As manual transmission cars become increasingly rare in today’s new vehicle models, there are still a lot of performance cars that carry manual ones. They can be found in the reasonably priced range, those between $25,000 and $45,000 which leaves buyers a lot of options. However, that choice of three pedaled cars are now made smaller, as Volkswagen of America recently confirmed that it will not be carrying a manual trans in its 2018 Jetta GLI lineup next year.
Compared to Subaru and Honda which are both retaining their manual transmission cars (Subaru WRX and Honda Civic Si to be exact), Volkswagen of America is dropping its manual transmission from the 2018 Jetta GLI lineup.
Why would the 2018 Volkswagen Jetta GLI manual transmission be stopped?
Volkswagen spokesperson Mark Gillies has confirmed to CarsDirect that the take rate of the manual trans was only at 30% when compared to the Golf-based GTI which is at 50%. So it’s partly one of the reasons why they are still keeping a manual trans in the GTI variant and not in the GLI. However, there are some car companies that still continue with its manual line up despite lower sales volume such as Kia’s 2018 Rio with only a 5%.
So we’re back to the question of why the GLI will be discontinued. There’s actually another reason that the Jetta GLI is being eliminated. It’s because the manual car is being tidied up in the sixth generation variant as 2018 looks to be its final year as a model. The Jetta Hybrid has already been phased out from the line-up last 2017 and the TDI diesel engine has been removed too. Now the Jetta GLI 2018 will be offered in one variant only starting at around $30,000+. It is $1,600+ more compared to the basic Jetta GLI 2017.
What’s left for Jetta GLI enthusiasts?
Even if we say goodbye to the GLI manual trans, its 2.0 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder stays the same along with its 210 horsepower. Its torque is also at 207 pounds still even if the six-speed stick is removed. GLI’s price is up too with 2018 models’ prices starting at $30,395 but when yearly pricing changes are considered with a GLI automatic priced higher for about $1,100, then the difference is just worth it.
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