2021 Mazda3 Turbo vs. Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Once upon a time, small sedans were all about affordable basic transportation, and their performance models were cheap cars that went fast instead of slow. Leave any such ideas behind when you try out the all-new 2021 Mazda3 Turbo or the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

These two cars each provide well over 200 horsepower, but their speed also comes with high-end style, refinement, and luxury features. The Mazda3 Turbo shoehorns a powerful engine under the hood of a critically acclaimed vehicle sold as both a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback. The Jetta GLI is the sedan version of the storied Volkswagen Golf GTI. We tested both fast sedans to see how they compare against eight categories. Keep reading to learn what we found, and to see which one is our overall winner.

The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta GLI starts at $26,435 in its base S trim level. S is usually VW’s stripped-down model, but the GLI S includes a six-speaker stereo, heated front seats, alloy wheels, and a set of driver-assistance features that include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rain-sensing wipers. The $30,745 Autobahn model adds leather upholstery, a power driver’s seat, a sunroof, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, an eight-speaker Beats stereo, and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen instead of the standard 6.5-inch unit. A manual transmission is standard on both trim levels, with a dual-clutch automatic costing $800 extra.

The 2021 Mazda3 Turbo starts significantly higher, at $29,900. However, it has nearly as many standard features as the GLI Autobahn, plus others the Volkswagen doesn’t offer. It has leatherette instead of true leather, but it has a sunroof, 12-speaker Bose stereo, 8.8-inch infotainment screen, a full suite of driver-assist technology, an automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive. For $32,450, you can pick the Turbo Premium Plus for genuine leather, a navigation system, and a surround-view parking camera. That’s a lot for the money, but we’ll still give VW this category for its much lower starting price.

Winner: Volkswagen Jetta GLI

The Mazda3 and Jetta GLI are both classy-looking sports sedans that eschew flashy add-ons. The Mazda3 has a low, aggressive front end with a long hood, an upright grille, and slit-like headlights. Around the back, the Mazda3 sedan has crisp taillights and a sharply creased trunklid — a more serious and upscale look than the racy forward-leaning Mazda3 hatchback. Every Mazda3 Turbo has black 18-inch alloy wheels.

The Jetta GLI has mostly straighter lines than the Mazda3. Its sharper angles and overall restraint recall an Audi A4, especially from the rear. The Jetta’s long-looking proportions also make it look expensive for folks who equate size with price. Compared with the standard Jetta, the GLI has a black mesh grille rather than chromed slats, and we find this look cleaner. Like on the GTI hatchback, a red stripe stretches between the headlights to signify that this is a performance car. All GLIs have 18-inch alloy wheels — a conventional shiny design comes standard and is included on our test car, while a $595 Black Package blacks out the wheels, side mirrors, and roof. We won’t name an aesthetic winner between these two sedans, leaving that to individual tastes.

Winner: Tie

Inside, the Mazda3 and Jetta take different design approaches. The Volkswagen is mostly simple and conventional; its all-business dashboard angles the controls toward the driver, provides simple buttons and knobs, and uses touchscreen controls to operate its infotainment system. There’s a bit of pizzazz from the Autobahn’s 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster, but its most useful function — displaying a navigation system map — is moot on the GLI, which doesn’t offer navigation like the standard Jetta.

The Mazda3 goes for a more minimalistic design, with audio/infotainment controls located on the console between the front seats. There’s no touchscreen operation for the infotainment screen, which perches high on the dashboard. The controls have a steeper learning curve than the Jetta’s, and some functions are distracting to use while driving. Still, the Mazda3’s interior ambiance stands head and shoulders above the GLI’s. Even in its top Autobahn trim, the Jetta’s interior suffers from many cheap plastics on its dashboard and door panels. You feel clearly why the GLI costs several thousand dollars less than the better-finished Golf GTI hatchback. The Mazda3, by contrast, is beautifully appointed with luxury-grade materials, solid-feeling moving parts, and a premium overall ambiance.

Winner: Mazda3 Turbo

While the Mazda3 has a beautiful interior and comfortable front seating, it comes up short when it comes to spaciousness. It’s nearly as long as the Jetta and has an even longer wheelbase, but less of that space turns up for the rear seat or trunk. Adults can stretch out in the back of the Jetta, and the boxy trunk is more useful than even its generous 14.1 cubic feet would suggest. While the GLI sedan doesn’t have the cargo flexibility of the GTI hatchback, it does have a more adult-friendly rear seat, making it a tempting alternative to someone trying to squeeze in the whole family or arrange a carpool to work.

