In the past, the notion of "launch control," a feature that lets a car's computer take over when pushing for maximum acceleration, was limited only to the most exotic models. Now it's increasingly going downscale.

Ford has added it to its 2013 Mustang. The latest to get it is the Volkswagen Jetta GLI, a performance version of VW's compact. Basically, it allows drivers to feel a car's maximum performance without having to worry about shifting. Perfect for drag racing -- not that anyone should try.

For 2013, Jetta GLI will have the same launch control feature found in much more expensive performance cars. In a Porsche, for instance, launch control allows you to hold down the brake with your left foot and push the accelerator to the floor with your right foot to engage the feature. When the brake is released, the car takes off as fast as it possibly can without spinning its wheels.

We expect it will work the same way in the GLI. Says VW:

All Jetta GLI models equipped with the DSG automatic transmission include a Launch Control program that can be engaged by the driver when the vehicle is at a stop, allowing for a perfect launch with controlled wheelspin.

Volkwagen's Golf-ish saloon is previewed in some sketches. Form a queue

This is the new Volkswagen Jetta. Well, it’s an illustration of it. The actual car will be shown at the Detroit motor show in January, and these sketches suggests it’ll be a reasonably sleek saloon with hints of the VW Arteon.

There’s a bold hexagonal grille, a big slash down the side and a narrow window line, as well as ginormous wheels. How much of that is down to the cartoonish nature of the sketches we’ll know in a few weeks. Inside, it looks like there will be high-res media screens aplently, including the ‘virtual cockpit’ dials that are now used in most VW Group stuff.

The big question is if it’ll come to the UK. The Jetta has long been a forgotten part of the UK line up, especially given it hasn’t really kept up with the generation changes and tech updates of its VW Golf relative. The outgoing Jetta feels several stages removed from the current Mk7 Golf, and it’s no longer available to order in Britain.

Small saloons – or, indeed, sedans – go down a storm in other markets, though. Especially the US, which explains the location of this car’s world debut. If it’s to remain a US-centric car, expect petrol and hybrid models to be prioritised over diesel.

Like what you see so far? Think it should come to Europe, or are we better off with our Golfs?

The Volkswagen Jetta is now more coupe-like, apparently. But it's not for the UK

This is the new Volkswagen Jetta, freshly unveiled at the 2018 Detroit motor show. Before you get too attached to it, it won’t be coming to the UK.

Is that a great shame? It all depends on how much you like the looks. Previous Jettas have been little more than a Golf saloon – and probably a bit dumpier than their hatchback base – but this one is a little more svelte. It’s probably not as ‘coupe-like’ as VW would like you to believe, but it’s smart enough.

The Jetta is VW’s best-selling car in America. And funnily enough, VW isn’t trumpeting diesel power. It comes with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with 147bhp and 184lb ft, linked to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed auto.

There’s a ton of safety equipment on offer – all the lane assist and active cruise stuff that’s the stepping stones to self-driving – while VW proudly shouts about its six-year/72,000-mile aftercare, which it calls the ‘People First Warranty’.

Like tech? VW’s digital cockpit is on the options list, as is comprehensive phone linkup (Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink) and a 400-watt Beats stereo.

The Jetta is longer and wider than before, with most of its extra length in the wheelbase. VW describes it as ‘fun to drive’, and if you go for the R-Line trim you’ll get an electronic differential setup on the front axle. Even if it hasn’t quite got enough power to really cause trouble.

Perhaps VW should bring back the Jetta GTI to compensate. Then we’ll start the campaign to get it to Britain…

The Golf with a trunk returns, sort of.

If you observe closely, the new, seventh-generation Volkswagen Jetta has a tell. Ignore the strakes on the hood that make it appear something like a shrunken Passat. Don’t be fooled by the shiny chrome exhaust tips integrated into the rear-bumper valance—they’re fake. Instead, trace the major character line from the little badge on the passenger front fender back along its length. There, hiding within the crease in the metal, is the Jetta’s fuel-filler door. Look familiar? Of course it does: It’s nearly the same shape as on the Golf, the Jetta’s once-again platform-mate.

Highs: Lower price, new tech features, drives like a Golf . . . almost.
Lows: Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, not in handling and braking.

For 2019, the Jetta moves to the MQB platform, VW’s do-everything, be-everything architecture, which made its U.S. debut in the 2015 Golf (and also underpins the Tiguan and Atlas as well as the Audi A3 and TT). The Jetta now shares many components with the seventh-gen Golf, including its steering and front suspension, crash structures, HVAC, infotainment software, and even its 13.2-gallon gas tank. But no sheetmetal. Certainly the relationship is more complicated than it was in the era when the Jetta was a Rabbit with a trunk grafted to its hindquarters.

