Working for Hagerty, Jason Cammisa has hyped the car world into loving the Mk2 Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GR86. According to him, the 2.4-liter boxer engine with 228 will pull harder than a 181 hp Mazda MX-5 Miata ND2. And in the same video, he also put it up against the VW Golf 8 GTI.
But the video we’re about to show you is a 3-way drag race between the Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5, and a new contender, the Volkswagen Jetta GLI. It’s very interesting and shines new light on the subject of BRX vs. Miata.
The Jetta GLI is probably… not the best sports car you can buy for under $40,000. It’s “wrong wheel drive” and makes way less power than the Hyundai Elantra N and Subaru WRX.
It’s also slower than the Golf GTI even though it comes with the same engine. Also, we know that the GTI that Cammisa used in the drag race was a European prototype and it had great tires. But the Jetta performs remarkably well in this drag race.
Let’s just focus on the BRZ, which is the newest car here, and the Jetta GLI. They have the same horsepower, but one is turbocharged. Both get really bad launches and the MX-5 pulls miles ahead because it has great gearing. Volkswagens can bog down at launch, but once it’s going, the GLI narrowly beats the Mazda and is miles ahead of the Subaru BRZ.
Something is off about that car. Either the modifications are making it slower, even though they include a free-breathing exhaust, or the driver isn’t as skilled as Sam CarLegion in the Mazda (the GLI is a simple auto).
But even under perfect conditions, the BRZ would still be slower than a Jetta GLI. Separate tests from Motor Trend put the GLI at 14.6 seconds over the quarter-mile while the 2022 BRZ was at 14.9 seconds, which is still a second quicker than the predecessor.
So which is the fastest? Simply put, it depends on who’s driving, so just pick the one you want the most. Obviously, the two-door models are for people with a little extra cash on the side, while the Jetta GLI can take kids to school.
