Renting a car is like playing the slots — you never know when you’ll hit. I thought I hit big when renting a “Jetta or similar” netted me this BMW 228i. But it turned out not to be any more fun to drive than the Jetta I already own.
That Jetta is a GLI, with its turbo two-liter four and upgraded suspension. I had treated myself to a new one at the beginning of the 2024 model year, a special 40th Anniversary Edition of which only 1,984 were built. It’s the fun car I’ve wanted for years and years. It checks all of my boxes: fast but not flashy, well handling, tame in everyday driving, manual transmission. It’s has gobs of power and strong brakes.
Ten months in, a mishap. Off to the body shop with it.
The rental company said, “Do you want something similar to your Jetta?” I thought they meant “regular Jetta” and said yes, because its low cost would maximize the number of days insurance would pay. But they meant “fast sedan” and rented me this at more than twice the daily cost. But YOLO, and off I drove.
I’ve long dreamed of owning a BMW, specifically a 3-series coupe. Shame that new ones are sedans only. But they’re still traditional RWD BMW, although the once-standard straight six is an option today. A turbo four powers the base car. The 228i, on the other hand, shares a platform with Mini. Purists will recoil: it’s FWD, with a turbo two-liter four. Just like the GLI. (This rented 228i has BMW’s xDrive AWD system.) Both cars even produce the same horsepower and torque: 228 horses and 258 foot-pounds. They even have 0-60 times within a hair of each other at just over six seconds. The 228i does the quarter mile in slightly under, and the GLI in slightly over, 14 seconds.
Learning all of this, driving this 228i became a throwdown of sorts for me. Is the 228i worth the extra dozen or so grand over my GLI?
Nope. Not to me, anyway. The BMW had goodies my GLI lacks, such as a huge sunroof, a heated steering wheel, a terrific audio system, power memory leather seats, and more. (The uplevel GLI Autobahn brings most of this, still at a far lower cost than the 228i.) But where it counts, in the driving, I found these cars to have about the same hustle and handling. The 228i’s automatic has a little lag when you mash the pedal, but once things kick in you have more power and speed than you can use on any US highway. (Its top speed is 155 mph, compared to the GLI’s 126 mph.) Steering is direct and firm, and there’s very little lean when you throw the car into a curve. Press the brake and the car stops right now. But all of this also describes my GLI, minus the acceleration lag thanks to its six-speed manual. The 228i is slightly smaller than the GLI, however, by eight inches in length and two in height. I was surprised to learn this — the 228i felt bigger to me. I think it’s because I sat lower in the 228i. The GLI is an economy car at its roots, and is tall and upright.
The 228i’s cockpit manages to be simultaneously tidy and chunky. It didn’t take long to find the controls I needed, and once found, they always fell right to hand. As you can see in the photo, the touch screen offers Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto), meaning I got to skip a lot of touch-screen learning curve. I appreciated having actual buttons on the steering wheel; the GLI’s haptic “buttons” are comparatively sloppy and uncertain.
I liked the adjustable thigh pad on these seats. I’m long of leg and this made the one long trip my wife and I took in it a more pleasant experience. The seat bolsters are adjustable, thank heavens, because I had to adjust them all the way out not to feel pinched. I’m carrying 25 more pounds than I like these days, but I’m still not a particularly wide dude. I imagine a stouter person would never find comfort in these seats.
Despite clearly having four doors, BMW insists on calling it a “Gran Coupe.” I say it looks too much like a Chevy Malibu in profile. And where’s the Hofmeister kink?
As long as I’m criticizing this car’s styling, I might as well rag on these über-chonky twin kidneys. I miss the graceful BMW grilles of yore.
In the end, the BMW 228i is a fine, fast German sedan. I enjoyed driving it. I even enjoyed seeing the occasional head swivel when I pulled up in it. Nobody ever does that when I drive my GLI.
Yet I was excited to retrieve my un-dented GLI from the body shop. The rental company said they’d pick up the BMW from there, which gave me a moment to photograph the cars side by side. As I raised my iPhone to make this shot, I realized that I no longer have any BMW lust. VW made a terrific fast sedan out of their Jetta, and it puts all the smiles on my face I could ever want.
Interesting review. This smaller 2-series is not like the 3-series of years ago. You mentioned the 3-series coupe. I also loved that car. But the current version is the 4-series 2-dr coupe. You mentioned no longer having the “BMW lust. Perhaps that lust just belongs with another vehicle. Your review is well written, well thought out and very interesting observations.
It seems several with CC have won the rental car lottery this calendar year. How the rental company correlates your Jetta with this BMW certainly worked in your favor.
