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When it came to the Mk.4, as they had in the prior generations Volkswagen offered you two flavors of GTI. In 2001, this was represented as the GLS and the GLX. The GLX had the throaty 2.8L VR6, while the GLS made due with the 1.8T. It was still a punchy package, though; with 150 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque. While that was down on grunt to the VR6, you could easily chip the 1.8T and make up the deficit. That’s what a lot did, and consequently it’s pretty hard to find a car like today’s example – here we have a stock Mojave Beige Metallic GTI GLS that has under 60,000 miles. If you want one, it’s definitely one of the best out there:
Although Volkswagen started its small 5-door wagon production in the Mk.3 era, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that they finally decided to bring their second generation Golf Variant in the form of the Jetta Wagon. It was part of an unprecedented wave of early 2000s wagon popularity which gave enthusiasts a lot of very nice options. Parked alongside the Passat Variant in dealerships, just like the B5 they were offered with a dizzying array of configurations. There were GLS and GLX trim specs, along with four different engine configurations. Base GLSs got the 2.0 inline-4 rated at 115 horsepower. Stepping up to turbocharged your experience with the familiar 1.8T, here rated at 170 horsepower just like the Passat – although they’re not the same motor code, as obviously the mounting is transverse. Optional was also the ALH 1.9 liter TDi which could return an honest 50 mpg and be mated to a manual (both not really options in the Passat diesel) and for a touch more sport you could kick up to the GLX model, which gave you the 12 valve 2.8 liter VR6 rated at 174 horsepower and 181 lb.ft of torque.
So there were a lot of options in the Mk.4 Variant’s trick bag, but they’re somewhat hard to find in clean, original condition. Today I came across a 1.8T model that just like Monday’s 300TE is a a rather boring color combination, but one that’s exciting to see in this condition today:
