2006 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

It's amazing the difference 100 pounds of strategically placed steel makes.

In Europe, the VW Golf has been a best seller since its inception, but successive generations of the VW Jetta (also known as the Vento and Bora) have failed to generate much interest. In the U.S. the Jetta is the jewel in the VW crown, accounting for 40 percent of the company's entire sales and encapsulating its philosophy of German engineering meets affordable Euro-chic, although by the time the new car arrived earlier this year sales of the Golf-with-a-trunk had slowed to a trickle as procrastinated product cycles drove buyers elsewhere. Never has the tagline "Drivers Wanted" been more appropriate.

VW needs to stir up some interest in the new Jetta and what better than a sporty version to plaster across newspapers, billboards, TV ads, enthusiast magazines, and automotive Web sites. VW's North American division fought hard to bring the GLI version to market and even employed some underhanded trickery to get it approved by the high-ups in VW. Remember that GLI show car they wheeled out at the L.A. show last year? The first Wolfsburg knew about it was the same moment you and I did. We're glad that the mavericks at VW North America went to the trouble, though, because I reckon the GLI's an absolute cracker.

Of course, the basic Jetta package is pretty good to begin with. For a start, it's a reasonably handsome and well-proportioned car, if a little dour in its detailing. The interior is spacious and comfortable and the quality of the plastics and construction wouldn't look out of place in a BMW or a Mercedes. With double four-star ratings for front and side impact the Jetta's got impeccable safety credentials also, so really all that was needed to bring it GLI specification was a little suspension work, a few go-faster add-ons to liven up the looks, and some decent performance.

Tighter and tougher

Thankfully, the volks at Volkswagen Europe had already taken care of all that when they launched the Golf GTI at the start of the year. All VW N.A. had to do was install the same 197-hp, 2.0-liter FSI turbo-charged engine with its six-speed manual (or six-speed DSG) and the GTI's stiffer springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, suspension bushes, and sportier steering rack. The suspension was then softened ever so slightly to deal with the extra weight slung out the back (as well as America's intolerance for over-firm suspensions) and bigger 312-mm front and 288-mm rear brakes were added.

The whole lot was then wrapped up in an attractive, if understated, styling kit with a new front bumper (de-chromed, honeycombed, and red-pinstriped, no less), subtle side skirts, a beefier rear bumper and some sexy 17-inch alloy wheels. The 18-inch wheels in the pictures are actually $750 option and finish the car off so well you want to break into applause. All in all the Jetta wears the GLI packaging like a crisply-tailored suit - elegant and flattering without drawing undue attention to itself.

Inside, bucket seats with cool '70s-style heritage trim, a very appealing flat-bottom sports steering, and neat aluminum pedals complete the sporty packaging, though there are plenty of luxury appointments too, such as front and rear center armrests; a six-CD changer; power windows, mirrors, and locks; and an eight-way-adjustable driver's seat. Options include a sunroof, dual-zone climate control, heated leather seats, VW's sequential gearbox (DSG), a DVD navigation system and satellite radio.

Going well

Of course, the whole purpose of the GLI is not just that it looks great - it also needs to go well. Even though it weighs a not unsubstantial

3352 pounds the GLI manages an impressive 0-60 mph time of just 6.7 seconds, no doubt helped by perfect gearing (it runs out of puff in second gear microseconds after passing 62 mph or 100 km/h), the blink-quick shifting of the DSG gearbox and the 207 lb-ft of torque the turbo scares up at just 1800 rpm. (In case you're interested, the manual is 44 pounds lighter and 0.3 seconds slower to 60 mph.) And this in a well appointed and refined four-door sedan, remember - not a stripped-out, bone-rattling Japanese hatchback.