We test drove a new Jetta several months ago, but it was the mid-trim LE (I think that’s what it was), not a GLI such as yours. There was GLI identical to yours sitting on the lot and my eye went to it more than it did the one we test drove.
Glad you enjoyed the BMW, but it’s obvious it reinforced your happiness in having purchased the VW. If it’s like your old Passat, it will treat you well.
I sort of wish I didn’t sell the Passat when i bought the Jetta. One of our kids needed a car this year and that would have been the perfect one to give. That 2.5 engine is nigh onto bulletproof.
The ’25 Jetta GLI is the last USA-market Volkswagen to offer a manual transmission; a stick is no longer available in the Golf (GTI and R) and non-GLI Jettas. The Golf gets real buttons on the steering wheel for ’25, not sure about the Jetta.
Wow, some things have not changed in 40 years. In 1985 a top spec VW (GTI back then) did almost everything a more expensive BMW could do if you were willing to forgo the snob factor. It is nice to see some things in this world have permanence.
This would have been so much nicer than the Chrysler Voyager rental I drew. But to stick with your theme, I liked my old car better too.
I was shocked, really, that the GLI compared so well. It made me feel great about my choice.
They’ll pry my Jetta from my cold, dead hands. Lol
A 3 series Coupe is now a 4 series. Same concept, but with an added profit margin I suspect.
Interesting to hear that VW can get 126 mph from 228 bhp but BMW can get 155mph. How, why, and does it matter anyway?
Also, seeing the US market Jetta makes the VW Polo’s styling fit into the VW family a lot better. And cars look better without front reg plates.
Interesting to hear that VW can get 126 mph from 228 bhp but BMW can get 155mph. How, why, and does it matter anyway?
Like all cars for the last couple of decades (or more) top speed is strictly electronically regulated. VW almost certainly set a lower speed because they don’t put on more expensive 155mph rated tires.
Yes, and the fact that it’s set just below the rated limit of H-rated tires is suggestive in this respect. If Autobahn driving isn’t a factor, V- and Z-rated tires are less compliant and more expensive to no particular real-world benefit.
I’m pretty sure that if I wound up with one of these in the rental car lottery, I’d likely generate the same review. You hit on just about every aspect of this car that I too am not wild about.
Probably one of the main differences between driving your Jetta and this “Gran Coupe” is the transmission. Do hang on to that Jetta as you’re not going to get another manual new car probably ever. Now mind you, you COULD get a 2 series with a manual and a proper inline 6, without the ridiculous “gran coupe” styling (which always looks kind of “Does this car make my butt look big?” to me)…but that’s the M2. It’s $65K. And that may be much closer to the 3-series of days gone by. And no, I going to say that it’s not twice as good as your Jetta (for twice the money).
Oh, and the M2’s front still has been hit by BMW with the ugly stick…just maybe not quite as hard as happened with the Grand Coupe.
The last time I had to take my car to the dealer for a recall, they put me into a 4 series coupe as a loaner. I was not impressed. If offered a 228i versus a Jetta at the rental lot, I suspect I’d take the Jetta (even one not as fun as yours). Driving a 2 series Grand Coupe would probably just make me sad.
That “Hoffmeister” kink was first found on found on a 1953 Kaiser Manhattan, so maybe it should be more properly attributed as a “Manhattan” kink.
These kind of cars have no appeal for me, at least since I was in my 30s, I prefer a more relaxed driving style so no appreciation for hyper-sporty automobiles here.
1953 Kaiser:
Swap the roundel for the Pontiac arrowhead and this becomes the spiritual successor to the N body Grand Am
Bingo! The new (and now authentic) Walmart BMW.
+1
The article proves what I’ve suspected for a long time: BMW is one of the most overrated car makes in the world.
This company thrives less on the substance of its products than on the illusion that its advertising people have conveyed over the past 50 years.
Why does it still work? Well: “Two things are infinite: the universe and man’s stupidity – when it comes to the universe you don’t really know.”
At least around Seattle, I’d say BMW’s, not the Prius are the official left lane camping car on our area freeways. We’ve come a long ways from the “Ultimate Driving Machine”.
I stopped looking at BMW come the turn of the century. Call me old fashioned but I still think they looked best in the 80’s and I did drive several versions. It was a excellent driving car from 3 to 7. Today it is all image and, to me, pretty much all Accord size cars, from A to Z, look the same to me anyway. Paying for image seems pointless.
