The Volkswagen Jetta is one of the cars we rather like. Whether it was with the 1.6 or 2.0 TDI, or the gas-powered 1.4 TSI, it was a sedan that offered a true European car experience at a much more reasonable and attainable price. So we were sad that Volkswagen Philippines discontinued that and the Golf wagon.
Since then, there has been an all-new generation of the Jetta, and it’s been available in North America, Latin America, and China for years now. And to make us feel a little more jealous, Volkswagen North America recently released a special model of the Jetta’s sportiest version, the GLI.
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Simply dubbed the Jetta GLI 40th Anniversary Edition, it commemorates the production milestone of the hot Jetta. Okay, it’s a limited edition exclusive for the US, and all the enhancements are largely cosmetic. However, the spec sheet of the Jetta GLI does make us wish we had more sport sedans sold in the Philippines.
For starters, the GLI packs a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that’s good for 228hp and 350Nm of torque. It’s a perfect match for another sport sedan that isn’t (sadly) sold in the country, the Honda Civic Si. Also, the GLI also has something that most driving enthusiasts want: an honest to goodness six-speed manual transmission. That said, a dual-clutch transmission is also an option.
Other goodies? The GLI comes with larger brakes, a Sport HMI performance monitor, and electronically-controlled torque-sensing limited-slip differential. It even has an electronic differential lock, an adaptive damping system, and a sport exhaust for the cherry on top.
Sadly, the odds of the Jetta GLI, or even the standard Jetta for that matter, coming here are slim to none. With that, maybe we can ask Honda’s Asia and Oceania regional office to build the Honda Civic Si here instead.
One can dream, right?
