2016 Volkswagen Golf R Review - All The Right Compromises In All The Right Places

Yes, the Canadian base price of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R is $11,400 more than the base price of the 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI. 

$11,400 for an additional 82 horsepower hardly seems worth it, does it?

THE GOOD + Power across rev range + A sedate small hatch... + ... or a serious hot hatch + Handsome from every angle + Fun to drive at any speed

THE BAD – Never wants to get crazy – Rear legroom could be better – Shift action isn't the best – GTI is way less $ – Missing expected features

But the $11,400 spread is hugely misleading. To begin with, that GTI base price refers to the 3-door model – the Golf R is 5-door only. The Golf R is only $6000 more than the least expensive 5-door Golf GTI. 

Then factor in the addition of all-wheel-drive – standard on the Golf R; not available on the Golf GTI. Traditionally, on models where all-wheel-drive was a standalone option, Volkswagen Canada has charged $2300. Factor that into the difference of these two cars and the margin is skimmed to $3700. 

Then consider the equipment differences. To get a Golf GTI 5-door with Golf R-like kit, you'd need to step up to the 220-horsepower Performance model which costs only $1900 less than the basic Golf R, and that's before the R's $2300 all-wheel-drive system is factored in. 

They won't be equipped identically – Volkswagen offers features on the GTI that aren't available on the R, and vice versa. But it's fair to say that the R, especially with its rarity and superior resale value, is far more than just a $40K GTI with 82 extra ponies. 

The 2016 Volkswagen Golf R is a whole 'nuther beast.

WHAT IS IT?
40 years ago, Volkswagen began selling GTI versions of its Golf small car. In North America, the Rabbit GTI arrived about three years later.

2016 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R Base Price: $41,700 * As-Tested Price: $43,715 * Colour: Lapiz Blue Assembly: Wolfsburg, Germany Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 6-speed manual Engine: 2.0L DOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Horsepower: 292 @ 5400 rpm Torque: 280 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm Curb Weight: 3305 pounds Length: 168.4 inches Width: 70.8 inches Height: 56.5 inches Wheelbase: 103.5 inches Tires: Continental ContiSportContact Tire Size: 235/35R19 Passenger Volume: 2647 litres Cargo Volume: 645 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1492 litres EPA City: 22 MPG EPA Highway: 31 MPG NRCAN OEE City: 10.9 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 7.7 L/100km Observed: 26.4 mpg Observed: 8.9 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1705 in fees.

The idea of a higher-performance, more luxurious, all-wheel-drive Golf wasn't fully realized until the end of the fourth-generation Golf's Golf R32 run. 

A 3.2L V6 engine and all-wheel-drive didn't help the Mk4 Golf R32's weight problem. Yet the first R, equipped in North America with a 6-speed manual transmission and only available with two doors, remains a highly respected car. 

The Mk5 Golf R32 ditched the manual transmission for a direct-shift gearbox but was again a two-door car in North America. 

The Mk6 Golf R, reviewed by GCBC three years ago, lost the numerals in its name, gained the option of two extra rear doors, and lost two cylinders. A 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder was more powerful than the old V6, and Volkswagen ditched the DSG in favour of a 6-speed manual.

Now we're in the seventh-generation of Volkswagen's venerable Golf line, and the R will enjoy a longer run during the Mk7's tenure as a four-door model only. 

The 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder is more powerful – Volkswagen didn't detune the 292-horsepower engine compared with its Audi S3 partner car. 

All-wheel-drive is still standard. This time, you can stick with the 6-speed manual or spend an extra $1400 on a two-pedal DSG. 

In Canada, the Golf R is available in six colours, two of which are white, and one of which (Onyx White Pearl) costs extra. The lone option is a $2015 Technology Package. 

Delivered to GCBC Towers by Volkswagen Canada in mid-May, our 2016 Volkswagen Golf R was equipped with the Technology Package, the standard 6-speed manual, and Lapiz Blue paint.

HOW BIG IS IT?
The 2016 Volkswagen Golf R is every inch a Golf, which means the R is three inches shorter, bumper to bumper, than the Ford Focus hatchback and 14 inches shorter than the sedan version of Honda's tenth-generation Civic, Canada's best-selling car. The Golf offers more passenger volume than the Focus hatch; less than the Civic. The Golf R's 645-litre cargo area is deeper than you think it'll be – extra rear legroom at the expense of some cargo capacity wouldn't go amiss. 

