Used 2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Consumer Reviews
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Everything you could want
I love my new gli autobahn it's fun to drive and also great on gas I avg 40mpg in eco mode and when I want to have a little fun sport mode gives the car that extra power
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Phenomenal!!!
Something like this only comes around in the industry once every few years. VW nailed it with the new GLI. The fun factor is off the charts, especially in this price range. They struck a perfect balance between sporty and luxury, practical and exciting. Except for adding vents and a couple of USB ports in the rear seat area there isn’t anything I would change about this vehicle. If you are in the market for a sporty sedan do yourself a favor and check out the VW GLI. Update: Over 2 years in and I still love this vehicle! Not a single problem and still drives as nice as the day I bought it.
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- Autobahn SedanMSRP: $24,72539 mi away
- Autobahn SedanMSRP: $26,00052 mi away
- Autobahn SedanMSRP: $25,50058 mi away
All the Tech You need & Fun to Drive
Alot of reviews say the interior is and tech is behind but that is incorrect. The 2020 Autobahn gives you plenty of it tech you need in a performance sedan and unlike the others in the segment there are ZERO rattles on the interior and cabin is silent down highway. It is what made me choose the GLI over over all the others I test drove.
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This car kicks ass
Just bought a Jetta GLI Autobahn and absolutely love it. The car is a firecracker with plenty of pep and great handling. I read about a substandard interior and that is simply not the case. Not sure how you much better in this price range. Great car.
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Better than expected
Love my GLI! Glad VW still offer cars with a stick. Not only is comfortable to drive it’s fun to drive. With the turbo it’s got Way more power than I expected, fun when it kicks in. 33mpg rated on the highway is a huge understatement! I’m getting closer to 38. So much fun to drive!
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Fun, but awful quality
Listen...I know I got a lemon. VW had to take it back as part of a settlement. But in 19,000 miles, it went into the VW shop over a dozen times. Multiple wiper failures, infotainment failures, interior trim falling off or breaking loose, violent idling - it was at the point when Google Maps fired up after work, it gave me the choice of Home or the VW dealer! That's how often my car was there. I had the base S trim, but the Autobahn trim wouldn't have changed the score too much - it would have given me more things that would have broken. The negatives are correct - the interior trim, especially on the doors and parts of the dash is just hollow, hard, easy to scratch plastic that wouldn't be used on a kid's toy. The base stereo should have been rejected years ago. Android Auto linking up was a 50/50 shot. The standard all-season tires were lousy in fun driving and downright scary in snow and rain. And the quality issues that others have written about would have me hitting pause on another VW. The the positives are true as well. This is a very roomy and comfortable car. Four adults will fit without feeling cramped. Plenty of storage space in the interior. Very easy to use controls and infotainment system. Excellent fuel economy - I was seeing over 40mpg on long highway drives. The DSG is one of the better dual clutch transmissions out there with none of the lurching and bogging in traffic that other DCTs have. It's quick and comfortable, and has its own sense of style in a very conservative suit. The Pure Gray optional paint color was very sharp as well. But I just can't get past the quality issues. I had so many loaners and service trips and repairs fail on me hours after picking up the car from the last failure. If you're interested in this model, especially a used one, really have someone look it over carefully to make sure there are no gremlins waiting for you down the road.
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My 10th VW
I bought it sight unseen from a dealer 100 miles away and had them deliver it the next day. Performance and handling is fantastic. Love the wireless Apple CarPlay and the wireless charging. My last GLi was an ‘86. This one is light years better! Update: after several months of ownership, no problems and I still love it!
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Fast and sporty but cheap feeling
I owned a 2006 GLI and was eager to drive the 2021 model. The car was fast and has great technology but I was surprised by how cheap the finishings felt. Doors closed with a tinny clink rather than a reassuring thud. Cheap plastic abounds. Low quality leather. Poor sound insulation. I was really disappointed and decided to focus on a CPO A4 or 328i for the same price. VW obviously cut lots of corners to price competitively and it shows.
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Cheap Audi, but with a manual!!!
I have owned 7 VW’s so full disclosure, I am slightly biased. That said, I have driven the competition and, as usual, nothing really compares to a VW for the money. As at least one other reviewer stated, the tech is totally fine. They did cheap out in the back, but that’s one of the reasons it’s roughly $6000 cheaper than a comparable Gti. The Gti by the way, does handle better, but at the expense of being able to have two full size adults travel in the back seat, which I really needed. Plus more space in the trunk. The adjustable suspension is awesome and really does make a big difference between the soft and sport settings. The Gli is actually pretty fast, and my recommendation, immediately replace the Falken tires. I unfortunately, was stuck with the all season touring tires, which are truly terrible in all conditions. I replaced them at 900 miles with Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires. Yes, they are $80 or so dollars more than the Falkens, and easily worth every penny. In fact, regardless of what you drive, put the Pilot Sport 4S’s on in the summer, transformative experience. I always use dedicated winter tires. The brakes really are phenomenal, with great feel! And with the Michelin’s on there, you can pretty much do what you want. Gas mileage on the highway is easily mid 30’s. It is hard to keep off the gas though on back roads. It is truly an attractive, fairly quick, excellent handling and reasonably priced, small German sports sedan that you can get with a manual! And it is worth it! The Honda is a great car, but it’s not the same. Nothing drives like a German car. This one is no exception.
