Think of the Volkswagen Jetta GLI as a Golf GTI with a trunk, and it makes a lot of sense. The standard Jetta's 1.5-liter turbocharged engine sending drive to the front wheels is par for the affordable compact sedan course, as is its starting price of just over $20,000. However, the GLI version cranks the Jetta into Golf GTI territory with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine making 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That's not as much power as the Golf GTI's 241 hp and 273 lb-ft. However, the Jetta GLI comes standard with a long list of premium features and rides on adaptive dampers from the get-go at $31,585 versus the Golf GTI's $30,530 starting price sans much of this equipment. For 2023, Volkswagen is making one fully-loaded package GLI model available, the Autobahn. To see how it stacks up against its hot hatch brother, we spent a week behind the wheel.

Exterior: Just A Little Spice

There's nothing remarkable about the Jetta's exterior design, which is a common trait for Volkswagen these days. Without the extra spice of the GLI's black honeycomb bumpers, red accents, and five dual-spoke wheels, it's invisible in traffic. The GLI has a fresh facelift, but it's not over the top for a sporty trim. It sits on sensibly sporty 18-inch wheels with all-season tires and runs LED lights all-round. There's nothing to fault objectively but to us, but the front bumper does look like an edgy afterthought. The biggest tells that this is no ordinary Jetta are the red-accented intakes up front and the twin exhaust finishers at the rear. Otherwise, this is about as close as you'll get to a factory sleeper.

Interior: The Best Bit

Inside the Jetta GLI, it has some style, it's comfortable, and it's fully loaded. That means leather upholstery, heated and ventilated power front seats, a power tilt and slide panoramic sunroof, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a digital gauge cluster, and a Beats audio system. Technology includes an eight-inch touchscreen that's easy to interact with (thanks to physical knobs, Volkswagen) and wireless charging for portable devices. Driver assistance tech includes blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning with autonomous braking, and adaptive cruise control. It would have been a terrible oversight not to include adaptive cruise control on an Autobahn edition.

There's everything included to make the Jetta GLI a great everyday car, but we were particularly impressed with the Beats audio system. When it comes to headphones, Beats is overpriced. In the GLI, the system is everything Bose claims to be but isn't. The bass is tight and full, the mids are clear, and the treble sparkles without grating after a while. It's a really nicely tuned music system and a nice variation in the Fender systems we're heard in other VW models over the years.

Drivetrain: Well Measured

We would love to see the full Golf GTI tune on the Jetta GLI's turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, but the 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque is plenty for some backroad shenanigans to rival the Honda Civic Si. The choice in the drivetrain comes from a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG transmission, and both options are solid. The DSG is crisp through its changes and fun to use the paddles with, while the manual has a longer throw than most will want. Still, it's slick and super-easy hustle through changes; it's one of the most effortless manuals we've come across in a while to drive in traffic and have some fun with when opening the taps on the engine.

On The Road: Composed Yet Fun

The key to a front-wheel-drive sports-trimmed car is fun. Fast is good, but fun is the critical ingredient, and the Jetta GLI delivers. It's not the raucous fun of the GTI or the frantic fun of the Civic Si, but more laid-back fun. The body is rigid, and the chassis is composed, leaving the suspension free to deal with the road. The GLI sits half an inch lower on its gas-filled shocks than the regular model, and it shows. Changes in direction are quick and undramatic, and having a limited-slip differential in the mix leads to a surprising amount of joy when corner carving. In Sport mode, the suspension tightens up along with the throttle mapping, but there's no loss in comfort that would stop you from using Sport mode on daily commutes.

As the Autobahn trim name suggests, the GLI is a consummate cruiser on freeways and has plenty of power for overtaking. It delivers ride comfort from the suspension you would expect on a larger car. The Jetta GLI isn't the most exciting car in its class, but it has a good case to put forward as the most well-rounded - particularly when you factor in the cost.

Conclusion: Well Rounded But Not Boring

If you want outright excitement, the Golf GTI is the answer. However, if you want to spend a little less, have all the equipment and features, and like to cruise or hit long and windy roads, the Jetta GLI could be the better option. It's a mature small sports sedan, but it's not tiny.

A couple of adults will be okay in the back, kids will be perfectly happy, and the trunk has a healthy 14 cubic feet of storage space. As a cruiser, it's a top-class ride for the money; around town, it's an easy and pleasant ride, and as a sport sedan, it's got great balance. If you're looking for a smaller sports sedan, it's worth cross-shopping with the Civic Si to see if you want to take some sophistication over performance.