Volkswagen GLI (2006)
March 23, 2006 - With VW holdin’ it down on the German-engineering tip with its new Mk5 GTI, it’s easy to forget that a sporty turbocharged VW has been on sale in the US for a few months now. Actually, “forget” may not be the correct word, as most people don’t even know that a 2.0-liter turbocharged sporty VW not named “GTI” has been on sale in the U.S. for a few months now. While the un-pimped GTI is getting a huge media blast and a whole lot of love from the automotive press, its older and larger GLI sibling has sadly been forgotten and left by the wayside. Well, we’re here to change that!
No, we didn’t just commit the atrocious act of leaving a typo on an internet page, we really did intend to type the letters “GLI”. What the GTI is to the Golf, the GLI is to the Jetta. In other words, the GLI is a GTI in a Jetta package.
Many of the GTI’s commercials like to focus on the fact that the hatch is fast and fun to drive, right? So if the GLI is a sedan-bodied GTI, it means the GLI is also a fun and fast car, right? The answer, of course, is a resounding “yes”. As with many new sporty VW/Audi vehicles, the GLI comes powered by the new 2.0-liter, 200 horsepower turbocharged engine. While we could be politically correct and rave about its relatively low emissions and 31mpg/highway fuel rating, we’d rather talk about the torque, because this 2.0 liter engine has lots of it. The GLI boasts 207 lb.-ft. of twisting force even when the engine is spinning at just 1,800 rpm. Even more impressive than that torque figure is the engine’s flat torque curve: this 207 lb.-ft. of torque is present from that magically low number of 1,800 rpm all the way up to 4,700 rpm.