Weighing in at 3305 pounds, the Golf R is 267 pounds heavier than the Golf GTI we tested late in 2014. The R is also about an inch lower than regular Golfs and about a centimetre lower than the GTI.

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DOES IT WORK?
The fourth iteration of Volkswagen's high-performance Golf R isn't faultless. The short-throw shift action can feel a little crude at first. Rear seat legroom isn't up to the standard of what a future Honda Civic Type R buyer will encounter. Owners of the Audi S3, this Golf R's fraternal twin, enjoy Audi's superior MMI system, not Volkswagen's clunkier infotainment unit. At this price point, you may also expect features like a sunroof and a power passenger seat. Too bad.

And in a world of Ford Focus RS drift modes and the Subaru WRX STI's Sport Sharp setting, the Golf R can feel positively chock full of decorum. If the Focus RS is the automotive equivalent of running with the bulls in Pamplona and the STI equals swinging from Moab's Corona Arch, the Golf R is white clothes at Wimbledon. 

But strawberries and cream are very delicious, indeed. And when your years of running with bulls and swinging between giant rocks are over, the Golf R provides nearly as much performance with far less noise, vibration, harshness, stiffness, and boy racer addenda.

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Volkswagen Golf Sales Figures
2015 Audi S3 Driven Review
2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Driven Review
2016 Subaru WRX Driven Review
2013 Volkswagen Golf R Driven Review

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The EA888 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder (292 horsepower, 280 lb-ft of torque) is at the centre of the proceedings. Though the DSG in Audi's identically-engined S3 (and in some Golf Rs) may produce the quicker car on track and on the spec sheet, the dual-clutch transmission displays a measure of lag in real-world driving which, as it turns out, highlights the responsiveness of the 2.0L turbo when married to this Golf R's manual transmission. 

Any gear works at any time. Second focuses your mind, and your right foot, on the 2.0L's prodigious torque. Third is hugely flexible. Fourth would suffice as the Golf R's only gear if need be, pulling from low rpm with gusto while quickly pulling you into illegal territory with ease. If you think the GTI is quick, you'll be amazed by the Golf R, the way turbo lag is minimized and brief prods of the accelerator result in moments of alarming takeoff, a trait the GTI never displays.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
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Speed can't be the Golf R's only goal in life, however. Greater performance is available for less money, whether it be in the form of the Ford Mustang GT or the Nissan 370Z. The Mk7 Golf R is measurably and obviously quicker than the Mk6 Golf R we drove three years ago, but it's also lighter on its toes, more anxious to turn in, swifter to respond to abrupt driver inputs, and more comfortable while doing so.

The Mk7 Golf's sturdy structure permitted Volkswagen's suspension developers to create a decidedly agile car that still knows how to cope with potholes, frost heaves, and expansion joints. Or at least a car that can cope with such rough roads, if the dampers are left in Comfort mode.

Volkswagen's Mode selector sits to the left of the shifter and shuffles between Comfort, Normal, and Race. But it's the final press of the button that reveals Individual. Now press "Adjust" in the top right of the touchscreen and leave the sound, lighting, adaptive cruise, and engine in their raciest Sport settings, but switch ride quality to Comfort and the steering to its lightest Comfort mode, too. 

Heavier steering does not bring feel into the Golf R's equation, and the Golf R's cornering ability is more than sufficient in Comfort mode in 95% of on-road situations.

Now you're driving a faster and more luxurious GTI that handles like a sharper GTI, a Golf that copes better with winter than a front-wheel-drive GTI, and displays all the refinement and comfort of a conventional Golf. 

Oh, and the R has all the practicality and flexibility of a regular Golf, too. Practicality, flexibility? The Golf R is evidently not a Mustang or 370Z.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Volkswagen Canada doesn't break down Golf sales figures by trim line, though we do know that the GTI accounts for 12% of total Golf volume.

That's a much lower figure than the GTI achieves in the United States, where the overall Golf line is far less popular than it is in Canada. Of the 17,241 Golfs sold in America in the first four months of 2016, 41% were GTIs, another 11% were Golf Rs. That's 8936 total performance Golf sales so far this year. For perspective, Subaru reported 9974 WRX and STI sales in the U.S. in the first-third of 2016.