In the Mazda, though, you’re better off leaving the rear seat for occasional use on short drives. Unless the front seats are well forward, rear passengers will have their knees jammed into the front seatbacks. Unlike the GLI/GTI dynamic, this tight legroom applies equally to the Mazda3 sedan and hatchback. The Mazda3 sedan’s trunk is smaller than the Jetta’s at 13.2 cubic feet, though the hatchback is roomier than its sporty looks might suggest.

Winner: Volkswagen Jetta GLI

The Mazda3 delivers rock-solid driving dynamics. It’s a solid-feeling stoic, with its steering, ride, and handling feeling supremely natural and controlled. This is a great MINI luxury car — smooth, quiet, and agile — and it’s just the driving experience that many buyers will want.

Still, we found the Jetta GLI a bit more fun to drive. Its steering is sharper, and its more sophisticated independent rear suspension and (on the Autobahn) adjustable dampers give it higher handling limits. Furthermore, despite that extra edge and agility, it retains an agreeably smooth and quiet ride. The GLI still isn’t the most dialed-in small sporty car you can buy, but it’s more fun-focused than the Mazda3 without becoming uncomfortable or unrefined.

Winner: Volkswagen Jetta GLI

The Mazda3 Turbo is a powerhouse. It takes an engine originally developed for Mazda’s biggest SUV, the CX-9, and puts it under the hood of a lightweight compact car. This 2.5-liter turbo makes a mighty 250 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque on premium-grade fuel and a still-respectable 227 hp and 310 lb-ft on regular. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, which isn’t advanced but shifts smoothly and unobtrusively. The standard all-wheel-drive system puts power cleanly to the road without wheelspin or torque steer. The engine’s hum isn’t exactly sporty, especially in gentle driving, but it’s authoritatively quick.

On paper, the Jetta GLI can’t match the Mazda3. Its 2.0-liter turbo four makes 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque on premium fuel. (VW says the GLI can also run on regular at an unspecified reduced output.) Still, its superior transmissions and slightly lighter weight make it just as speedy. GLI buyers can choose between a slicks-shifting six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic on either trim level. Whichever transmission you choose, it brings a more engaging experience than the Mazda3’s six-speed conventional automatic. And the VW engine sounds richer and sportier than the Mazda’s without being over-the-top.

Winner: Volkswagen Jetta GLI

The Mazda3’s power, weight, and transmission are also in evidence when it comes to fuel efficiency. No Mazda3 is particularly thrifty for a compact car, and the EPA pegs the turbocharged Mazda3 sedan at 23 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg overall. In a week of mixed driving, we averaged 26 mpg.

The Jetta GLI edges out the Mazda3 in EPA testing. It averages 24 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg overall with the automatic transmission, while the manual gives up 2 mpg on the highway. We trounced the EPA estimate with our manual GLI test vehicle, though, averaging 32 mpg. Both vehicles can use regular-grade fuel but require premium to reach the maximum horsepower and torque ratings.

Winner: Volkswagen Jetta GLI

Both the Mazda3 and the Jetta have excellent crash-test scores and a long list of safety features. But Mazda does even better on both counts.

The Jetta starts things off with top scores of Good in all Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests, plus a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The GLI also has automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring as standard equipment on both trim levels, while the Autobahn adds adaptive cruise control and a lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist. Meanwhile, the Mazda3 Turbo has all that standard — most of it is even standard on the base $20,500 Mazda3 sedan, for that matter — along with pedestrian-detection capability for its automatic emergency braking. And it scored five stars in every NHTSA crash test as well as its overall score; the Jetta managed just four stars for frontal-impact protection.

Winner: Mazda3 Turbo

If you slice and dice these two sedans to consider them by the sum of their parts, the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is the winner. It’s roomier, it costs less, it uses less fuel, and it’s even more fun to drive, especially if you like shifting your own gears. Whether you’re looking at practicality or grins, it makes the most sense. Right?

Instead, we’re giving a narrow victory to the 2021 Mazda3 Turbo. Both these sedans set out to be upscale yet relatively affordable sports sedans, and it’s the Mazda that puts the most important pieces together seamlessly. Yes, we might wish for more rear legroom, sharper steering, better gas mileage, more user-friendly controls, and a manual transmission. But we get the impression the Mazda3 is exactly the car Mazda set out to build: a perfectly executed sedan that intentionally feels solid and confident more than eager and playful. To us, the Jetta GLI’s many upscale qualities — in particular, its classy styling and nicely balanced ride and handling — clash uncomfortably with its low-rent cabin. For many buyers, the VW will be a great choice. But despite its limitations, we came away even more impressed with the Mazda3 Turbo.

Winner: Mazda3 Turbo