MotorWeek | Retro Review: '91 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 16V

[@augmenseke6131]

Just bought one. Just an hour ago. It’s a solid survivor. Still fun.

[@amigi5001]

Want to sell?

[@michaelmeliambro5117]

Wow. I mean, there's making a mistake, and then there's......what you're doing.

[@bzilla1090]

Had the 2.0 CLI 16V in the 90's which made 150hp, had the car for 12 years, by the time I sold it i had replaced the engine with a 2.8l turbo VR6 engine, was a hell of a toy to mess around with.

[@bradfromthevalley]

one of may favorite VW's, the grill, the BBS wheels, angular styling, No newer Jetta has ever looked this good to me.

[@michaelcambridge1542]

Agreed!!!

[@wernerbloemwagen6878]

My parents gave me a JETTA 1 for University. Then when I started working, I bought a JETTA III 1.8 brand new and put 400 000km on it! Awesome A/C! ánd very reliable.

[@JacobFrey]

Such a classic looking, compact sporty sedan! Great upload, thanks MW!

[@Motorweek]

PeePee2000 :)

[@JacobFrey]

PeePee2000 Hmm, it took me several days to figure out what you meant by that. If you are referring to "The Fast and the Furious" - that car was a Mk3, the next generation of Jetta after the one in this video. Nice try junior. heheh

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

@PeePee-xw7jj I love VW Jetta 1985-1988 and 1992.Great small sedan, comfortable and durable

[@astolatpere11]

I daily drive a Tornado Red '91 GLI, bone stock, like this. Only wish mine looked this new! Really fun drive.

[@djkenny1202]

+Nick H I have a red 16v GTI. A 92 model. LOVE it.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Still driving ? I’m about to head to my shop to tinker, in my 91 tornado red diesel coupe ... slow as all hell but still a Jetta .... I remember when the brothas on Main Street thought they were the dope ride in the late 80s,good times

[@davidparker9676]

@@MrTheHillfolk Keep that Jetta as long as you can, the market is going up on them. The Diesel models are getting harder to find.

[@lblerg]

Good God, how do you keep it running? I could write a book on how many times it broke down for whatever random reason. The best way I put it, "I really liked the car, It HATED me". lol I did like the recaro seats tho, had to ditch the rims as they were made from Swiss cheese. Got some replica of BBS ones that were much better quality.

[@tdipwr5020]

This was when VOLKSWAGEN built VOLKSWAGEN's cause it was the best looking JETTA ever!

[@originalswolfsburg9889]

TDIPWR have u seen the 2019 jetta. Such a disappointment

[@rawshanmohamed3063]

FORD VAN

[@rawshanmohamed3063]

This was when VOLKSWAGEN built VOLKSWAGEN,s cause it was the best looking JETTA ever!

[@rawshanmohamed3063]

TDIPWR have u seen the 2019 jetta. Such disappoment

[@davidparker9676]

It remains the best selling Jetta of all time. I love my MK2s, I will keep mine going as long as possible.

[@maxtroy8511]

I had this in university. Sprayed it metallic green and tinted the windows. 0-60mph in 9 seconds felt like a rocket back then.

[@RoadCone411]

I always liked these cars, simple traditional VW looks with a hint of understated performance. The interior looks great, I can almost feel the cloth on the seats and door panels. To think, this car came out at the lowest point of VW USA sales (Diesel-gate excepted) and it would be several more years before the MkIII Golf/Jetta debuted.

[@n.storto]

I have one myself, GTX 16v here in Canada. 1990 model, last year of the small bumper. All original. Very rare to come across another one. Plan on keeping it for a long time. Thank you for the great upload MW!

[@Hintonbro.]

Nicolas Storto Ever hear why VW didn’t call them GLIs back then like they do now?

[@superfast30]

@@Hintonbro. They were called GLI in the US. GTX in Canada!

