2012 Volkswagen Jetta Tdi on 2040-cars

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2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI vs. sport compact sedans: How they compare on paper

Hot hatchbacks may be stealing the headlines, but they're not the only way to get cheap speed. There are actually a number of small sporty sedans on the market, too, in case you want that more formal roofline. The recently revealed 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI highlighted these vehicles, so we figured we'd take a look at the specifications and see how they compare to each other. Our contenders are the aforementioned VW, along with the 2019 Honda Civic Si, 2019 Subaru WRX and 2019 Hyundai Elantra Sport. All four start under $30,000 and offer more than 200 horsepower. And of course, they all have trunks. In our comparison, we'll look at each car's powertrain comparing horsepower and torque. We'll also look at practicalities such as interior space, fuel economy and pricing. You can see the raw numbers in the chart below, followed by additional analysis and links to reviews. If you'd like to compare any of these cars with a different group, be sure to check out our car comparison tool. Engines and drivetrains Performance, and particularly power, is likely a priority for a sporty sedan buyer, and there's a clear leader: the Subaru WRX. At 268 horsepower, it's 40 ponies ahead of the next most potent car, the 228-horsepower Jetta GLI. It also ties the GLI for torque at 258 pound-feet. Both cars also support the old adage that "there's no replacement for displacement," since each have 2.0-liter engines while the Hyundai has a 1.6-liter unit and the Honda engine only displaces 1.5 liters. The Hyundai and Honda are nearly tied for power and torque, too, at roughly 200 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Another bonus for the Subaru is its standard all-wheel-drive system, which is handy for power delivery, lateral grip and for inclement weather. While the Jetta GLI and Civic Si are front-drive only, they do feature mechanical limited-slip differentials to enhance traction under power. The Elantra Sport makes do with electronic aids and an open differential. We're pleased that all four of these cars offer manual transmissions, too. But if you do want or need an automatic transmission, the VW, Subaru and Hyundai have you covered. The VW and Hyundai rely on seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions, and the Subaru uses a CVT with eight preset ratios for manual mode shifting. The Civic Si, though, is manual only (and it's an excellent manual at that).

Trump reportedly says he wants to wipe German cars off the U.S. map

BERLIN/FRANKFURT — A report that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to pursue German carmakers until there are no Mercedes-Benz rolling down New York's Fifth Avenue dented shares in the luxury car manufacturers on Thursday. An excerpt from German magazine Wirtschaftswoche's article, which cited several unnamed European and U.S. diplomats but did not include any direct quotes, could not be independently verified, while a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Berlin referred questions to Washington. The news and current affairs magazine said Trump had told French President Emmanuel Macron in April that he aimed to push German carmakers out of the United States altogether. Macron's administration in Paris declined to comment on the report. The Trump administration last week opened a so-called Section 232 trade investigation into vehicle imports, which could result in a 25 percent tariff on cars on the same "national security" grounds Washington used to impose metals duties in March. This could destroy exports by German carmakers, which control 90 percent of the U.S. premium market and are the biggest European Union exporters of cars to the United States. BMW owns Rolls-Royce, while Daimler has Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen controls Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche and Audi. Daimler, BMW and Audi declined comment. Porsche was not immediately available for comment. BMW shares were trading 0.5 percent lower at 0939 GMT, while Daimler and VW's shares were down 1 percent and 1.6 percent respectively, underperforming Germany's blue-chip DAX. Trump has railed against German carmakers before. And in early 2017, in an interview with German newspaper Bild, he said he would impose 35 percent tariffs on imported cars. At the time, the president called Germany a great car producer but said that the business relationship with the United States was an unfair one-way street. Germany's auto industry association VDA says its members exported 657,000 vehicles to North America last year, with total exports of vehicle components, cars, engines, as well as second-hand vehicles totaling 31.2 billion euros in 2016. Imports from the United States to Germany amounted to 7.4 billion euros, meaning a trade deficit of 23.8 billion euros the VDA's latest available figures show. However, German brands also have huge factories in the United States, where they built 804,000 cars last year, VDA said, providing jobs for U.S. workers. Berlin has reacted angrily to the U.S.

VW execs didn't think diesel problem would be so serious

Volkswagen Group has admitted that former chairman Martin Winterkorn received two memos about the diesel scandal in 2014. Top execs ignored the problem because they didn't think it was a serious issue. VW disclosed these details to counter allegations in a German shareholder lawsuit that alleged the automaker violated the law by withholding the info from investors. A memo on May 23, 2014 first advised Winterkorn about emissions cheating. A memo on May 23, 2014, first advised Winterkorn about the study from the International Council on Clean Transportation, which identified the emissions cheating. According to VW, the document was part of the exec's weekend mail, and the company's investigation didn't discover whether Winterkorn actually read it. A rumor last month alleged this memo existed. Another memo for Winterkorn on November 14, 2014 was about several defects, including the diesel engines. The document estimated it would cost 20 million euros ($22 million US at current rates) to fix the problem. The chairman learned about the issue again on July 27, 2015, during a meeting on product issues. "Mr. Winterkorn asked for further clarification of the issue," according to VW's statement. Things got serious at the end of August 2015. Things got serious at the end of August 2015 when technicians explained the diesel issue to the legal department. VW came clean to the California Air Resources Board and the Environmental Protection Agency on September 3. A memo told Winterkorn the next day, which was also previously alleged. According to this investigation, management didn't believe the diesel problem would affect the stock price, and they estimated the cheating might cost at most a few hundred million dollars in fines. The execs were clearly wrong. The share price dropped after the scandal broke last September, and the problems have started to affect its divisions. According to Reuters, Audi reported it suffered 228 million euros ($249 million) in costs in 2015 from the emissions issue and repairing Takata's faulty airbag inflators. Volkswagen still doesn't know the exact costs of the scandal, but the automaker's law firm, Jones Day, plans to release a report in the second half of April to explain the whole affair. By that time, we might also know how VW plans to fix the problem because a judge recently gave the company until March 24 to outline a fix for the 2.0-liter TDI. CARB started evaluating a repair plan for the 3.0-liter TDI in early February.