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Great Ride, Poor VW Car Net
I purchased my Jetta GLI S in 10/2020. Manual transmission, great acceleration, plenty of passenger room. Large trunk. A fun car to drive. I have 5,000 miles on the vehicle and the VW car net app stopped working- the microphone stopped working so I cannot make hands free calls or use voice control. I took it to my dealership and was advised several customers have had this occur recently, but unfortunately VW doesn't have a software update yet. "They are working on it". It may seem like a minor complaint, but you cannot answer your phone if you are plugged in the USB port and enjoying Sirius XM, using Google Maps, etc.. Doing some research, I discovered it happens with several 2020/2021 VW models.
Auto Bahn says it all!
The Auto Bahn package on the new Jetta GLI is all one needs to make a driving statement. This car has pickup, handles well on the interstate and the infotainment system keeps everything in check and on schedule.
Wow
I’m 50 years old and I’m in love like the first time... Beautiful car. A pleasure to drive. A lot more comfortable than the GTI.
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Snappy
Drove 130 miles to pick it up without test driving my car and took about 15 minutes to fill out the paper work. Great car for the money not the most luxurious interior but I like them that way and in sport mode the car will get up and go. Manual transmission is easy to get use to and is pretty snappy.
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nicely disguised rocket ship
It looks like a Jetta, but it drive like a GTI. This is my 2nd (the first was a 2013), and I couldn't be happier with its power, handling, transmission and basic creature comforts.I got the low-end S model because the Autobahn trim with nav, leather, etc was not available within 500 miles. One unexpected upside: more ceiling room, which gives the cabin an airier feel and allows for a higher seat adjustment.
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A blast to the future
I own the 2020 GLI Autobahn edition with the back package, i love how the car looks, it’s much more powerful than I anticipated with loooots of room and aftermarket options for more power and sound. The all digital displays angle around the driver to make you feel like a pilot. The car is a blast to drive which makes it hard to stay out of the pedal. I love the VW Net app which makes it a breeze to lock the doors if you forget, or even start the car as you are hopping out of the shower getting ready for work!
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Best thing for the money
Glad it has 3 pedals still. Overall, there’s not much to dislike at this price, so I will only list my gripes. It’s a pretty good car. - I’m a bit mad I paid all the extra money for the autobahn solely for the better stereo and nothing else and it sounds pretty terrible. -The headlights are rather poor and there’s no fog lights you can add either oe or aftermarket -The driver seat bottom doesn’t seem to quite align with the seat back just right. It’s not that uncomfortable, but I find myself having to throw my left leg over the bolster once I reach cruising speed for best comfort which I’ve never had to do in any car. I drive probably five cars a day on average. -Clutch travel is unnecessarily long and can make smooth driving take a little effort -Second gear rolling stops don’t go over well. Anything under 10mph in second it doesn’t like
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U had me at Jetta
I love my Jetta!!!! It drives amazing it’s comfortable visibility is great Can’t say enough about it Go get yourself one U won’t regret it
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Love our GLIs - have 2 of them
We love the response of the car with it's manual transmission. It's a beautiful car - the dark grey with red highlights.
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2022 GLI best commuter car with a kick
I will start off by saying I have the 2022 GLI and I have put this thing to test on 0-60 about 10 times and my slowest time has been 6.4 seconds, with wheel spin. I have hit as quick as 5.7 a couple times but mostly averaged 6 seconds flat with a set timer and I'm a 6'2 , 230 and carry tools in the trunk. lol SO, not sure who tested this one and received over 7 seconds. But anyways, the Hankooks are trash, fine touring tires, decent in rain, but loose grip quick from take off. I have swapped mine out to Conti. Extreme contacts since I am in the PNW and they are far stickier off the line, on wet roads, in a couple inches of snow and cornering the back roads. The Civic Si is nice but I won't give up my DSG for a stick , and the skinny over bolstered seats just don't fit anyone bigger than lightweight. These aren't Porsches, no need pretending they are. But this car is comfortable, cooled seats are awesome, and the adaptive suspension is great to go from stiffer for winding back roads over to softening up to cruise 90 down the highway. I will admit I was wanting the new MK8 GTI but since they were near impossible to get in 2022, the GLI was a nice surprise.