[@ListRankSell]

I had a red Wolfsburg edition that I loved to death. My wife is laughing listening to the announcer, because I would drive that thing like a kid in a go-kart. I picked her up in Milwaukee for our first date 15 years ago and drove through town doing 85 in a 35. I thought I would impress her, but just ended up scaring her to death. She eloped with me two months later anyway.

[@davee6406]

I had one of these all through college in the late 90s/early 00s. Great little car. I put many road trips on it.

[@mistertee5000]

My mom had one of these and it was a beauty. Loved that car so much.

[@danstewart3894]

To this day my 86 GLI Wolfsburg edition is my favorite car. I put 230.000 miles on it. The only issue I had was a the VW recall for the heater core. It was the same red, leather seats and hand crank sunroof.

[@alexlevy322]

Loving these retro reviews. I owned one of these back in 1991. Great handling at high speed.

[@fernandorocha901]

I love VW Jetta, Beautiful and great car

[@aangxazor5759]

My grandfather had one for 30 years it was a part of our family and today someone crashed on it and it was so sad to see a car so loved by our family being taken away for scraps

[@egSmith-sp9gl]

Had a 92 Jetta ( not GLI ) with a 2.0l 16v from a passat, It was the best car I ever had. Recarro seat and neuspeed suspension. Best handling car ever !!!!

[@wastelandking]

Such a handsome little car. I like the second gen Jettas a lot.

[@superfast30]

These things were rare to see even back then!

[@jasonmages4323]

Absolutely love the nostalgia of these cars

[@EDHBlvd]

I lusted after one of these in high school. Memories.

[@roninglx]

Like wise, this was my first veedub though mine was a '90 jetta GL(standard trim), but boy was it a fun car and it had it bad moments also.

[@gxdjoeybaby07]

thanks for uploading, this is my favorite generation of Jetta's =)

[@HamsterWheelGaming]

And today all 90's Jettas are slammed to the ground and reek of vape juice.

[@DickiMonster]

Hamsterwheel mine still work

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

🤣

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

My poor MK4s!

[@SomethingFunny454]

Right as he says the trunk has a low lift over, the guy smacks a briefcase off the bumper. That's too funny not to be intentional.

[@davidparker9676]

He hit the body with the briefcase too. These guys thrash the cars because they know they will be destroyed after the press reviews them. It is sad how wasteful the industry is.

[@BorisBidjanSaberi11]

This makes me smile being that when I get my license, this is my car

[@xTouragx]

Easily the last of the great VW's....Mk2's were the bomb..had an '88 myself...still miss that car.

[@djkenny1202]

+xTouragx Love my 92 GTI, and I agree.

[@nikolatasic3305]

I had a Mk2 87' and i just sold her a month ago,amazing car

[@iroquoispliskin6077]

I had this exact car and while it was super nice there were other great VWs afterwards, most TDIs, R32s, Touareg, W12 Phaeton, Mk6 & Mk7 Golf were both great but it looks like new Mk8 Golfs will be the ugliest ever.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I have my dad's red 91 diesel coupe I got in 2003(he bought it new) Reason I didn't butcher it is because I wasn't really interested, I liked mk1s more at the time. Glad I didn't molest it and have all the old parts for anything I've bolted on.

[@fhockaday22]

this was my dream car in high school

[@boostaddict_]

Oh hey, me too. And I'm still in high school. Hopefully picking a mint condition 1990 base model up soon so I can put a TDI in it.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

A buddy in tech school had an 87...fun car!! Nowadays I got my dad’s 91 Jetta diesel coupe, which is way slower but it’s still fun to ride around in.

[@Butttgas]

I got the GL. Really wish I had the gli

[@michaelmeliambro5117]

WOW............talk about setting the bar low.

[@michaelmeliambro5117]

@Joe Biden R U Kidding??? They reeked of cheap-a**, manufactured German sh*t from right out of the factory.

[@tscooter22]

I used to love the looks of this car (same color) and it's little brother, the Scirocco. I came close to buying an ~87 Scirocco but my old gear head talked me out of it for another Mustang GT. In 1995 I bought the VR6 Jetta and I loved that car! I didn't own it but for a couple of years when my wife (recently married) made me get rid of a few cars so we'd have just 3 to fit in our garage. I loved that VR6 engine, but I hated cleaning those BBS wheels. I loved the looks of them, but they were a pain in the butt to keep clean.