But it’s from axle to axle and under the hood that the sedan diverges most from the hatch. VW stretches the Jetta’s wheelbase to 105.7 inches, nearly two inches longer than the Golf’s, and the Jetta’s overhangs make it almost a foot and a half longer overall. Yet the sedan is not legitimately cavernous inside. Rear passengers get 1.8 inches more legroom than in the Golf, though they’ll sacrifice almost an inch of headroom. And don’t plan on seating three adults across the back, as the Jetta’s middle seat is cramped. About that trunk: It has shrunk in the new model relative to the previous Jetta, although the Golf’s comparatively enormous cargo hold is more a testament to efficient hatchback packaging than any deficiency of the sedan.

The Jetta’s turbocharged 1.4-liter four carries over from last year and is the only engine available—at least until the sporting GLI launches next year. With just 147 horsepower, the 1.4 is down 23 horsepower to the Golf’s 1.8-liter; although, when paired with manual transmissions, both engines make 184 pound-feet of torque. (Automatic Golfs have 199 pound-feet.)

The new Jetta gets upgraded gearboxes: a new automatic with eight gears rather than six, and a slick six-speed manual that replaces the commodity-car five-speed. Fuel economy grows by as much as 7 mpg, with all Jettas now hitting 30 mpg in the city and 40 on the highway, per the EPA. Sadly, the manual is available only on base S-trim cars, with other trims, including the R-Line tested here, getting the automatic.

The Jetta feels punchy, with excellent throttle response and virtually no turbo lag. If you boot it off the line, even the automatic-equipped car will squeal its front tires and trip the traction-control system. However, a clean launch with the eight-speed produces only a 7.7-second zero-to-60-mph time, merely average for the class. The most recent Golf we tested isn’t any quicker, although it is more fun to explore the upper reaches of its tachometer, where its bigger engine shines. Revving beyond 5000 in the Jetta yields no reward, aural or otherwise, and the automatic will grab a higher gear by 6000 rpm anyway. Although you can shift the eight-speed yourself, this transmission favors smooth over snap.

Indeed, smooth is the Jetta’s mien, a yacht rocker rather than a hard rocker. It is noticeably and measurably quieter than the Golf. Also softer, with more body roll and less feedback through the steering and chassis. But otherwise the siblings drive and ride similarly, with a light steering weight and good impact absorption. The new Jetta uses the same front struts and steering system as the Golf, although Volkswagen reverted to a rear torsion beam for the Jetta. In a small concession to sportiness, R-Line models get a brake-based torque-vectoring system on the front axle. Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires in either 16- or 17-inch size shunt steering feel but don’t keep the Jetta from matching the Golf’s 0.83-g roadholding. Braking performance is poor, however, with the Jetta covering 191 feet to stop from 70 mph, which puts it behind the Golf and at the back of the compact segment.

The new Jetta leapfrogs its platform-mate in one area: Digital Cockpit. Four years ago, a larger version of this 10.3-inch reconfigurable screen, which replaces the traditional speedometer and tachometer, was auto-show hoopla from Audi. Now Volkswagen offers it as an enticement to spend $25,265 for the SEL trim; it’s a feature unavailable on any Golf save for the stratospherically priced, $40,000-plus Golf R. Even without it, though, lower-trim Jettas have a great analog cockpit. One pod encircles the main instrument panel and infotainment system, with the touchscreen perched high on the dashboard and canted toward the driver. This seamless control center proclaims the Jetta’s driver-centric mission even if it’s not actually a driver’s car.

The Jetta is good, certainly better than previous generations. The old cut-rate interior is much improved. The Jetta now offers one of the most comprehensive feature sets in its class, and the price even gets an across-the-board trim. You can drive one away for as little as $19,395, which undercuts competitors like the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla by a few hundred dollars. But like most carmakers, Volkswagen reserves the stuff you want—whether it’s a bigger touchscreen or an upgraded audio system or adaptive cruise control—for the higher trim levels. The Jetta is less expensive than the Golf, too, by more than $2000. Also, you get what you pay for. The Jetta is not as much fun to drive as the Golf. Its performance attributes are not as well balanced. If you look again at that little rhomboid aperture on the Jetta’s flank but this time widen your gaze, you’ll notice that it is not the snug-fitting puzzle piece of its twin, the Golf, where its sides run parallel to the fender-panel edges. That’s the real tell, a metaphor for all the ways this new Jetta is not as precise, not as perfectly executed, as its exceptional sibling.