2006 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan GLI

Pros

Solid; safe; acceleration; good braking; trunk space; sport steering wheel

Cons

Rough ride; tight back seats; wind noise; stereo; premium fuel

This car is the perfect balance of "practical sedan" and "fun sporty car." It fits all my criteria for my most important wants/needs in a vehicle. We all know it's safe (surely you've seen the clever commercials...). It is heavier and feels more solid. The acceleration is smooth with the turbo, but beware of letting your speed get out of hand. Although it has the same engine as the 2.0T, it has a sportier suspension and a black honeycomb grille to give it a sleek and sporty look while differentiating it from any other Jetta trim level. The ride can be stiff with the low profile tires--for those who don't like, try the 2.0T. I like the aluminum trim on the pedals, and the thick sporty steering wheel feels good in your hands. The side bolsters grip you and hold you in place. The overall fit and finish is remarkable--no gaps or uneven seams. Not much to complain about--but the stereo seems weak--should get better reception; there is quite a bit of wind noise when the sunroof is open; back seats have a/c but are still cramped for my tall friends and family; This is a great car for the price and features. It's my first VW, and I was very unsure of it at first soley based on VW's track record. I read several expert and consumer reviews of this trim level, and I went to test drive it--and my outlook completely changed. I guess the experts know what they're talking about! I love it, and after 30,000 miles, I've had no issues!...read morehide

Pros

Comfortable leather sport seats, bright xenon headlights, thick sporty steering wheel, smooth turbo

Cons

Weak stereo, no power seats, center armrest console, premium fuel recommendation

This car is really fun to drive. The turbo engine is very smooth and fast. I highly recommend springing for package 2 to get the comfort of the leather seats. Previously I had an Acura 4 cylinder--gas mileage is not as great with the VW's turbo. I like the sportiness of this car--the black honeycomb grille is more attractive than the chrome of the other Jetta trim levels. The aluminum trim and pedals are cool. The trunk is huge. The stereo has the tendency to adjust volume on its own at times, but controls are easy to use, plus you can adjust from the steering wheel. I have never driven a VW and was a little skeptical due to VW's past reliability history. But I was looking at an Acura TSX when I came across this car. This car gives the Acura a run for its money, and it has the same engine as the Audi A4 but with a smaller price tag. Overall I love my V dub-- just hope that VW has gotten past their reliability issues....read morehide

Pros

Fun ride.... good mix of fun yet comfort

Cons

turbo will suck up all your gas at the track quick, little to much body roll

used to own a 91 Jetta, than a 00 Z-28, and an 02 T-Bird. Bought a Cooper S and loved it. got married but the Coop isn't gonna transport a family. Remembered how much I loved the old jetta.

Test drove the GLI, Audi A4, BMW 335i, went back and bought a black GLI. Great mix of performance and comfort. It's tough to decide between taking the Mini or the Jetta. Could of done without the sunroof and heated mirrors(I live in FL).

Turn in is sharp, 3000rpm holeshots are fun, and handling is respectable. love the saftey features, but i love the turbo the most...read morehide

Pros

solid engine, fuel economy, interior, smooth 6 speed, price tag, wheels spin

Cons

expensive wheels spin, need a tad more HP & lb-ft, front seat driver postion

The 06 GLI is a solid every sedan. Out on the town, family trip, our fun in the sun.. It is a joy to drive, easy to place in and out of traffic you will feel like a race car driver. Also will fit in some of the tightest parking spaces! I recently hit the 22000 mile mark so had some time behind the wheel, so I will offer my good and bad about this car. 1st the good; great balance when cornering you can take loops at speeds of 55mph+ w/o thinking to brake. However, if you need them those brakes will stop you. They save me a few times. fuel econ is good even w/ the 91 or 93 octane. The interior is outstanding for the price of this car its like a budget BMW. The 2.0T engine sounds and runs smooth matches power of a V6. Now for the bad; front seat driver postion took a while to get use to. Ride borders harsh w/ uneven pavement. Exspensive tires don't offer much grip in rain. U while hate those trips to the dealer for any kind of non-warrenty work done$$$. Overall it is an outstanding car which for me beat out the TSX, A3, S40 & C230. The only other car that compairs to the GLI was the mazdaspeed6 as far as performance/styling vs price.. If you are in the market check out the GLI its not perfect, but its as close as you can get brand new for around 26 grand!!...read morehide

Pros

dsg kicks butt, good fuel economy, handling is outstanding

Cons

speeding tickets,hard to find aftermarket parts.

The car is outstanding dailey driver.I get about 27 mpg on a good day. The car is a little slow off the line but once it gets going, it goes!!!!

Pros

Great styling, Really fabulous performance, very comfortable

Cons

Service really stinks!!!

We've always wanted a Jetta, but had to have one when we saw the 2006 GLI. We're very happy with the car overall, except that the satellite radio has not worked right since we bought the car. After 2 trips to the dealer, now it doesn't work at all. Been waiting for 2 months for the part to fix it. Really bad for a brand new car....read morehide

Pros

good fuel economy 26 mpg, great leather seats, luxurious interior, so much fun to drive!!!