[@iroquoispliskin6077]

This was my first car and it was so much fun! Selling it was the worst mistake of my life. Really well thought out design and with just a little extra refinement it would be absolutely perfect.

[@fernandorocha8459]

I love VW Jetta GLI, great car

[@bigwillielumplump4812]

I had a early 1990 gli with the small bumpers and I sold it a couple years ago with 102k. Big mistake. The mk2 16valves are so much more enjoyable to drive then the modern cars.

[@iroquoispliskin6077]

Big Willie Lump Lump Yeah selling my 91 was the biggest mistake of my life.

[@steveespinola7652]

2:58 I love that old Pepsi can that he put in the cup holder. LoL 😁

[@82coxy]

I like the look of a MK2 Golfs with the Jetta front grill and headlights, you see it done quite alot here in the UK.

[@daver53]

From a GTX to a 914, having owned 36 cars during my lifetime, nothing matched the all around goodness of this car.

[@Destitute77]

I had a golf 16v GTI, it shared a lot of the architecture with the Audi 2.2 litre 4 cylinder and you could use a lot of the components inc throttle bodies etc. With the flowed magnex competition manifold and full exhaust system, flowed heads, bigger valves, more breathing and fuel, plus a builder that knew his stuff you could have a mk2 that would embarrass the VR6 golfs and corrados. In fact, I also had the then new (stock) Octavia VRS and my old mk2 was so much quicker. I rate the platform as up there with the Miata for driving the twisty rural roads of Somerset and wiltshire. Peace

[@AudiSportFan1970]

That 2.0 16V was so special..

[@Magnero]

I had one of these, the guy that owned it before me put a bigger engine in it with a hot cam. That this was such a sleeper. Lots of fun lol

[@AlanG58]

I just picked up a solid all stock 92 Jetta GL, it's no GLI but I'm very happy to have it!

[@milojasper2641]

I have a 1989 GLI 16v myself - the Wolfsburg Edition (dubbed the Helios). Great little car. Gonna be a sad day when I have to sell.

[@iroquoispliskin6077]

milojasper Don’t sell it you’ll regret it and for what a few dollars? If you do sell it HMU first.

[@Kircho21]

My dad has had a white jetta mk2 1,8 since I was born 20 years now and sadly it looks like he is giving up on it. The last 7 years he used it as work car and never gives it to me. I will really miss that car and really want to drive it

[@Continental719]

MK1 - MK4's are the best generation of the Volkswagens

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

Agreed!

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

It would have bee more successful if more GenXers could have afforded it! Alas, Volkswagen U.S. sales in 1991 dropped below 100,000 for the first time since Eisenhower was President.

[@del7i540]

I owned the exact one shown in this video review. Only problem is the car was a bit temperamental (left me stranded twice) and was a constant target for thieves - stealing it twice from in front of my house (I installed lojac the second time) and always had to watch for someone f*cking with the door locks while at the Mall or movie theater. My Recaros were more colorful and I ended up installing an Alpine head unit to replace the factory stereo that was damaged when first stolen.

[@22fret]

Funny how they call the Jetta a "performance car". Over here in Germany it was a grannies ride, only elderly people or mustachioed bourgeois drove it, preferably equipped with one of the small petrol engines (1.3 or 1.6) or a naturally aspirated 1.6 Diesel. And no flashy colours, please. Most of them were white, silver or grey. Jetta drivers were laughed at from time to time. Those being interested in a "performance car" chose the Mk. II Golf (GT, GTI or GTI 16V), Ford Escort XR3i or the Opel Kadett GSI or GSI 16V, in some markets called Vauxhall Astra. I don't know if the latter was sold in the US. (EDIT: Yep, it was called Pontiac Le Mans...) We've always preferred hot hatches over sedans. When I was young, I had a 1984 Jetta, too. It was dirt cheap and I bought it - you might have guessed it - from an old lady in her 70s. It was a white 2-door 1.6 (75HP) with low mileage and very well maintained. But nobody wanted these back in the mid 90s so they were a real bargain. And the enormous boot permitted me to place a huge subwoofer and 2 massive amps in it and still have loads of luggage space left. I ended up driving it for more than 4 years, doing around 90.000kms with it because it turned out to be quite a good and reliable car...

