Well, that was fine (2014 VW GLI)

"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
12/17/2018 at 23:40 • Filed to: None

I swung by a dealer on my way to REI for shotgun style Christmas shopping(buying for numerous people in various parts of the store) . They had a 2014 VW Jetta GLI on the lot. I’ve been trying to find the right car to compliment my 996 lately: carry 4-5 people, a roof rack when needed, and preferably an automatic so my wife can drive it.

Anyways, the positives: the thing seemed really spacious for its dimensions. The seats looked nice and felt good . The engine Had good throttle response . I liked the color and the wheels. It felt really nice for the money, way nicer than my Turbo Beetle which is only two years older.

The transmission was okay. In drive it seemed to want to get into the next gear too quickly. In manual mode there was a little delay before it would actually shift but the shifts themselves were very fast . I hadn’t driven a DSG in a while but some of the quirks with low speed driving that I hear people complain about were more apparent to me than the last time.

The whole thing felt a little too; and please forgive the car review cliche speak; it seemed too grown up or maybe just lacking in character . The soundaktor(or whatever it’s called) was pretty obvious to me. Steering was... I didn’t notice. I’m a little surprised that it felt as different as it did compared to my Beetle. It didn’t feel all that much bigger from the drivers seat but it did feel a little less rambunctious. I don’t know why, but that was just my impression.

I wanted to really like it because on paper the GLI seems like a good bet. But if I want whatever I get to keep me happy long term, then I think it’s going to need to be more entertaining.

DISCUSSION (10)

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
12/18/2018 at 00:15

There are three drive modes: Eco, Drive, and Sport. Each mode holds shifts progressively longer. But I haven’t noticed any low speed issues in traffic, maybe there were a few revisions between generations.

Tristan > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
12/18/2018 at 00:16

Try the GTI. I’m pretty unimpressed with the recent GLIs. My ‘09 is pretty good, but it's still not a GTI.

Forrest > Tristan
12/18/2018 at 01:38

I agree. I just can’t get myself to like the 2011+ Jetta and Passat. They are just so ... Dodge Avenger. For each thing that the Golf does unusually well, these Jettas do a half ass job.

Tristan > Forrest
12/18/2018 at 02:23

Perfectly said.

arl > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
12/18/2018 at 05:49

Apparently there’s a DSG tune from APR that’s supposed to improved the shifting response.

An all new GLI is coming out for 20. I’m kind of interested in it.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/18/2018 at 09:26

I didn’t even look for drive modes so I assume I was in normal. The low speed stuff didn’t really bother me, it’s just a dsg feels different than a traditional torque converter automatic.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Tristan
12/18/2018 at 09:26

I have a feeling I would like the older GLI more; but yeah; I will try tracking down a GTI.

Tristan > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
12/18/2018 at 12:41

The MK7 gets pretty universal praise! I’m a bit of a masochist, though- If it weren’t for the 2 kiddos in car seats, I probably would have tried to find a clean MK4 VR6 GTI. The MK4 is pretty hated, though.

Forrest > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
12/18/2018 at 17:07

The previous (2006-2010) Jetta GLI was a GTI with a trunk, and it’s a good car. It’s the 2011+ Jetta that is on a different platform than the contemporary Golf and is a lot less nice .

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
12/18/2018 at 19:20

I guess it’s because I’m used to really old autos or really new ones, but compared to most modern autos, the DSG feels about the same IN normal mode. A little faster, but pretty smooth and seamless. Honestly in Eco it feels kind of CVTish. In Sport mode is when it feels special.