Cons

rides a little high, prone to speeding tickets

Do yourself a favor and take the Acura TSX for a test drive and then the GLI for a test drive, you will feel the difference with the GLI, trust me you will not be disappointed. This car is so much fun to drive, it puts a smile on my face every morning when I go to work. This engine is excellent and the car handles like nothing else in its price range. The interior is top notch, the steering wheel is great and the sporty leather seats will cradle you through every turn. This car can easily fit four adults over six-feet tall. If you're looking for 4-door sports car with tons of class in the $25-30k range, this is your vehicle....read morehide

Pros

Very attractive look, sporty, smooth and quiet. Looked foward to driving it everyday. Saves on gas

Cons

Transmission was faulty only 1.5 months old.

The car was a great ride. I fell in love with it right away. The price was affordable and very attractive. However, I fear that it might not be reliable. I have problems with the transmission. Hopefully they can fix it. It still is a down fall because the car was brand spanking new and it left me in a dangerous situation. The transmission went out on me with no warning. It stalled me in the middle of a busy road. Luckily my kids were not in it. But I am still upset. I asked the company to exchange it but they won't. It's sad but true....read morehide

Pros

Unique look, turbo rush, smooth acceleration, great transmission, awesome brakes, HID headlamps

Cons

Unique look, ROUGH ride, seats could be more comfortable, doesn't feel like 200 hp.

First off, I am enjoying this car alot. I traded my 2002 Jetta GLI VR6-24v, who's horsepower and torque was supposedly matched by this 2.0 turbo, and I miss it's smoother ride, better seats, and more direct steering. The old VR6 felt WAY more powerful than this car, but I'm quibbling as a chip reflash will soon take care of that. My 2002 stickered at $24,980 and this car was $28,400, with more safety and luxury features, but we're getting closer to BMW territory at these prices! I've had it for 8 months and 12K miles and haven't had any warranty problems what-so-ever but the driver's seat leather is showing some wear. It's still tight and earger to please and the trade-off for that stiffer ride I complain about is incredible handling for a FWD car. If I had to do it again I'd get the DSG instead of the manual 6-speed....read morehide

Pros

Performance that Rocks, Great build quality all around

Cons

Ride is hard, Gear order on display is backwards.

I purchased this car after reviewing all cars in it's class at the New York Auto show. I used to make fun of my friends that had VW's because they had so many problems with models that were 5-6 years old. Because my brother took a job with VW as a service salesman, he convinced me to check out the new GLI, as VW was making a strong effort to improve their quality. WOW, what good advice this was, as I would never consider myself owning a VW before this!
This car is HOT. It has the performance that rocks, a subtle sportiess that is acceptable for both business relations and friends. My friends think the car is really sporty and my business relations think that the car is for a young up executive. I love the car more than any other cars I have owned in the past which include a Mitsubishi Eclipse and Lincoln Continental. The car feels solidly built and has an interior that is just unmatched in look and build quality in this class. I was going to buy the Mazda Speed 6 or a Nissan Maxima, but on both cars the interior looked all plastic and cheap...especially on the Maxima. Did not buy the speed 6 because my wife can not drive standard. Did not buy the GTI because my wife and others thought the GLI looked more attractive, and I really use the truck often, which is quite large and useable. My car has the Package 2, which includes the power sunroof and is in Salsa Red, which is a really attractive color that no-one buys because they mistakedly believe that the red color will give you more tickets. There are two minor things that I would change in the car. It involves the DSG transmission...which is also smooth and really nice. The problem is when you use the paddle shifters on the wheel. The upshift button is on the right side of the wheel. But, when you upshift, the shift display increments to the left. Also, when you are in the manual mode on the DSG using the shifter, you up shift by pushing up and down shift by pushing down, but I feel that it should be the other way. I want to downshift fast by pulling DOWN. When I hit the paddle to the left for upshift, I expect the upshift display to move to the left. Some people will say this is nit-picky and crazy, but it takes some time to get used to when you are doing performance driving. This car just asks to be driven and there is no noticeable power drop once you hit 100 mph. Accelleration at higher speeds is still there and feels like you are just getting started again. The car also feels like a different car completely when it is in "Sport" mode, putting the DSG in the S position. The car breaks the red line by iteself and mainly keeps the DSG in lower gears for a hot takeoff. My other problem is that the car has speed limiter that bounces off the 130 mpg mark...well maybe that is a good thing!? My local VW dealer is quite helpful, and they offered to reflash the computer to break this limit and provide more boost. Another 30-40 hp and more torque can be obtained with just a re-flash and 93 Octane gas. I also wish the car would run 87 octane gas during normal driving, but 91 is recommended by VW. This does not bother me much because considering the performance of the car, the car get's awsome mileage...read morehide