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Which One? Golf GTI vs. Audi S3 vs. Golf R
Drag Race: Golf GTI vs. Golf GTD vs. Golf R

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SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
There are certainly a handful of hugely intriguing possibilities when it comes to practical performance at the Golf R's $41,700-$45,115 price point. The most obvious competitors are the more ostentatious, more performance-oriented Ford Focus RS and Subaru WRX STI, both of which feature all-wheel-drive just like the Golf R. Pricing for the Subaru starts at $40,000 and rises to roughly $47,000, but the interior and relative lack of refinement will be a letdown after time spent in the Golf R. The Ford Focus RS takes performance to an obscene level, but pricing begins at $49,669, on par with the 2016 BMW M235i when equipped with its optional $3750 all-wheel-drive system.

None of them bring together luxury, refinement, and performance with affordability quite as well as the Golf R.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Tempting though it may be to grab the most affordable Golf R, come resale time it'll be helpful to have the $2015 Technology Package: adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, navigation, auto braking, front and rear parking sensors. Save $1400 by skipping the 6-speed DSG and you have a car just like our test specimen, a $43,715 2016 Volkswagen Golf R, including $1705 in delivery fees.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
If there could be just one car, only one vehicle produced by all the automobile assembly plants around the world, solely one vehicle that satisfactorily meets all the conflicting demands of all new vehicle buyers, the Mk7 2016 Volkswagen Golf R would be a top pick. It can carry surprisingly big loads, but it can also squeeze into a downtown parking spot. It's luxuriously equipped and full of safety kit, but it's not nearly as pricey as similarly outfitted cars from premium German marques. The Golf R is supremely quick, but it's also decently economical. Performance tires will make it fun on a track day, but there's all-wheel-drive for owners who spend half their year in winter conditions. Sure, it can't seat eight like a Honda Odyssey, but there's room for 150% more passengers than you'll fit inside a Mazda MX-5 Miata. 

Yeah, we know, if there could be only one vehicle, it'd be a Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4x4. Duh. Of course.

But we want it to be the Volkswagen Golf R. Almost every time a new vehicle visits GCBC Towers, we're ready on day seven for the vehicle to depart. Bring on the next one. Put another slice in the toaster. Change the channel. Turn the page. 

The 2016 Volkswagen Golf R, on the other hand, need never leave. It's difficult to envision replacing a minivan, our 2015 Honda Odyssey, with a compact hatchback. But the idea is now under serious consideration.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Golf R was supplied by Volkswagen Canada's press office.

2015 Volkswagen Golf 1.8 TSI Comfortline Review - You Get What You Pay For

13 years ago, Golf-based Volkswagen GTIs produced 180 horsepower from a 1.8L turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant. Over the last week, I’ve been driving a brand new Golf that’s also fitted with a 1.8L turbocharged four-cylinder. It generates 170 horsepower.

In 2002, you could pair Volkswagen’s 1.8T with a 6-speed manual transmission. Our test car used a 5-speed manual.

Is this progress? Strangely, yes.

THE GOOD • Overall on-road behaviour • Powerful base engine • Luxurious ambience • Interior quality • Timeless styling

THE BAD • TDI still more appealing than TSI • Not exactly inexpensive • Fuel economy disappointed • 5-speed? • Rear seat space could use a boost

The new car makes way more torque: 185 lb-ft at 1600 rpm compared with 173 lb-ft at 1950 rpm. According to EPA tests, it also travels 25% farther on a litre of fuel. Regular fuel, too. The old car drank premium.

Regardless of what the spec sheet says, the new 1.8T is still a very quick car when mated to the 5-speed manual. And though the transmission would surely benefit from a tall sixth gear and feels as though it could use more tightly spaced ratios, shift quality is excellent and the clutch is friendly, with no learning curve required.

Over the course of a decade and multiple generations of Golf, the greater gains have (clearly) not come in terms of outright power but in overall refinement and the driving experience as a whole. These upgrades are unlikely to change the fact that the wild fuel economy figures achieved by diesel-powered Golfs will still draw greater Canadian attention. Like the well-behaved child who always carries his dishes back to the sink with two hands and efficiently and correctly finishes his homework, but who still sees all his parents’ attention paid to his delinquent little brother, der neue base Golf does its level best but still isn’t as desirable as its siblings.