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

GLI is sporty but otherwise yes, the regular Jettas were slow. I owned a MK4 GLS with 2.slow (Bora) and MK6 with a 5 cyl. Enjoyed them so much I just ordered an MK7 GLI.

[@RAA12586]

Had a 92 like this with everything this has, was Alpine though, I miss it and can see myself buying another one.

[@nydrell1969]

Had a black 91,by far the best ever

[@jbm0866]

0-60 mph in 9.1 seconds was considered "brisk"...we've become really spoiled for performance the past 15 years or so. Of course the 120 ft 60-0 stopping time would be great even today, but that's only because all cars have gotten heavier over the years, and bigger brakes for shorter stopping just adds even more weight.

[@iroquoispliskin6077]

jbm0866 Thus car certainly felt faster than the data would show, it was certainly more fun than alot of the faster newer stuff.

[@Neuwerks]

The 90 GLI (which I had one in Calypso Green), also had the 2.0L 16v, but exterior was more classic with the small bumpers. Was a great car, looked lower market and lighter with the small bumpers with neat black insets in the trim, what would be called Black Optics in modern Audi cars.

[@masonjones3780]

Always loved this car

[@ducaticanine]

nice! i owned an 88 gli 16v. red. just like this one. she was my baby !

[@j.m.5995]

Almost bought a used one in a VW dealer lot 15 years ago

[@hnkfsh81]

Zero to sixty in 9.1 seconds. Brisk! Times have changed.

[@tscooter22]

Back when I first started reading car magazines with my father in the late 70s anything near or under 10 seconds was considered quick. Yes, times have certainly changed!

[@TheRannMann]

Had a 87 ...was a very fun car to drive. Would hang with most v8 Camaros back in the day

[@ryancmiller7140]

This car is life!!

[@Hazybrews]

I miss my 91' golf, good times...

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

I wish I'd HAD a '91 Golf! But in 1991, I had a '72 Beetle, so that was fine y me. :-)

[@jorgemercado4223]

Cool car got the exact car myself just bought it after 24 year that I had the same car and it was stolen so got it back so hopefully now I can enjoy it

[@emeyer6963]

Yikes!Forgot how pricey these were back then

[@djkenny1202]

Do you have any reviews of the early 85-92 Golf?

[@geraldsmith8152]

These cars are a lot of fun I just brought a jetta sport with the 1.8 tsi before I got it I thought it was the gli so I ran to it but it wasn't at the same time when I test drove I was already sold

[@johnyialesakis4516]

My first car !! I loved it

[@Fizzyfaz482]

my dad had one that had a standard jetta but it had a 16v engine in it and it had standard features like standard wheels and stuff

[@freerider604]

I had that car in black - I miss it

[@biglyon541]

what sucks is one's that have been cared for are getting so much harder to find but mk2's are probably my favorite generation of all v-dubs

[@herrgolf]

In my personal heaven, the Mk2 GLI would've been built with a Honda B-series engine and LSD cable transmission. 9.1 seconds is surprisingly slow for a 2 liter 16-valve VW; it's about what they got with the EF Civic Si. Not that I'm truly comparing the two--I like them both for different reasons. I wish motorweek could've tested skip pad and would've given slalom speeds.

[@djkenny1202]

+herrgolf ONce these are broken in, under 8.5 seconds is feasible. Mine is a 92 GTI 16v. 7.8 seconds was the recorded time.

[@patrickmichaellangan576]

“Get your Fahrvergnugen on” is what I always say about ANY Volkswagen.

