2007 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Test Drive

Hatchbackophobia. n. Abnormal and irrational fear of hatchbacks, characterized by the purchase of small sedans.

The current hotbed of discussion in the automobile industry, which I have a particular disdain for, is the so-called “crossover” debate. Marketing men and the firms that employ them have blighted the simple task of categorizing vehicles with dozens of adjectives meant to differentiate and describe how different and better their crossovers are from others’. There are sports activity vehicles, multi utility vehicles, multi activity vehicles… you get the point. But as much as hearing this makes me want to rip my hair out – and you, as you’ve probably heard this from me before – there’s a market trend for North Americans that I have a bigger issue with, our dislike of hatchbacks. I think it’s best summarized by the above-mentioned italicized word, which I’ve invented. Unfortunately, the latest automaker to succumb to it is Volkswagen, with its Jetta GLI.

The GLI arrived in the United States in late 2005, before anywhere else on Earth and well in advance of the North American-bound GTI, which officially arrived as a 2007 model year product, midway through 2006. It sounds confusing, but it all has to do with the gradual introduction of the German-built GTI and Rabbit to North America. It makes sense though, given that the world’s supply of Jettas flows out of Puebla, Mexico, just south of the US border. The GLI, however, is yet another added choice for Volkswagen buyers to select when shopping for a sensible new vehicle.

In general, I think that the new GLI has to be selected in the right exterior coloror it looks too understated. For instance, the test car I had was Platinum Gray with Anthracite Leather – identical in spec to the GTI I first drove last year – probably the stealthiest compact sports sedan on the market. The 17-inch alloy wheels that are standard equipment don’t shout “look at me!”; like the BBS wheels on the old GLI sedan. In fact, the two-piece wheels on the 2.0T have more curb appeal. It takes an upgrade to the delicious-looking 18-inch Hufeisen porthole wheels to get some attention going, not to mention the ability to better show off those red-painted calipers. Without the chrome on the nose, the Jetta struggles to make much more than the quietest of statements. Where the differences are notable between the GTI and the Rabbit, due to different grilles and bumpers, it’s a much subtler shift for the Jetta. The only people that show expressions greater than that of indifference are true Volkswagen junkies; owners of Quantums, old TDI Passats and Corrados. Perhaps Volkswagen could offer the aftermarket body kit and spoiler as standard equipment to help get the message across a little more clearly?

From the outset of things, the Jetta GLI is pretty much a trunk’d version of theGTI, which means it’s one heck of a ride with 0.9 cu-ft more room in the boot. The 2.0T motor is wonderful in every way, shape and form; it pulls strong and hard no matter the gear, no matter the situation, and it sounds great too. The engine is perfectly mated to the manual gearbox, which accurately slides into any one of its six forward gears. In truth, it’s the growly engine note that’ll disengage your interest in shifting up until the last moment possible, just so you can catch an earful as the tach swings towards redline. And there’s no real difference in the way the GLI drives in comparison to the GTI. If not for the little GLI plaque that sits on the bottom-most spar of the steering wheel, there’s nothing to remind you that you aren’t driving the hatchback version. Crisp turn-in with talkative steering is still rule of thumb for this compact car.

But for me, as great a car as the GLI is, it has one main problem: it isits own worst enemy. As ‘07 rolls in, the GLI will be sold alongside the standard Jetta 2.0T, not to mention the five-door GTI which more or less overrules the practicality aspect of not opting for the regular, three-door GTI; remember that the Rabbit isn’t available with the 2.0T. It may be true that you don’t get those wonderful seats, the spangly, eye-catching gauges, the intriguing shift knob or The World’s Best Steering Wheel™, but almost everything else is on the bill, from those xenon headlamps to the all-important two-liter, turbocharged engine with its six-speed manual gearbox. Oh, and DSG is an option on the regular 2.0T too, rather than a regular automatic gearbox, not to mention the GLI’s sport suspension. That means you have a near mechanical twin to the GLI if you’re willing to trade the appearance stuff for much less money.

My other problem is a minor one, and it has to do with the stereo’s reception. One minute it’ll be loud and clear, playing through that great premium sound system, but pass through a valley, an underpass, between tall buildings or, more frustratingly, for no apparent reason, and the signal fades. It’s not a crackly kind of fade either, but a regression from bright, clear stereo to dull-sounding mono. That might have something to do with VW’s decision to mount the antenna inside the rear glass as opposed to on the roof of the car. This also was an effect that our staff noticed on the extended term Passat sedan that we ran earlier this year. The solution is to either listen to CDs or plug your iPodor MP3 player into the auxiliary input jack, which fortunately is standard, or pay for the optional Sirius satellite radio. Oh, and the buttons on the stereo too… they’re silver, and they don’t match the rest of the décor. But like I said, we’re well into grounds clearly defined as nitpicking.

Real or not, hatchbackophobia exists in my eyes, and to my mind it’s the only discernable reason why the GLI exists at all. Not to sound overly critical, but I believe that the vehicle occupies space that makes it somewhat redundant, but this is no bad thing as the GLI is an excellent vehicle to own and to drive. It makes a good substitute for those who are having a difficult time locating a GTI at your local dealer, since they’re disappearing at a rate that makes hotcakes look like a week-old loaf of bread. Had Volkswagen not chosen to import five-door GTIs into North America, my viewpoint and statements would probably be different, but for now… does anyone have the number for Merriam-Webster?