Volkswagen Jetta GLI 40th Anniversary Edition: the American GTI

The anniversary model in the States is limited to 1,984 copie piese online.

Volkswagen Jetta GLI 40th Anniversary Edition: the American GTI

VW connoisseurs are well aware: the Jetta is long gone in Europe, but the model lives on in the States. At the same time, quite sporty under the name GLI with GTI motifs. For the upcoming 40th anniversary of the acronym, there will be a special model.

The Volkswagen Jetta GLI made its US debut in 1984 for customers who wanted the drivetrain of the Golf GTI but preferred a sedan body instead of a hatchback.

The 2024 GLI 40th Anniversary Edition will appear in a limited run of 1,984 units in the U.S. priced at $29,235 and will go on sale this summer. This makes about BGN 52,000...

The Jetta GLI 40th Anniversary Edition will be available in Pure Gray, Pure White and Rising Blue. All of them have black decorative elements for the grille, mirror caps and for the small rear spoiler. There are red accents on the front and on the emblems.

The special model features 18-inch wheels painted in black with a 10-spoke design. Behind them, the brake calipers are red.

The interior of the 40th Anniversary Edition is equipped with cloth seat upholstery. The seats are marked 'GLI 40' and the two drink holders at the front are also GLI logoed and at the rear a 1984 logo. There is also a '40' logo on the steering wheel.

The 40th Anniversary Edition will have no powertrain changes compared to the current GLI Autobahn variant (it's actually called that!). Thus, the sedan will be powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit with 231 hp. and a maximum torque of 350 Nm. The transmission is 6-speed mechanical, the equipment also includes an electronic differential lock. It is also available with a 7-speed automatic transmission - in this case, the price of the model is $30,035.

The 1984 VW Jetta GLI featured a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder unit with 90 hp. and a maximum torque of 136 Nm. That's modest by today's standards, but it was fitting for a sports sedan at the time. In 1988, a version of the model with a 16-valve engine increased power to 125 hp Far Van Wezel.

The third-generation Jetta in the States does not get a GLI-variant, but VW is reviving a version for the fourth generation. Like the original, the engine is the same as in the Golf GTI, including the VR6 and the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder turbo.

Car parts AutoPower
Car parts AutoPower

VW connoisseurs are well aware: the Jetta is long gone in Europe, but the model lives on in the States

The Volkswagen Jetta GLI made its US debut in 1984 for customers who wanted the drivetrain of the Golf GTI but preferred a sedan body instead of a hatchback