The latest proof that fuel economy is a tricky business comes from the 2022 Volkswagen Jetta, whose EPA fuel economy numbers have just been released. Offered with a slightly bigger, slightly more powerful engine, the new model is also slightly more fuel-efficient.

The automaker announced in August that the standard Jetta’s 1.4-liter inline-four would be replaced by a 1.5-liter engine kindly lent to it by the VW Taos. That means that the sedan makes 158 hp (160 PS/117 kW) and 184 lb-ft (249 Nm) of torque, which is 11 more horsepower and no extra torque over the 2021 model’s engine.

Per the EPA, its efficiencies are holistic. Despite being bigger and more powerful the compact sedan also gets slightly better fuel economy, too. With the eight-speed automatic transmission, it gets 31 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 35 mpg combined (7.5/5.7/6.7 L/100 km). That is an improvement over the 2021 model which got 29 city, 39 highway, and 33 combined (8.1/6.0/7.1 L/ 100km)

Read Also: The 2022 VW Jetta Gets A Very Light Refresh And 11 Extra Horsepower Thanks To New 1.5 TSI

Purchased with the six-speed manual transmission, though, the story is a little more nuanced. For 2022, the manual model gets 29 mpg in the city, 43 mpg on the highway, and 34 mpg combined (8.1/5.4/6.9 L/100 km). Although that means it loses one mile per gallon in the city, it gains two on the highway as compared to last year’s model, meaning the combined fuel economy doesn’t change at all.

Curiously, the Jetta GLI also gets better fuel economy even though the engine is unchanged, at least when it comes to power output. The high-performance model gets 26 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 30 mpg combined (9.0/6.3/7.8 L/100 km) when equipped with the seven-speed DSG gearbox (the only difference with the manual is 36 mpg highway [6.5 L/100km]). In 2021, meanwhile, the EPA rated the Jetta GLI DSG at 24 city, 35 highway, and 28 combined (9.8/6.7/8.4 L/100 km).

As was the case last year, the sporty Jetta makes use of a 2.0-liter EA888 inline-four-cylinder engine that churns out 228 hp (231 PS/170 kW) and 258 lb-ft (349 Nm).