2011 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

For 2012, VW made the Jetta even more popular by cheapening the interior, throwing away the independent suspension, and cutting the price by $4,000. While new car buyers are snapping them up, VW's enthusiast base isn't happy.

The new GLI is their car. Back is the soft-touch dashboard, great seats, a feisty 200-horsepower turbo four, and a snap-shifting DSG gearbox. The black-and-silver rims on the Autobahn package look brilliant, and whatever was slightly boring about the regular Jetta is simply gone in this top-end model. It costs $25,000 and handles like a real sports car.