Not Sitting Down: 2022 Volkswagen Jetta, Jetta GLI Get Refreshed

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

There’s new hotness in the compact-car segment, especially among the sportier models.

Since Volkswagen has two compact models — the mainstream Jetta and the spiced-up Jetta GLI — it probably can’t sit idly by in a year in which Subaru drops a new WRX, the Honda Civic is all-new (with sporty versions coming soon), and Hyundai has taken the wraps off the Elantra N sport sedan. An Acura Integra is also on the way, and it might be priced in the same range.

That makes it time for a refresh.

This isn’t to say VW scrambled to reach market — this refresh was likely in the making for quite some time, given how long product lead times are — but rather, that the brand has timed this well.

The biggest change is that the non-GLI Jetta gets the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Taos compact crossover. It makes 158 horsepower and 184 lb-ft. of torque and has an 11.5:1 compression ratio. It will pair with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.

Meanwhile, the GLI will remain available with a 2.0-liter turbo-four that makes 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. of torque. Transmission choices remain a standard six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic.

Trim lines are streamlined, with the Jetta dropping from five to four trims (S, Sport, SE, and SEL) and the GLI moving from two trims to just one that VW says is fully loaded, with black appearance package available. New for this year will be a Sport trim for the Jetta. It will offer an electronically-locking differential, 17-inch wheels, blacked-out grille, blacked-out trim pieces, black headliner, and cloth sport seats. It replaces the R-Line trim and is one step up from base S.

Both cars get new bumpers, new wheels, and new color choices. They also get new grilles with chrome bars on each side of the VW logo, and the GLI maintains the red strip between the bars. The GLI also gets a honeycomb detail for the lower front fascia. LED lighting is standard, and the upper trim Jettas and the GLI will get projector-beam headlights.

GLIs also get a black honeycomb rear diffuser and a wider dual exhaust. Jettas will be sold in seven colors and GLIs in five. Wheels will be offered in 16-, 17-, and 18-inch sizes.

An 8-inch digital instrument cluster screen is now standard on Jetta, with a 10-inch screen being standard on GLI. Wireless charging and wireless smartphone mirroring will be available.

VW’s IQ.DRIVE suite of driver-aid tech will be available across the board. It includes forward-collision warning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, blind-spot monitor, rear-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control.

The refreshed 2022 Jetta and Jetta GLI go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year.

[Images: Volkswagen]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Dougjp Dougjp on Aug 24, 2021

    Re: the GLI, Canadian market (where only fully loaded versions had been offered before), I thought "refreshed" meant something. A front or rear scoop design or material "texture" change here and there is meaningless.

  • Monkeydelmagico Monkeydelmagico on Aug 25, 2021

    A lot of talk about the GLI but people are missing a hidden gem. The sport with the 1.5t, manual, and lsd should be a budget bomber. I am intrigued.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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