Compare the2023 Subaru WRX VS 2023 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru WRX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Jetta GLI doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the WRX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru WRX has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The WRX has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The WRX has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the WRX and the Jetta GLI have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the WRX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Jetta GLI is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the WRX 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Jetta GLI. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Jetta GLI ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The WRX’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Jetta GLI’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 39 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The WRX’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (271 vs. 228) than the Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Subaru WRX is faster than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI (manual transmissions tested):

	WRX	Jetta GLI
Zero to 60 MPH	5.5 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	13.9 sec	14.6 sec

As tested in Car and Driver the Subaru WRX is faster than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI (automatics tested):

	WRX	Jetta GLI
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	14.2 sec
Top Speed	134 MPH	126 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the WRX lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The WRX has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Jetta GLI (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The WRX offers an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a CVT.

The WRX stops much shorter than the Jetta GLI:

	WRX	Jetta GLI
70 to 0 MPH	153 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

For better traction, the WRX has larger standard tires than the Jetta GLI (235/45R17 vs. 225/45R18). The WRX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Jetta GLI (245/40R18 vs. 225/45R18).

The WRX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Jetta GLI’s 45 series tires.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the WRX is .9 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the track on the Jetta GLI.

The WRX Limited handles at .95 G’s, while the Jetta GLI Autobahn pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The WRX is 3.1 inches shorter than the Jetta GLI, making the WRX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the WRX a Mid-size car, while the Jetta GLI is rated a Compact.

The WRX has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Jetta GLI (98.9 vs. 93.9).

The WRX has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Jetta GLI.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the WRX’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The Jetta GLI’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the WRX. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The WRX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Jetta GLI uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the WRX is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Jetta GLI. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the WRX Premium/Limited/GT’s exterior PIN entry system. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Car-Net can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The WRX’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Jetta GLI’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The WRX’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Jetta GLI has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.