OUR CAR
This four-door, manual-shift Golf, loaned to us for a week-long visit by Volkswagen Canada was priced at $25,985 (freight and PDI included) with one $1695 option package. As a mid-grade Comfortline example, this Golf featured a sunroof, leatherette upholstery, and dual-zone climate control. 

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
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Absent the optional Fender system, audio quality was still more than acceptable. Volkswagen’s 2.0L turbodiesel $2500 in to the cost of any Golf in Canada. A 6-speed automatic transmission is another $1400.

2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.8 TSI COMFORTLINE Base Price * (CAD): $21,390 As-Tested Price * (CAD): $25,985 Engine: 1.8L 16-valve turbocharged four-cylinder Transmission: 5-speed automatic Horsepower: 170 @ 4800 rpm Torque: 185 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm Curb Weight: 2906 pounds Drive Type: front-wheel-drive Length: 168.0 inches Width: 70.8 inches Height: 56.8 inches Wheelbase: 103.8 inches Tires: Continental ContiProContact Tire Size: 205/55R16 Passenger Volume: 2648 litres Cargo Volume: 671 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1521 litres EPA City: 25 mpg EPA Highway: 37 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 9.3 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 6.4 L/100km Observed: 28 mpg Observed: 8.4 L/100km * includes $1395 destination charge Golf 5-Door Comfortline base price: $24,290 Golf 3-door base price: $20,390 MPG fuel economy ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency. L/100km ratings from the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency's new 5-cycle testing for MY2015 vehicles.

INSIDE
With fuzzy carpeting spread across the front doors’ storage compartments and a dash covered in material so squeezable I expected fruit juice to come pouring out, there’s no doubt that the Golf’s perceived quality quotient tops the class. 

The Golf’s infotainment unit lags, both in actual use and behind segment leaders like Mazda Connect. It’s not a terrible system to use – I liked how it allowed me to scroll through satellite radio stations without actually selecting one – but the graphics and operational speed are behind the times. 

The 5.8-inch screen also seems too small for a proper backup camera, or is it just that the the camera isn’t a particularly good one, washed out as it was in daylight and too dim later in the day?

Comfort is a key Golf edge, with first-rate seats and a huge range of adjustment in those seats and the steering wheel. Wind and road noise is something other small car owners encounter, but the Golf offers a proper luxury car ambience, only decontented.

Rear seat space doesn’t impress, however, as the placement of the especially narrow Diono Radian RXT in the middle position required an adult alongside to slam the door on their hip. 

Sure, it’s a small car, but many small cars these days do better. Hatchback versions of the Hyundai Elantra, Mazda 3, and Subaru Impreza all have more overall space for humans.

STOWAGE
The Golf does have a bit more space behind the rear seat than the 3 and Impreza, however, and the cargo area is shaped like a box with little intrusion. Seats down capacity beats the Elantra, as well. 

Of course, all are surprisingly practical cars, yet they also help to clarify the appeal of small crossovers, as our Baby Jogger Summit X3 needed its wheels removed if it was to fit under the cargo cover in the Golf. Where’s the Golf R wagon when you need it?

FITTING ROOM
Like virtually all continuing nameplates, Golfs have certainly grown over the span of generations. This Mk7 car is 167.5 inches long on a wheelbase of 103.8 inches; 2.6 inches longer than the Mk4 car we mentioned earlier with a wheelbase that’s been stretched nearly five inches. Relative to modern machines, the current Golf is just under two feet shorter than a new Toyota Camry; 7.5 inches longer than the 2015 Honda Fit. It’s 14.7 inches shorter than the latest Jetta with slightly less wheelbase and slightly greater width.

GOING/STOPPING/TURNING
Those tidy dimensions are central to the Golf’s on-road appeal. It’s as tossable as a properly set-up subcompact but as unflustered as a much larger car. Mid-corner pavement protrusions don’t bother the Golf even when you’re driving as enthusiastically as you might in its GTI sibling. The Golf’s brake pedal could be firmed up, but the weight of other controls is in keeping with the car’s mission. 

