When all was said and done, that had fallen in an 87 percent No Dice loss. When Volkswagen first introduced the Jetta, back in 1979, it was little more than a Golf (or Rabbit) with a trunk.

Some cars have a fun factor that just can’t be measured, and the Volkswagen Jetta GLI Autobahn certainly fits the bill.

The Jetta has historically been something of a premium offering in the compact-car class — priced accordingly — but that’s changed in recent years as Volkswagen has looked to broaden the car ...