Thanks for the review. I knew that the X1 and X2 were Mini-based, and that the M2 is rear wheel drive, but I had no idea this car even existed, in the US market at least. Not to mention that it’s hard for me to imagine a Jetta that does 14 second quarter miles, let alone a sub-14 Mini. I mean, we have a 2015 Golf, which is just a Jetta minus trunk (well, it used to be, or strictly speaking the other way around) and it’s quick but NOT that quick. I guess a few years and 200 more cc make a big difference. But ours is a manual and I suppose we should keep it forever.
As for rental car surprises, I’ve had a few negative ones related to “or equivalent”, such as a 2 door Pontiac G6 being the only mid-sized car available for a vacation with our full-grown kids (I paid for an “SUV” upgrade to a Ford Escape), or the Fiat which was the “Alfa 155 or equivalent” in Italy 20 years ago. But the upgrade that wasn’t, was being offered a free upgrade to a “sports car” in New York 40 years ago: a Dodge Daytona. Plastic, under-powered, a K Car with poor visibility. Yuck.
I had a ’90 GLI, one of my favorites. It had the 16v and 5 spd that should have been a 6 spd, as the engine noise on the freeway was untenable. But still, a joy to drive with its tight steering. This was the era of the “fahrvergnugen” campaign.
Sadly it was stolen twice, the second time for good. I believe I’ve told the cautionary tale here about turning over your keys to service people. The first time it was stolen it was found sans BBS wheels, but still with the new tires recently purchased. On new rims of course. Curious.
Nice review, Jim. And enjoy your Jetta GLI.
Thank you Paul!
To me honest, I’d prefer the Jetta for overall looks and room. Lower price is just the extra.
This is an informative and enlightening review. Call it confirmation bias, but I too would choose the Jetta GLI over a 2-Series, as I have long-suspected that the lower level BMWs were a poor value relative to high-trim versions of less prestigious marques. You were fortunate to find a manual, as everything I’ve seen on dealers’ lots had an automatic.
Full confession: I have cross-shopped various BMWs against VW Jettas and Golfs several times over the past 20 years and could never get past the feeling that the VW was better at fulfilling my needs. The VW was always a better choice for four passengers, even when our kids were little, and rode and handled well enough while lacking some of the 10/10ths driving capabilities of the BMWs, as well as some of the better quality materials in the interior. We have owned four Jettas since the late Eighties, as well as two Passats and a Tiguan. My wife currently drives a MINI Countryman, which is essentially the same as the previous 2-series underneath, but packaged in a more practical form. That was the first time we chose a “BMW” over a VW product and still didn’t quite make the leap to Der Bayerischer.
Wow does that thing ever resemble a Chevy Cruze. Totally unspecial. Maybe I’m just a snob since my last two BMWs were a 750 and a new Supra LOL
I never drove the new BMW, but this model here seems much larger than I thought as an small car. My guess is these days every vehicle is large. I doubt the Jetta GLI is better than that 228i. For sure the Jetta here is closely related to the GTI. However, one of the main merits of GTI is small size, Jetta is much larger.
As for that BMW, its front seats look like regular seat from a Buick sedan. What is BMW thinking?
Nice review. Thanks for taking the time.
I bought a 2024 GLI Autobahn with the manual transmission last May. I dislike black wheels intensely, and my dealer (from whom I’ve bought three VWs previously) agreed to swap the take-offs for a set of wheels from a well-known online tire seller. I had the $175 wheels drop-shipped to the dealer and said dealer credited me for the “black package” wheels return.
The car is a peach! It’s the closest driving experience to the Taurus SHO I bought new in 1989. Interesting fact: “Jetta” is not found anywhere on the car. Only the VW logo and a subtle “GLI” badging.
Count me a black-paint rim hater, too.
Inyeresting review, cant say I’m a BWN fanboi the propaganda doesnt jive with what I see on the road and a few test flights put me right off the idea of a BMW, where is the turn in traction and why does the back step out so damn easily at moderate speeds, I was comparing them with a 93 Amon Corona I wanted to replace and the ones I tried werent even that good. The six in the second one pulled nicely but but the sporty sedan mask fell off when it turned.120 odd mph is ok in a 4 banger the old Corona would do that, just,
I used to be a BMW fanatic. The 228i that you rented embodies exactly nothing that BMW fanatics once prided themselves about relating to the cars that they drove, at least not the ones who didn’t rate them merely by their price tags.
Current BMWs leave me cold. It’s not just the repulsive looks, but the emphasis on flash and bling. From what I’ve read they’ve been trying to broaden appeal to increase sales. Don’t know who they’re appealling to – the Chinese? The last twenty years or so has pretty much seen the ‘Cadillacification’ of what used to be a serious drivers car.
So, yeah, I’m happy to know that in this instance the equivalent VW is just as good.
That Jetta looks way better then the BMW.