[@AnthonyJSollitto]

Great review, any luck finding the second generation BMW 5 series of the eighties?

[@chuckycheese84]

Torsion beam suspensions were "independent" in the 90s?

[@cpaaretrofit]

He said four-wHeeled fun, reminds me of Stewie🤣🤣😂

[@joebrito2066]

Miss my GLI just like this one

[@tscooter22]

My '95 Jetta had annoying rattling or speaking noises but it turned out to be the rather gooey door rubber weather trim squeaking. A bit of Vaseline on the seals and the noise magically stopped.

[@Peppermint1]

No Vaseline on rubber seals - it contains petroleum which kills the rubber

[@nydrell1969]

Had a black 91 gl.....hands down thee best mk's ever....and i had 4 more jettas after that

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

MK4 gang here

[@josemontano9210]

What a nice car...

[@rawshanmohamed3063]

JETTA ever!

[@kingbee1971]

I loved the look but really hated owning this car. It ate tires and was scary on wet roads.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Compared to my rabbit , the Jettas would swap the ass end around pretty easily

[@nelsonwong1730]

back in college, friend of mine bought a 318i 4 dr over this, paid about $20k. the vw dealer did not budge on price as it was a hot item whereas the 318i 4 dr with a stick was considered a loss leader

[@1vw4me]

And the 318i shit all over it. Interior light years ahead, better handling, more solid, everything better. Jetta of this era was flimsy next to a solid BMW 318/325i of the same era.

[@djkenny1202]

We had am 89 Jetta GL It was very solid. Handled well. Not a rattle to be found. 120k miles on it when we sold it in 2006 for $1550, still running great.

[@michaelcambridge1542]

I had one as a student at Suny Stony Brook(1993)..the girls was on me.

[@jacobjames1171]

The best VW ever made.

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

I think the MK4 was but I ain't gonna fight you over it. The MK2 and MK3 are solid, too.

[@doca8792]

Try finding a clean example of one of these today!

[@491Mystic]

Seen one in RI near Exeter or West Kingston area. I shoulda stopped but drove past. Bbs mesh squares

[@A_Cowboy_called_JackRabbit]

"All independent suspension." I'm sure he didn't mean to say that.

[@chuckycheese84]

Yea I got that too. Never heard of Torsion beams being "independent"

[@ClassicRockVw]

LOVE VWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[@derspeed5796]

That’s the one!

[@DanielJopQ]

Maybe any videos of Renault cars Motorweek?

[@Spaz12isHipAimedFagg]

Beautiful car

[@StarFox85]

the vento here in europe was horrible but mk2 was a thing back then

[@brianreardon7700]

This was a great design by vw .. they need to get that boxy look back! The new ones are too rounded

[@mike_miller]

nice) my 90hp RP golf made 1/4 mile in 17.2 sec. That's why I refused to swap engine back then.. I was offered a nice 16V but no, thanks..

[@jamessweeten6926]

It's sad that 95% of these 16v Mk2's were stolen and stripped

[@PerpetualTiredness]

Would much rather have the RWD E36 for just a few $2000 more.

[@hanestshirtsarecool]

Warning!!! 1:53 I rolled my 92 GTI. There is a danger here even though there were some other factors involved.

[@djkenny1202]

I have a 92 GTI 16v. Love it.

[@xnopyt13]

Back when wheels had taste in them...

[@Liplip40]

Rattles just sitting there

[@JamesDBlanc]

Anybody know the MPG?

[@dasmuven1911]

If you get the automatic it has 22 mpg, the 5 Speed manual has 34 mpg

[@djkenny1202]

@@dasmuven1911 There was no automatic GLI. Only the 1.8 liter non 16v offered a pretty awful automatic. My 2 liter GTI 16v gets about 25 mpg.

[@andrewy4761]

Bought a brand new one in 1991. It was great until it hit 24k miles and then came all kinds of problems in engine and electric. At 70k miles, the roof lining started to come off and it was annoying. I got rid of it after sever year, bought a BMW and never VW again.

