A special edition of a special (as in “uncommon”) type of car

By Gary S. Vasilash

Sets are collections of objects, or elements. And the Jetta GLI is an interesting study in that it belongs to the set of automobiles, then that of sedans, then that of performance sedans, then that of performance sedans with a manual transmission.

While set theory in mathematics is essentially neutral (I mean, people aren’t going to get worked up about things like prime numbers), the Jetta GLI set is a rather interesting one.

That is, take sedans and the Motor City Three (MC3).

Over at Stellantis, there was the Dodge Challenger, which went out of production at the end of last year.

At Ford, there’s nothing.

General Motors, there are a few offerings. Chevy still has the Malibu, but that ends at the end of this year. Cadillac is where you’ll find sedans, with the most economical being the CT4, which has a starting MSRP of $35,990, which is certainly a good price for a Cadillac. What is somewhat unusual is that while there seems to be this notion that no one wants sedans anymore, the ultra-uber halo Cadillac Celestiq, which went into production earlier this year and which has a starting price of some $340,000, is a sedan. (Maybe the rationale is that because so few will be hand-built and sold, this almost provides credibility to the claim about people not wanting sedans: the number of Celestiqs will be comparatively infinitesimal).

Then there’s the issue of the Jetta GLI being a performance vehicle.

That is, there is the regular Jetta, which comes in four trims—S, Sport, SE, and SEL—all of which are powered by a 1.5-liter, turbocharged four that provides 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque.

Then there is the GLI—which in model year 2024 is celebrating its 40^th anniversary, which explains the trim on the model driven here calling out that achievement—that has a 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four that generates 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Given that the curb weight is 3,358 pounds, there is plenty of pep to drive the front wheels of the car. So while this may not be “performance” in the context of a Charger with a HEMI, it is still one in the context of a competitive set, all of which includes Asian brands, from Honda to Hyundai to Subaru to Toyota (all of which also provide vanilla versions of their Jetta-competitors, too).

Then there is the manual transmission. It is standard for the GLI. There is an optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

It is not like the set of vehicles available with manual transmissions is tiny. Car and Driver, which has a campaign to “Save the Manuals,” which brings Quixote to mind, puts the number of car models with manuals available right now at 27—including the Jetta.

However, it seems as though the percentage of vehicles sold in the U.S. equipped with manuals is under 2%, so here we find a rather small subset.

Sedan→performance→manual→yikes!

The Jetta GLI is clearly—based on everything from the painted black alloys to the black-and-red color scheme on the interior—a car that is meant to show that it is built for go.

Which might make some people a bit reticent to even consider it: After all, even if you drive hard on the weekends, you probably have to drive somewhat more sedately during your daily drive for the other five days.

The GLI has all of the amenities that one can expect from a contemporary car, whether it is a solid audio system, infotainment setup, various safety sensors (for things like cross-traffic alert, blind-spot, etc.), or nicely bolstered front bucket seats.

But one of the things that is important—though probably not something that someone would admit to being important, were that person inclined toward something of a performance nature—is that it has a 14.1-cubic foot trunk. Yes, a good size to carry one’s gear and groceries.

And with a starting MSRP of $28,085, stuff is more attainable (i.e., the monthly payments won’t be crippling).

This is not a car for everyone.

But looking at those sets, clearly the people at Wolfsburg know that.

(And while of the subject of sets, here’s a bonus that might be good for bar trivia: the modern father of set theory is Georg Cantor, a German.)