from the vortex:

Well... VW did this big celebrity party after the L.A. Auto Show and had a few Jetta's on display - one happened to be a Jetta GLI which wasn't on display during the press days of the show (!). It *will* however supposedly be on display during the public days at L.A. and at the press and public days at Detroit.

Meanwhile we snuck a digital point and shoot camera in and took some photos. Sorry for the horrible quality, but it was nearly pitch black dark in there and really hard to get clean photos.

Like we've talked about for months (years?) now, the Jetta GLI *is* now a virtual carbon copy of the GTI. The Jetta V GLI will have identical specs to the Golf V GTI so 200hp 2.0T FSI, six-speed, HID's, 17" wheel with option 18" wheels (that you see on the photos below) and more. The only options on the car will be DSG, Navigation, 18" wheels and Leather. Expect pricing to be around $23,500 with the first cars arriving in June/July time frame.

Again sorry for the lousy quality. We'll have better photos from the Detroit show (or as soon as our readers get out to the L.A. show for the public days).

hmm... well, i think it's a combination of a bad picture and stupid wheels.

i think the Jetta that was in the other thread (with the clear tails) has infinitely better looking wheels. personal opinion, of course.

I was hoping that they would differentiate it from the GTI more.
And I'll be going to the LA show; hopefully I can grab some good pics!

Looks good, but way too much like the GTI.

the back is too far out IMO, and the rims gotta go

looks strange, the design looks better on the GTi.. this is too big

what was that Jetta teaser site clark? - Thanks.

http://www.vw.com/jetta/a5/

There ya go nismo

Me too.

It looks like a Japanese design...that isn't a compliment. I expected a much better and cleaner design from VW...

In my opinion, the quality of certain VW models slipped once they began to manufacture them outside of Germany.

FYI, the new 2005 VW Jetta will be assembled in Puebla, Mexico.

aka the same place they built old Jettas.

At least VW claims they've increased quality significantly this go around...and I must say, my brazilian-built GTI feels much more solid than my '02 model which was built at the same factory.

some pics of the standard Jetta from the L.A. Auto Show

vs


those wheels are just crap.

Don't like the new Golf V/Jetta[US]/Bora[EU] package at all . My favroite remains the Golf III/Jetta[US]/Vento[EU] generation . The current cars look like blobs on wheels .

I love the golf but hate the jetta

Just came back from the LA auto show, here's my verdict:

The Jetta V looks much better in person...it has a german solidity to it that photos don't pick up. The GLI, however, is just awkward and I don't like it one damn bit.

Also, the jetta is a FANTASTIC place to sit.

Yeah, the GTi wheels completely destroy the look of it. The standard Jetta looks much better.