- the 2022 volkswagen jetta and jetta gli receive a freshened exterior and interior design.
- the base jetta upgrades with the 158-hp 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine from the taos, while the jetta gli's 228-hp turbocharged four is unchanged.
- volkswagen announced a new sport trim positioned above the base s trim with an xds differential, 17-inch wheels, and a black package.
volkswagen's jetta may not be the star of the vw lineup or get the kind of attention paid to the golf gti, but it's good to know it and its sportier jetta gli sibling are there. in its latest generation, the gli has really come into its own, transitioning to the vw mqb platform and getting a standard limited-slip differential, which made it shine enough to make our 10best list alongside the golf gti and earn an editors' choice award. now both regular and gli versions of the jetta are getting an update that should make them even more appealing.
principal among the changes: the 2022 jetta will share an updated turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four engine with vw's taos. the new engine produces 158 horsepower, an increase of 11 horsepower from the jetta's current 1.4-liter four. it's paired with a six-speed manual (#savethemanuals) or eight-speed automatic transmission. there's also a new sport trim that slots above the base s trim and includes an xds differential, 17-inch wheels, and a black package.
the 2022 gli's turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine is unchanged. thankfully you can still get it with a six-speed manual transmission as well as a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. to simplify the gli lineup, there's only one trim level—the fully loaded autobahn—and one option choice, a black package.
the exterior and interior design of the jetta and jetta gli score a few tasteful changes. you'll notice a new grille, updated front and rear bumpers, and volkswagen's revised logo which give the jetta a more polished look. the gli shows off a modified rear diffuser with a honeycomb pattern which houses the dual exhaust tips. the new styling is complemented by some new wheel options. there will also be three new metallic colors available: rising blue, oryx white, and kings red.
moving to the inside of the jetta, there are updated seats (the gli retains the same seats but with new red trim and perforated leather), different upholstery choices, and a newly standard digital gauge cluster. there's also a two-tone volcano brown and black leather color scheme. both models also receive volkswagen's updated steering wheel as well as a new shifter design. the steering wheel on the gli has touch controls and the gli badge. the available driver-assistance features have also been tweaked, with automated emergency braking, rear traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring all now standard and an upgraded iq.drive package with additional driver-assist systems optional on all trim levels.
the 2022 volkswagen jetta will arrive by the end of the year. pricing has not yet been released, but we expect the new model to be on par with the 2021 model, which starts just under $20,000 for the base jetta and at $27,340 for the gli. we're eager to get our hands on the latest jetta and jetta gli as soon as possible to see if the updates have refined the stalwart sedan.