2025 Volkswagen Jetta First Drive Review: Get the GLI

DEXTER, Mich. — The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is a sign that sedans aren’t dead — at least not for Volkswagen. While others are axing the low-slung four-doors from their lineups, the Jetta remains VW’s third-best seller in the United States behind the Tiguan and Atlas. For 2025, the Jetta gets some light updates to spruce it up for its loyal customers, and we got to drive it — along with the sporty GLI — to refresh our memories.

Outside, the Jetta gets a little bit of a nip and tuck up front and in the rear. The upper and lower grilles have been updated, and it gets new LED headlights with an available light bar across the nose. In back, there’s a slight tweak to the trunk lid, along with a standard light bar stretching across it. The Jetta SE gets new 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, while the SEL and GLI get 18-inchers. The SE and GLI are also offered with black wheel packages. Finally, two new exterior colors join the palette: Monterey Blue Pearl and Monument Grey.

Inside, the dash has been revised with a new design comprising three horizontal bars flanking the standard 8-inch infotainment touchscreen and gauge cluster, and helping to camouflage the air vents. No matter which trim you choose, you get the “Climatronic” touch controls for the HVAC, which we’ve started to get used to — we’ve found that tapping either the red or blue end is considerably easier than trying to precisely slide your finger to adjust the temperature, especially if you’re trying to keep your eyes on the road. We usually prefer the functionality of something more tactile, like the older HVAC knobs the Jetta used to use, but the sliders definitely give the cabin a more upscale appearance. The 8-inch infotainment display still feels a little dated, but wireless Apple CarPlay made life easy on us when trying to listen to our own tunes while navigating with Waze. And, thankfully, the Jetta employs volume and tuning knobs, as well as infotainment buttons to the sides of the actual screen, which make menu navigation easier. We appreciated the “Digital Cockpit” that comes standard in the Jetta, measuring 8 inches in the S, Sport and SE, or 10.25 inches in the SEL and GLI.

The Jetta’s same engines remain for 2025. For the standard Jetta, that’s a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four making 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission pairing for that power plant is an eight-speed automatic — Volkswagen said the take rate for the manual in non-GLI trims was around 5%. The GLI, on the other, has a 2.0-liter turbo-four making 228 hp and 258 lb-ft, and it can be mated to either a seven-speed DSG or a six-speed manual transmission.

That’s big news since you can no longer get the GTI with a manual, meaning if you want to #SaveTheManuals, you’ll have to get a GLI. You shouldn’t be alone, at least. VW expects the manual to make up about 30% of GLI sales in the United States, which isn’t bad.

Our first stint around some of our favorite roads in southeast Michigan took place in an SEL. If you’ve driven the Jetta any time recently, it’ll feel familiar, with ample low-end power that tapers off as you reach higher speeds and higher revs. Steering is light and effortless, but responsive enough to feel entertaining as you transition from one corner to the next on a narrow, winding road. The chassis feels well controlled, even with the Jetta’s standard torsion beam rear suspension. There’s very little roll, and it feels smooth and relaxed tracing over awkward undulations in the pavement; it’s even more composed and comfortable on better-engineered surfaces. As far as the ride and handling are concerned, the Jetta comes off as more premium than its segment suggests.

We got to spend even more time in a red GLI equipped with the manual transmission, and it was delightful. The clutch pedal is light and effortless. The shifter itself doesn’t provide much tactile information as to what gear you’re putting it in, but the shifter does a fine job of guiding the stick home with each gear, nonetheless. Once used to the airy numbness from both the left foot and right hand, confidence develops and shifts become quick and seamless.

It also allows you to make the most of the extra power going to the front wheels. It’s not difficult to elicit wheelspin through the entire first gear, and coax a significant yelp from the tires shifting into second. Once that’s got your pulse primed, whatever comes next is just icing, whether it’s a continued wringing of revs through the gears or setting up for that upcoming corner. Better yet, take the GLI back down to a complete stop and do it all over again. It’s a rare treat to get this experience in a sub-$35,000 sedan — it tastes like 2010 in all the best ways.

The GLI does feel a bit more connected to the road than lesser Jettas thanks to its multi-link rear suspension, but it won’t punish those inside with an uncomfortable ride. It felt just as natural grabbing groceries as it did squealing around those lonely back roads. And when you’re not living life up against the car’s redline, that manual transmission is an absolute gem when you’re trying to summon limo levels of smoothness. With just a little bit of intention, you can pull off gear swap after gear swap without the slightest sensation of a momentum change making its way into the cabin. Try that in a WRX. It ain’t easy.