VW Jetta GLI: A bundle of fun

What do you need more at a car than a bundle of fun?

Responsible for 40 percent of Volkswagen's North American sales, the Jetta is a car you want to get right when it comes time for a redesign.

And for the 2005 model year, VW did just that. Much more than a makeover, the latest-generation Jetta is bigger, more refined and better equipped than previous versions. Outgrowing key competitors such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, the current Jetta impresses with its performance, safety features and plucky, fun-to-drive attitude.

For 2006, VW cranked up the heat to surface-of-the-sun temps with the new Jetta GLI. The most enthusiast-driven Jetta version yet, it features a turbocharged four-banger and a beefed-up sport suspension. What's missing is a surgeon general's warning label for the faint of heart.

Giving GLI the capacity to dash from a standstill to 60 mph in less than seven seconds, the 2-liter turbocharged four produces 200 horsepower and 207 foot-pounds of peak torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the $24,405 GLI. Plunk down an extra $875 for the optional automatic and you are rewarded with the new six-speed DSG manumatic transmission.

For those who don't speak Volkswagen, DSG stands for Direct Shift Gearbox. The clutch function is incorporated into a computer. The driver can chose shift points and manually change the gears through the shift lever or steering-wheel-mounted paddles as with traditional Tiptronic transmissions or leave the transmission in automatic mode, letting it do all the thinking and work. In either case the result is an aggressive powertrain that substantially boosts GLI's performance credentials.

Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, VW Jetta

Source: Washington Times

VW Jetta GLI: A bundle of fun

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