[@lblerg]

OMG. i had this EXACT car. What an absolute hunk of junk. I was putting 3-5k yearly into this thing to keep it going down the road. I loved the car, it hated me! My buddy had a very similar one that was made in Mexico, it was actually reliable, my German GLI; just total junk and poor engineering. North Dallas VW (out of business now) actually phoned me back in the 90s and told me they had a Golf parts car they could use to keep me going. Sounds like VW even knew how much of a hopeless POS this thing was. Below are just highlights of what went wrong with my car: CV Joints every 20k Door handles break twice a year Fuel injection computer somehow got wet and failed Fuel injectors bad at 55k Oil filter just "fell off" and i saw it in my rear view mirror as my Oil light started screaming. Heater core explosion Motor mounts replaced every 20k Intake warped Headliner fell at 75k Axels replaced on the regular Nobody could figure out the temperature light blinking Tires became extinct in 1996. Had to substitute Z rated tires.. Muffler falling off all the time

[@ahoneyman]

Surprised no one put it on a frame table. That car has been wrecked and something isn't straight.

[@lblerg]

@@ahoneyman nope. This list could be 3x as long. Most everything under the hood failed and got replaced. I feel like I sold a "restored" car. Lol Just an absolute pile of crap. My parents begged me to sell it and they gave me their old 1990 toyota for what I got for it. Everyone just felt sorry for me.

[@ahoneyman]

@@lblerg Oh I'm sure the list is longer. I bet it ate alternators like Pez. I'm sure it ate some sensors too. Super short axle life and broken motor mounts mean something is binding. That and electrical problems screams poorly fixed wreck. VW had some no doubt crap engineering. Door handles are a thing. Blown up heater cores are a thing. It's not that crap though

[@lblerg]

@@ahoneyman well actually, I don't remember the alternator going out! No sensors either. Another thing that very oddly never broke was the little air pump door locks. All those hoses and that little pump in the trunk never quit.

[@ahoneyman]

@@lblerg Huh, figured there would be a bad body ground that fried the injectors and gave weird temperature lights.

[@augmenseke6131]

Whom here is making a 91 gtx?

[@brettcannon74]

$14k not that expensive in 1991!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

My dad's 91 Jetta coupe was like 12k

[@daison96]

An overpriced vw? It seems they have kept that tradition throughout the years.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Lifts rear tire..torsion beams are not fully independent. It's a cheap ass solution.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

You must not have seen many vws at an autocross meet. Mk1s and 2s carry that inside tire off the ground like a foot sometimes. Max weight transfer, it doesn't bother em much at all. Tells me the chassis is pretty stiff too. Stiffen up the front and that stops it quite a bit from lifting the inside rear.

[@ftffighter]

That price killed this GLI, a 5.0 Mustang could be had for the same coin.

[@chax2004]

The Jetta now is a bloated whale. This Jetta is lean mean.

[@dflet03]

9.1 is slow for the early 90's 92 Integra gsr could do it in the 6 second range

[@djkenny1202]

Not really.. a Corrado VR6 cannot even go "that" fast. About 7.5 seconds is the realistic time for a GSR. The GTI 16v was 8.3 seconds flat. Not bad at all.

[@fr33dumb0]

Theres no comparison to japanese tin vs well engineered german steel.

[@lukeskywalker1840]

Not even the Integra Type R did a 0 to 60 in 6 seconds.

[@djkenny1202]

@@lukeskywalker1840 He was talking about the other common Integras that are more in the class of the GLI. Realistically, the R did about 7.

[@lukeskywalker1840]

@@djkenny1202 I owned a 1998 Integra type-r. It was number 385.. I never took it to a track, but it seemed pretty fast.

[@SJHFoto]

A couple friends had them back in the day. (I bought a Civic) They seemed to run well, but funny enough, I still see Civics from that time on the road, but no Jettas. I don't know if they were just not sold in as many units, or if they just didn't last as long

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

Less sold.

[@nutsack]

less sold and they need a little more care than a civic. They don't take the same kind of abuse. And... rust