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• Historical Monthly & Yearly Volkswagen Golf Sales Figures
• 2013 Volkswagen Golf TDI Wolfsburg Driven Review
• 2014 Mazda 3 Sport GS Driven Review
• 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Edition 30 Driven Review

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It’s not a hot hatch, but there’s no mistaking this ordinary Golf (on unaggressive 205/55R16 Continental ContiProContacts) for anything other than the foundation of a great hot hatch. Quicker turn in, sharper throttle response, and a suspension that needs only to be modestly stiffened would produce a wonderful all-rounder. It is not crying out for more torque.

RIVALS
A Mazda 3 offers much of the Golf’s driving appeal but lacks its hushed cabin and always-serene ride quality. Subaru’s Impreza does not come within range of matching the Golf’s upmarket interior but offers Vermont’s favourite all-wheel-drive system. It’s obviously difficult for the Golf to match the value and content of the Hyundai Elantra GT and Kia Forte5, but the driving experiences between those cars and the remarkable Golf are worlds apart.

SELLING
Over the course of the last ten months – but not in the last two – the Golf lineup has been outsold in the U.S. by its own offspring, the GTI. With the Mk7 now widely available, the non-GTI/R/E Golf lineup doubled its U.S. October volume. Yet at 2351 units, it was by no means a popular car in America. HybridCars.com says 41% of the non-GTI Golfs sold this year have been diesels. The Golf family is Germany’s best-selling vehicle; the UK’s fourth-best-selling vehicle. In October 2014, it was Canada’s tenth-best-selling car.

VERDICT
Aside from a frumpy radio and a sunroof visor which crudely slides back and forth, the Golf is an impressive piece, not just lacking in glaring faults but full of admirable elements. One might wonder why Americans are so indifferent, until one realizes that an entry-level midsize price point makes for a tough sell. The Golf 1.8 TSI is a car I want, it’s just not a car I want to pay for, not with these interior dimensions on this continent. Not when this car consumed 8.4 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres in a mix of city and highway driving while the last Golf TDI we tested sipped just 5.8 L/100km.

Oh, have a little compassion for the well-behaved gas-fired Golf. Even when reviewed positively, the whole story deteriorates into praise of its oil-burning sibling. We might as well pile on by mentioning the superior styling of the Mk1’s round headlights.

2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Edition 30 Review - It's Not A Minivan

They could scarcely be more different. 

Two vehicles which are currently celebrating their 30th year certainly share some similarities: they both have four wheels; they're both front-wheel-drive; they're both available in a special edition equipment line to mark 30 years since 1984; they both feature 6-speed automatic transmissions; they're both priced from the teens to the mid-thirties. In special edition trim, they both feature unique seat material and some badging just underneath the wing mirrors. 

But the things which separate them are more obvious than the things which unite the 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan 30th Anniversary and the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Edition 30. 

There's the whole 7-seat versus 5-seat thing; sliding doors versus front-hinged doors; the big V6 versus a small four-cylinder turbo. One is a Detroit-badged minivan built by what is now an Italian (Dutch?) company operating in Canada, across the river from Detroit. The other, the subject of this review after a week in GCBC's safe keeping, is a Mexican-built, German-badged sedan. 

THE GOOD Balance of mature sportiness Feels like 235 horsepower Joyful noise Seat comfort All-around visibility

THE BAD Costs a pretty penny Out-of-date infotainment system Speedo digits too close together Not overly Q-car Virtually pointless LATCH system

Indeed, times have changed, but both vehicles have the capability of causing onlookers to wax nostalgic. I spent many of my formative years in the back of a Chrysler minivan. They were quite compact on the outside yet so vast inside. Power doors? Not a chance - none of the rear windows did anything more than vent. 

This GLI, on the other hand, is yet another manifestation of what Volkswagen has always done best: surprisingly quick and practical small cars. Your parents drove a Caravan, and you perhaps recall it fondly, but you wished they'd had fewer kids so you could have been chauffeured in the back of a Golf GTI or a GTI with a trunk, the Jetta GLI.

Minivans have come a long way. The 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan 30th Anniversary is a people-carrying behemoth with five seats that fold into the floor and 283 horsepower. Through the first two months of 2014, it's also Canada's third-best-selling vehicle. 

Ignore comparisons between the car you see here and the 90-horsepower Jetta GLI of 1984, however, and forget (if you can) this car's direct predecessor, the more Golf GTI-like fifth-generation Jetta GLI.  

This GLI Edition 30 is not a minivan. It's not a MY1984 car, nor is it a MY2006 car. It's a sixth-gen Jetta, and it works hard to show just how good a sixth-gen Jetta can be.

That's by no means a simple commentary regarding its excellent on-road dynamics or the fact that it looks better than other Jettas. Inside, from the soft-touch plastic atop the dashboard to the finely-stitched leather wheel to the mode by which climate controls are turned, this is more a Volkswagen for Volkswagen lovers. When Volkswagen introduced this much less costly A6 Jetta for 2011, the biggest round of complaints were reserved not for its bland exterior but for its cabin's material quality. That's not a fair complaint in this GLI. (Neither was it a complaint that held buyers back, as Jetta volume rose to record levels.)

2014 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI EDITION 30 Base Price * (CDN): $34,070 As-Tested Price * (CDN): $35,640 Engine: 2.0L DOHC 16-valve I-4 turbo Transmission: 6-speed direct-shift gearbox Horsepower: 210 @ 5300 rpm Torque: 207 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm Curb Weight: 3169 pounds Drive Type: front-wheel-drive Length: 182.2 inches Width: 70.0 inches Height: 56.6 inches Wheelbase: 104.4 inches Passenger Volume: 2665 litres Cargo Volume: 439 litres Centre Console: 6 tennis balls Glove Compartment: 15 tennis balls EPA City: 24 mpg = 9.8 L/100km EPA Highway: 32 mpg = 7.4 L/100km Observed: 30.5 mpg Observed: 7.7 L/100km * includes destination/delivery. Base price refers to Edition 30.  GLI starts at $29,685.  Jetta starts at $16,385.

Passenger comfort is top-notch, as expected. These aren't the lemon-squeezing Recaro seats of the Focus ST, nor is this car a proper competitor for the Ford. This is a car in which five individuals could take a long journey. Their stuff will fit in the vast, squared-off, 439-litre trunk, as well. LATCH anchors for our infant seat were all but impossible to properly secure, and it was bad enough for us to switch to a belt fitting. But space for a sub-midsize car is abundant, visibility is terrific, and rear passengers are never treated to harsh impacts from a rear beam axle in a car that's been tuned too aggressively. (Like all sixth-gen GLIs and now all 2014 Jettas, this car features independent rear suspension.)

There are niggling issues inside. As in other Volkswagens, the speedometer's numbers are too closely aligned, meaning there aren't nearly enough millimetres of distance between 80 kmh and 100 kmh. Look twice. 

Speaking of 1984, the infotainment unit isn't complicated, but it sure doesn't represent progress in the car/tech universe. 

And though it's a sensation generated by the optional exterior and nothing more than a subjective impression, this Tornado Red GLI with its Edition 30-specific Watkins Glen 18-inch wheels actually causes passers-by to do a double take, which defeats much of the Jetta GLI's sleeper appeal. In black, with the GLI's normal 17-inchers or the optional 18-inch Bathursts, a GLI flies way under the radar while still looking classy.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
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Aided by the always-smooth dual-clutch automatic transmission and despite small dose of exterior panache, the 2014 GLI has the capability to trick passengers into assuming this a fairly conventional Jetta, never a bad thing. The somewhat Subaru-like burble of the 210-horsepower 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder is muted when not actively called upon. As mentioned, ride quality is on the comfortable side of firm. Plentiful torque, all 207 lb-ft, is available not far above idle, so moderately swift progress is made up on-ramps without alerting passengers to the thrills that can be found with a heavier right foot.

By modern standards, Volkswagen's 2.0T doesn't imbue performance cars with the kind of power they need in order to be considered fast cars, at least not at this output level. But modern standards - 252-bhp Focuses and 290-bhp Hyundai Santa Fes - have skewed our thinking. This car has more than enough power to get you into trouble, and in part because it's so torquey, it feels a lot more like a car with 230-240 horsepower than one with 210. The 2.0T's sound also inspires the driver to delve into the wide power band more often than necessary just to hear the braaaap.

Nor does the 2014 Jetta GLI tackle corners like a Focus ST or the Golf R GCBC reviewed last winter. That's not to say it won't outhandle every non-performance-oriented compact and midsize car available, because it will, and it will do so with a level of engagement from the steering and seat cushion that's missing in the non-Si Civic Coupe we're testing this week. Yet more importantly, the GLI's relatively high level of handling prowess is matched - exceeded, in fact - by its ability to cosset during a Sunday afternoon cruise around town with the grandparents and baby in the back seat. 

While not catering to an enthusiast who wants an outright track monster with from-the-factory autocross potential, Volkswagen has perfectly tuned the 2014 Jetta GLI Edition 30's suspension to satisfy enthusiasts with its all-around, everyday appeal. It's a car that will accelerate to 100 kmh in a good bit less than seven seconds, but it's also a car that consumed just 7.7 litres per 100 km (31 U.S. mpg) during a cold week of sometimes aggressive driving. It offers a measure of quietness and luxury for five occupants and their cargo, but the GLI is also a car that genuinely wants to be driven with purpose. Weight has been kept in check, and it has become an agile and typically solid German car with an appetite for Sunday evening blasts up the coast.

For striking such an impressive balance, Volkswagen wants to be handsomely rewarded. Our test car rang in at $35,640. 

GLIs don't need to be this expensive, of course, if you're willing to sacrifice the Edition 30's special bits, a technology package that includes an excellent Fender audio system, the direct-shift gearbox, and big wheels. 

GCBC Instituted ISTBTP, AKA Interior Storage Tennis Ball Test Protocol, In Early 2014.
The Volkswagen Jetta GLI Edition 30's ISTBTP Results Are In The Spec Chart Above. 

Nevertheless, weighing the merits of this specific car against some of its compatriots in the entry-level luxury arena, cars which compete at a similar price point, doesn't generate an unfavourable result for the Jetta GLI Edition 30. With superior power, a heavy feature load, surprising efficiency, and extra rear seat space, it's the winner on paper. And as badge snobbery causes so many to flock to the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a special edition Jetta actually ends up being the unique car. 

Just like it was in 1984.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, wrote Alphonse Karr. Except for, you know, minivans with DVD players coming out of the ceiling and vacuums extending forth from behind the third row. Except for that.

RECOMMENDED READING
Historical Monthly & Yearly Volkswagen Jetta Sales Figures
2013 Volkswagen Golf R Driven Review
2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid Driven Review
2014 Mazda 6 GT Driven Review
2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited Driven Review

2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Driven

Meet the modern pickup. You've probably heard it referred to as the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

There was a time when pickup trucks weren't styled to the hilt. Time was, trucks weren't luxurious, constantly reengineered, or anything but utilitarian. Pickup trucks, you see, picked things up. Pickup trucks carried things around. They helped a large group of people do their work. The quality of a truck's interior plastic wasn't debated, nor was there any doubt that torque was far more relevant than horsepower. Fast forward to 2011: trucks are still used by the workin' man, but we don't view trucks as vehicles built exclusively for the job site.

That's where the diesel-powered 2011 Jetta enters the conversation, not as a punchline to a truck joke but in order to pay compliments. It's true, Volkswagen didn't bother styling the Jetta. That much is apparent with one quick glance. Inside, you'll find what you need, but luxury car fittings are not included. Carrying things, people, stuff, junk, and miscellaneous clutter all at the same time is easy like Sunday morning. And torque? Uh.... yeah, there's some of that; 236 lb-ft of blissfully plateaued torque from 1750 rpm.

With all this in mind, there seemed to be no better way to review the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta than by driving to its new domain, the site where Soccer Nova Scotia is building a new indoor complex on Halifax's Mainland Common via the South End Container Terminal. Keep reading to see how the Jetta got on.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net 

Obviously, there's a thick coating of hyperbole in all this. The Jetta is a German sedan, y'all. Also, GoodCarBadCar.net parked the Jetta TDI in the driveway of SNS's new building. Hillcrest Volkswagen's $23,875 2011 Jetta TDI Comfortline was not loaded up with cement. Nevertheless, the Jetta's workmanlike character comes through conspicuously. 

