say the least.

Oh and the reason with don't get high tech diesels here is because we don't have the required low sulfur diesel. Our current diesel fuel is high in sulfur content and totally uncompatible with the operating requirements of these powerplants. Add to that that most Americans have a very bad perception of Diesels that date back to cars sold here in the 70s and 80s.

 

I think they could capture the market with a New Van/Bus/whatever. I saw the concept van in Detroit, and hate to say it, but would have been a Bus owner before the MINI. Now that I have the MINI, I can get married and use the excuse of "for the kids" when VW comes out with the New Bus. Though I'll have to plan very carefully .

 

I thought the feds just mandated lower sulfur content for 06; Audi and BMW said they were commited to bringing euro-diesel models for 07.

Let's hope that they'll turbocharge the MINI One D!!!!

 

The whole car looks stupid and Toyota-esque. Even worse - it looks Toyota Camry-esque. It's freakin' huge! Especially that ***! Whatever happened to the Jetta being a tight, efficient, affordable car? This new car is seven inches longer.

Again, pathetic. This is Ford Escape (non-hybrid) territory. This kind of fuel economy only looks good in an SUV-saturated market where anything over 20 mpg is "not too bad".

Unbelievable. What the heck is this supposed to compete against? The A3 starts at $25k. Saab 9-3 (with 210 hp) starts at around $25k as well.

If VW doesn't get the Polo over here soon, they don't have a prayer of getting their market share back.

 

I respect VW leadership's commitment to keep TDi cars on the US market when diesels were even less popular than today. VW helped convert many US drivers into thinking more about fuel economy even before oil prices crept above $50/barrell.

Another "not-so-successful" VW: Toureg. Nice truck, but bland and expensive. Too bad about their diesel engine too. (my understanding is that it was WAAAY too expensive and was discontinued)

Their new convertible is very nice. (Supposedly coming to your showrooms in May!)

Should have kept the Corrado ("Poor Man's Porsche") a bit longer.

They should consider bringing a US spec Lupo in the country as well.

 

Slow down buddy Sounds like you have big issues with VW. I looked at the link, come on, how can you expect me to respect the data there?

If you think Audis do not have good resale value in the luxury segment, you are mistaking.

Of course, Mazda 3 is going to be cheaper than the new Jetta, that's what you get for the price, a Mazda 3. Since you are concerned about the resale value so much, look at cheap Mazdas.

Finally, with all the respect, regardless how many times you have been to Europe, I think you will have to learn a little more before you try to educate me , had VWs all my life, had minor, major problems, but always better than a Japanese car.

Mazda 3, yeah, good luck

 

From Autoextremist.com:

Has VW become irrelevant in the U.S. market?
Detroit. As Wolfgang Bernhard gets his rock star welcome from the adoring media this week in Germany at the Frankfurt Auto Show, he made it clear that he is applying the same formula at VW that he used to such great effect at the Chrysler Group in Detroit with his pal Dieter Zetsche - cut costs, accelerate the development of new, edgier models and improve quality. And since those two executed that formula so expertly over here on Chrysler's behalf, there's no reason to believe that Bernhard won't work his magic for VW too.
But VW isn't Chrysler (which some would argue is a very good thing) and I have some deep doubts that a "miracle" is capable of occurring for VW in this market. Why? Let's forget the VW legacy from the '60s and the whole Beetle nostalgia trip thing for a moment, because the game has changed in the U.S. and I'm not so sure VW is equipped to compete.
VW almost single-handedly ran its brand into the ground in this country in a series of missteps that would have been comical - if they weren't so painfully true. After reinventing themselves as a youthful brand a few years ago with a hip ad campaign complete with hip, ubiquitous sound track, they were wildly successful at drawing young buyers into their fold - and VW became cool again literally overnight.
But there was one huge problem with that burgeoning marketing success. After luring the young buyers in, VW managed to unleash a series of quality problems on their cars that proceeded to turn those same buyers off - driving them away from the brand in droves and into the waiting arms of such other auto companies as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia and Subaru. For many of these buyers, their sour ownership experience with VW was the end of the innocence - and they would not trust their money again based on a flashy ad campaign or marketing pitch. VW had blown a golden opportunity.
But the ineptitude didn't stop there, because Ferdinand Piech, then VW's chairman and now chairman of the all-powerful VW Supervisory Board, decided that what VW absolutely needed more than anything else in the world was to go up-market and compete with Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the U.S. and around the world. This of course flew in the face of its own premium Audi division in the U.S., for starters, but Piech would not be denied - and he committed countless company resources to the task, which in turn had the effect of taking his company's collective eye off of the ball.
The result? Besides the worldwide sales disaster that the VW Phaeton became, VW dropped the ball on its mainstream products. The 5th generation Golf received a tepid response from the ordinarily gaga German driving public and for the first time ever VW was forced to offer the car with incentives in its home market. On top of that, all of VW's newly revised passenger car products - the Golf, Jetta and Passat - would be as much as two years late in getting here, which had VW's U.S. dealers apoplectic. All of these things may have been able to be dealt with in the old days of VW, when it was the attractive "alternative" German import on the American scene. But that was many moons ago. Now VW finds itself fighting against a horde of Japanese and Korean competitors for shelf space in the U.S. market, not to mention the domestic manufacturers, BMW and even its own Audi division.
And when it comes down to it, what exactly is VW's raison d'etre these days anyway?
Is VW the attractive "alternative" import choice for America's car buyers? Not any longer. There are so many car companies fighting for that role now VW is getting lost in the shuffle.
Is it the "premium" yet affordable imported brand? The short answer? No. Car companies are lining up to play that part in the U.S. too - and VW is not only operating at the high end of the pricing in this segment, it finds itself being just another player in an overly crowded field.
Is VW a performance import brand? No, it can't claim that persona either. It has only dabbled with performance over the years and only sporadically too (GTI anyone?).
In the end, VW has danced around the affordability threshold for years with diminishing success. It hasn't pursued developing a performance persona that had any lengthy, consistent credibility. And it's finding that its role as the hip, premium, German alternative brand is being usurped by any number of new (and old) players in the market - including Audi at the lower end of the premium segment with its new A3.
Whether it's the counter-culture '60s persona or the hip wheels of-the-moment that it occupied for a nanosecond - the "old days" will never return for VW. There are too many excellent Japanese and Korean contenders either already in market or on the way - and even the U.S. manufacturers are getting deadly serious about competing in the car business again.
VW can't compete on price, it hasn't exactly set the world on fire with its design and engineering prowess and its quality reputation has left a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of thousands of former owners who won't be back.
VW has floundered and flailed about in the U.S. market for so long now that even they don't know what they stand for anymore.
Taking all of that into account, there may be only room for one premium German alternative that isn't a BMW or Mercedes-Benz in this market - and Audi seems much better equipped to fulfill that role than VW does.
And no matter how many hot new products Wolfgang Bernhard comes up with over the next three years, it may not be enough to move the needle in VW's favor.
Thanks for listening, see you next Wednesday.
Automotive consultant Peter M. DeLorenzo founded Autoextremist.com - an Internet magazine devoted to news, commentary and analysis of the automotive industry, automotive marketing, strategy and product development - on June 1, 1999. Since then, Autoextremist.com has become a weekly "must-read" for leading professionals within and outside the industry, including top executives at the car companies, suppliers, dealers, journalists, financial analysts, enthusiasts, and people directly involved in motorsports. Prior to launching the site, Peter spent more than two decades in automotive advertising and marketing, holding top-level positions as Creative Director and Executive CD at ad agencies in Detroit and New York. In addition to his editorial opinion work on Autoextremist.com, Mr. DeLorenzo regularly consults for enlightened automobile companies and is a national commentator on the auto industry. The opinions expressed by Mr. DeLorenzo are his and his alone and do not necessarily reflect those of his clients.

 

Truth hurts, doesn't it?

 

Well, what really hurts me is trying to wonder how can you be this .......... and end up buying 2 Minis? If you don't like the VWs move on, do not buy them, but don't try to sell me the "sales dropped 71% over all" BS.