Compare the2024 Lexus ISVS 2024 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus IS 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.

The IS’ optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Lexus IS has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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 IS offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The IS offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Jetta GLI only offers a rear monitor.

Both the IS 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, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lexus IS is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI:

	IS	Jetta GLI
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	220	247
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	282	315
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	41%	41.6%
Neck Compression	81 lbs.	141 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lexus IS is safer than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI:

	IS	Jetta GLI
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	306
Spine Acceleration	28 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	438 lbs.	554 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	38 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the IS, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 3.6% less likely to roll over than the Jetta GLI, which received a four-star rating.

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, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the IS its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Jetta GLI last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the IS 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Jetta GLI. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Jetta GLI ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the IS first among compact premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Jetta GLI isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 23rd.

Engine

The IS 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (241 vs. 228) than the Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The IS 300 AWD’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 32 more horsepower (260 vs. 228) than the Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The IS 350 F Sport’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 83 more horsepower (311 vs. 228) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 258) than the Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The IS 500’s standard 5.0 DOHC V8 produces 244 more horsepower (472 vs. 228) and 137 lbs.-ft. more torque (395 vs. 258) than the Jetta GLI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the IS 500 5.0 DOHC V8 is faster than the Volkswagen Jetta GLI (automatics tested):

	IS	Jetta GLI
Zero to 60 MPH	4.3 sec	5.6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	10.4 sec	13.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	4.7 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	12.8 sec	14.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	112 MPH	101 MPH
Top Speed	149 MPH	126 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The IS has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Jetta GLI (17.4 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Lexus IS comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Jetta GLI.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Lexus IS, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Jetta GLI.

To facilitate fast shifting and allow the driver to focus on the road, the IS F Sport has a standard up-shift light to indicate when the engine is approaching redline. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer an up-shift light.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the IS 500 Performance’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Jetta GLI:

	IS 500 Performance	Jetta GLI
Front Rotors	14 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.7 inches	11.8 inches

The IS stops much shorter than the Jetta GLI:

	IS	Jetta GLI
70 to 0 MPH	159 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the IS has larger standard tires than the Jetta GLI (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R18). The IS F Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Jetta GLI (F:235/40R19 & R:265/35R19 vs. 225/45R18).

The IS F Sport’s 235/40R19 front and 265/35R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Jetta GLI’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the IS F Sport has standard 19-inch wheels. The Jetta GLI’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the IS’ wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the Jetta GLI (110.2 inches vs. 105.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the IS is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Jetta GLI.

The IS’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the Jetta GLI’s (58.6% to 41.4%). This gives the IS more stable handling and braking.

The IS 500 Performance handles at .89 G’s, while the Jetta GLI Autobahn pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the IS’ turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Jetta GLI’s (34.2 feet vs. 36.7 feet). The IS AWD’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Jetta GLI’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.7 feet).

Passenger Space

The IS has 3.7 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room and 2.6 inches more rear hip room than the Jetta GLI.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the IS’ trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Jetta GLI’s useful trunk space.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the IS offers cargo security. The Jetta GLI’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

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

Servicing Ease

The IS 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 IS 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 64% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Jetta GLI, the IS offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The IS’ instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Jetta GLI does not have an oil pressure gauge.

If the windows are left open on the IS the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Lexus service department.) The driver of the Jetta GLI can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

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 IS’ headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Jetta GLI’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

A power rear sunshade is optional in the IS to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The IS’ standard 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.

Both the IS and the Jetta GLI offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the IS has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Jetta GLI doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Lexus IS, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the IS first among compact premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Jetta GLI isn’t in the top three.

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