Volkswagen is going to seize the production of Passat after offering a Limited Edition model owing to low sales, but the Jetta will soldier on thanks to its increasing fame in the USA. The compact sedan actually went up by five per cent in year-to-date sales. It is the third best-selling vehicle in the VW US range. Besides, it is in the first position in name awareness and second in brand loyalty.
Seeing the rising sales, Volkswagen decided to give the Honda Civics’ rival a regular update. The first visible change in the 2022 VW Jetta is restyled front and back bumpers. Further smartening comes from metallic paints including Rising Blue, Oryx White, Kings Red as well as remodelled grilles for both the regular and GLI models. The automaker has also introduced fresh alloy wheel designs, available from 16 to 18 inches – black choices accessible.
On the inside, we find a standard eight-inch digital instrument cluster while the GLI gets it in 10 inches. The base model sports cloth seats with a rhomb motif, whereas the higher trims offer leatherette or leather upholstery. The Volcano Brown leather as well as a two-tone black choice is new for the sedan. The range-topping GLI receives perforated leather seats and various red accents all over the compartment.
The changes under the hood are more profound where the standard Jetta model replaced the old 1.4-lire with a little more powerful 1.5-litre, also pumping energy in Taos. Mating to a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic, the turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been used in Europe for the last three years. For the 2022 VW Jetta, it comes with the extra energy of 11 hp to a Taos-identical 158 hp and 184 pound-feet (250 Newton-meters).
The more powerful GLI offers the same 2.0-litre turbo generating 228 hp and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm). Manual transmission is still available as well as a seven-speed DSG at an extra price. You can also enjoy the seventh-gen Golf R brakes in addition to a multi-link rear suspension if you do not want to use the regular Jetta’s torsion beam rear.
Those looking for a sporty version without going for the GLI should be happy to know that the 2022 Jetta has received a new Sport trim level in place of the previous R-Line. The salient features of this model include 17-inch wheels, an electronic differential lock, a stiffer suspension configuration, black design accents, and a black headliner. It sits between the base S and the SE, SEL, and top-of-the-line GLI.
The 2022 VW Jetta and the flagship GLI will go on sale before the end of this year.
Source and Images: Motor1