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See Photos of the New 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Now that the Jetta again shares its platform with the Golf, the GLI reclaims its place as a legit GTI with a trunk.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Volkswagen has always closely associated the Jetta GLI sedan with the Golf GTI hot hatch, but the supposed siblings were most recently more like distant cousins, as the outgoing sixth-generation Jetta used completely different underpinnings than the MQB-based seventh-generation GTI.

2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Now that the new 2019 Jetta has migrated to MQB, its GLI variant can once again legitimately claim to be a GTI with a trunk, and it has the standard and optional performance extras to back up that assertion.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

For starters, the GLI has the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four as the GTI, with the same 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque ratings—increases of 18 horsepower and 41 lb-ft over the last GLI.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

It mates with a six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with automatic cars adding stop-start functionality.

2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Michael Simari|Car and Driver

An electronically controlled limited-slip differential is standard, and adaptive dampers are optional. The braking system is shared with the GTI, with 13.4-inch front rotors.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Inside, the black-and-red theme continues with red accent stitching for the black seats.

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A fair amount of stuff comes standard, including dual-zone automatic climate control, blind-spot monitoring, keyless entry and push-button start, and LED headlights and taillights.

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Eighteen-inch wheels are standard, and red brake calipers peek out from underneath them.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

There are plenty of visual links between the GLI and GTI, too, as has long been the case. With a suspension setup that's lowered 0.6 inch over the standard Jetta, the GLI looks leaner and meaner than that mainstream sedan, and it has a black grille with red accent lines to mirror the GTI.

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2019 Jetta GLI sedan
Michael Simari|Car and Driver

The front and rear bumpers look more aggressive, and dual exhaust tips round out the look.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

A panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled front seats, and a digital gauge cluster are optional.

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A 35th Anniversary Edition will be part of the lineup to start; it has black wheels with a red stripe, a black roof, black mirror caps, and special badging and comes standard with the aforementioned adaptive dampers.

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Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Two lesser trim levels will exist, too—a base S trim and an Autobahn—and the GLI should start in the high-$20,000 range when it goes on sale this spring.

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2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Volkswagen
2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Volkswagen
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2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Volkswagen
2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Volkswagen
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