That point was made all the clearer when I discovered how few pennies Volkswagen spent on the heater controls. Switching blower direction involves finagling a Fisher Priceesque knob. Yet all the complaints from other sources you've heard regarding the sixth-generation Jetta shouldn't have amounted to much more than crying over a lack of interior flair and a few chintzy parts. Surfaces an owner touches most frequently - steering wheel, shift knob, blinker and headlight stalks - were more than nice enough in this mid-range Comfortline. (Non-diesel Jettas start at Trendline and go up to Highline. Base TDI Jettas are Comfortlines, a step up from Trendline. U.S. trims are different in configuration and name.) 

Turbodiesels are increasingly less love'em or hate'em. Quiet, smooth, and a little more revvy than former applications, the 2011 Jetta's 140-horsepower 2.0L diesel makes this car enjoyable. The Jetta is nothing more than boring to look at, nothing more than absurdly roomy and comfortable inside, certainly not exceptionally dynamic, but it remains downright charming when running it through the gears. 

It's not that the shifter itself is anything special - a mite notchy with an easily modulated clutch. The 2.0L turbo's swell of torque is just so pronounced, level, ambitious, and generous I started to think I was driving an honestly fast car. Through all this, there's ever-present knowledge of insane fuel economy. America's EPA rates the Jetta TDI at 30/42 mpg; Canada's OEE calls it 6.7/4.6 L/100km, all of which are enchanting figures when feeling the engine's considerable shove. Lose the engine as cause for celebration and what does the Jetta have left? 

More Jetta TDI Comfortline Pictures Can Be Seen In The Flickr Slideshow Below

We've already mentioned the enormous quanitites of space, but perhaps numbers are needed for enlightenment. Inside, both in the cargo compartment and the cabin, the 2011 Jetta is vast. At 15.5 cubic feet, the trunk is more than a cubic foot larger than the booty on Toyota's Avalon. Compared with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, previously thought to be loungelike, rear legroom is five inches greater.  The seat fabric was clingy and foot-level panels and materials were scuffing like the boards of a 50-year-old hockey rink. Other than that, sitting back for a long-distance journey in the new Jetta is like walking in late to an early screening of Avatar and discovering a vacant seat on the aisle, mid-way up: necessary and comfortable.

Why so necessary? Let's take up the diesel topic for another moment. The TDI's fuel tank holds 55 litres of fuel. Let's assume you won't quite achieve Natural Resources Canada's 4.6 L/100km efficiency rating. Rounded off to 5 L/100km, the Jetta TDI has an anticipated bladder bursting range of 1080 kilometres.... with a litre to spare. If you're going to make it from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Lincoln, Nebraska, without stopping you'll come to appreciate those comfortable seats, far more accepting of my frame than the Elantra's I drove the day before.

Now back to the trunk. Not only is it expansive, it's expansive in all the right directions, squared off like the bed of a pickup truck. Also like a truck, the Jetta's ride isn't harsh over roads treated terribly by Halifax's temperature fluctuations. Pretending or attempting to be a sporty car wouldn't be in keeping with the Jetta's mission to get the freakin' job done. The 2011 Jetta won't connect with its driver on a twisty road like a Volkswagen GTI would, but a pickup owner wouldn't want that. After all, you get what you pay for, and if you pay for sporty dynamics and a high-strung engine, you get a stiff ride and worse fuel economy. 

All Photos Captured By The Good Car Guy's HTC Desire Camera Phone

If we forgive, excuse, or praise all of the Jetta's practical components, we're still left with the fact that Jetta designers went AWOL. Clearly, the lack of design fortitude hasn't been a problem for thousands of new owners who've collectively made the sixth-gen Jetta a sales success. Volume is high, Volkswagen HQ is happy. For those potential buyers who fight past the blase front end, apathetic profile, and classy-but-conventional rear to take the Jetta TDI for a test drive, they'll uncover an awfully appealing car. 

Looking out the living room's bay window at a driveway housing the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI must still be a strangely detached experience. At least that'd be the case prior to ignition, up until the left lane is chosen on a two-lane on-ramp, in advance of four happily comfortable people loading all their stuff in the Jetta's trunk and driving to the opposite side of the continent. 

I'll acknowledge the Jetta's workplace may ideally be the highway, not a massive building site. This won't stop me from thinking of this latest Volkswagen sedan as a hard-working, gun-toting, know-it-all farmhand in a Louis L'Amour western; as a pickup for a new era in which we all track the price of crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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