Volkswagen is primed and ready to showoff the new generation Jetta GLI at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show later this week, but before the sportiest of al;\l Jettas makes its mark, the German car giant has chosen to release a small teaser of what buyers can expect when the new and improved GLI eventually makes its way to dealerships later this year.
Unlike the typical teaser campaign that usually begins with a lone teaser image usually from odd or even unorthodox angles, Volkswagen has chosen to release a small GIF image of the GLI going in and out of focus on its Twitter feed which can be seen below.
Body of a sedan, ❤️ of a GTI #CAS19 #ChicagoAutoShow https://t.co/8b49sxb084 pic.twitter.com/EYaAOnnwjJ
— Volkswagen USA (@VW) February 5, 2019
The GIF itself does not reveal too much (and makes our eyes hurt after a bit,) but look for the exterior styling of the 2020 Jetta GLI to mimic what we have seen on past GLI offerings with more of an understated look that still exudes performance thanks to a honeycomb style front grille, the faintest peek at a lightly tweaked front bumper, as well as the trademark red accent stripe. The caption itself reads “Body of a sedan <3 of a GTI” which could indicate that the brand is finally serious about making the GLI more of an equal to the GTI in some regards. This has always not been the case with some past iterations of GLI, which certainly delivered a good exhaust note, and decent engine performance, but lacked some of the raw handling chops that have made the GTI the proverbial darling of many auto enthusiasts.
A key change is the removal of the standard torsion beam rear suspension system, which is replaced with a multi link rear suspension that is very similar to what is seen on the Golf. The engine too will most likely be the same 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder that sees duty in the GTI, with an expected 220 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. This may sound like the same recipe that has defined past GLIs, but we hope that some of the revisions to the suspension will help the GLI match its hatchback counterpart when it comes to tackling twisty roads, and the extra ponies are always a welcome thing indeed.
Nothing is formally official until the car formally debuts, but with these early signs, as well as this encouraging GIF teaser, it appears that a properly fun sedan is indeed on the way, and we look forward to seeing the Jetta GLI in all of its glory on the show floor in the Windy City later this week.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.