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Very nice, fast.
Feels like quality and looks the part. The GLI is very sporty and has plenty of power to get past those Sunday drivers on a Monday afternoon. Would definitely recommend!
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Phenomenal Car !
A lot of reviewers post ....... Great Car ... " For The Money" ? I don't now why they say "For The Money". It's a great car period . I Live in Canada so there is only one Trim model for the GLI .. (Fully loaded) I have the DSG and have 18,000 km so far . Loving it. I find the Beats Stereo quite good actually, and The drivers seat is by far the best I have owned in my life.(I've owned 50 vehicles) I drove 7 hours yesterday and my back felt better when I got home than it did at the start of the day. The car is very quick. Rides extremely quiet and smooth in Normal/ECO mode and with the push of one button the adaptive suspension converts into a corner eating sports car . This car does it all. UPDATE: Still loving the Pure Grey . Car only burns 1/10 to 2/10th of a litre engine oil between changes at 15,000 km intervals. That's impressive. Replaced the factory tires at 25,000 km with Continental Extreme Contacts . A major improvement in traction and fantastic in rain. Not sure if I will run them in winter or not as I have a dedicated set of tires on rims for winter. Once in a rare while I might get a glitch where the screen will go black for a few seconds and then reset itself. or the Voice activation will quit working properly . These glitches never happen in normal daily use. They only occur if I am on marathon drive of like 12 hours , only stopping for gas . So If stopping and automatically resetting upon start up fixes them, who cares. Car is phenomenal . I'd still like to see real switches back on the steering wheel as I hate haptic controls. And I'd like to have control over certain things while I'm driving ( Like turning off the centre screen) instead of having to stop the car in order to do it. or punching in an address to the Nav system etc
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Best Performance Sedan Under $30,000.00
Front wheel drive, awesome acceleration and a quick shifting transmission make this car amazing. The seats could be better in the S trim but that isn’t important when you are getting thrusted into the back of the seat at full throttle. Meanwhile the car is looking amazing with all of its well placed lines and the sweet hood that make it look sleek and sporty. When you aren’t enjoying the seat of the pants feel you can get around 34 mpgs on the highway while using your blind spot monitoring system to keep you safe on your trip. At night I can see so much further with the bright headlights and I can now see the deer on the side of the road. Instead of worrying about them just jumping out in front of me. Overall I don’t know why someone wouldn’t want this car it packs a punch in every category that I can think of and don’t get me started on the big trunk and all the seating space. 2/26/22: The car could be great. However the fuel line rattle that can’t be fixed is obnoxious. My door latch was freezing for the longest time. Causing the car to turn on the e-brake when coasting to a stop. Yeah that was a lot of fun. It took four applications of WD-40 to fix it. The threads are coming out of my drivers side seat cushion cover, again. The rear window defroster doesn’t get hot enough to melt ice all the way. The windshield wipers ice over whenever I’m driving because they don’t have a heat source. They rest below the front window defroster. The side view mirrors seem to catch every type of headlights behind you. Which directs it right back into your face. The rear e-brake is stuck on every morning making a loud pop noise when leaving. Under the front seats has a weird goo building up from the rear air vents under the seats. The performance of the car is great but everything else kinda adds up after a while.
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Jetta with a Manual
Fun to drive, great fit and finish, brakes well and a nice 6 speed manual that is fuel efficient. Love it!
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A huge step up!
Coming from the 2018 Jetta se. this car is a different beast. With all the bells and whistles you could want the car is responsive, has great handling, and can keep up with other cars. Now the steering is tight but I feel like it can be a bit over the top as the traction is not as good as an all-wheel drive car when going around hard turns at speed you can feel the car skip a little and that is reflected in the steering. Other than that the car is great.
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So far...so good.
Tall cups are an issue when you are shifting but not a deal killer. Lots of pep when the turbo kicks in. I have put 800 miles on mine an love it. Traded in a 2010 Jetta manual that was fun to drive.
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2020 autobahn black package
This car is fun :-).
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A lot of fun to drive!
This has to be the best value for the buck in a performance sedan. However, I did not like the $2000 upcharge or the finance terms. The car is a bit quirky. I'm glad it has Apple Carplay, but it's weird that it doesn't have built-in navigation as a backup. Also, there is no ventilation control for backseat passengers. The quality of the trim and interior materials is very good. The driver's seat is very supportive, especially for those of us with back problems. The automatic transmission is a great gift. I have driven sticks for most of my life, but as I have aged and automatics have improved, I am not going back. I can drive and enjoy my morning coffee. I can probably say more but I do love the car and that's what counts.
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