ANN ARBOR, MICH. — We’ve all heard the narrative: cars are dead, SUVs and crossovers are taking over, and everything is too expensive. The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta defies all that: it’s not only the sole “regular car” in VW’s lineup, but also heads into 2025 with a round of updates while stubbornly remaining one of the best buys out there.
The current-generation Jetta debuted in 2019, but this year represents its second mid-life update, making it the MK 7 ¾ in a way. The updates are most prominent up front, where a new, slimmer-looking grille is flanked by restyled headlights. All Jettas also get a couple of new colour options, as well as a new front bumper design with trim options depending on the model, like the red lipstick on the GLI. Down the side, you get new wheels, and around back, the tail lights are now connected by a faux lightbar.
Inside, the Jetta sees another round of changes peppered throughout. The restyled dash now has a swathe of shiny black and silver trim breaking up the expanse of soft-touch plastic, and an upsized eight-inch touchscreen now sticks out of the dashboard, like everything else out there. But hey, the software is good, there’s no learning curve, it just works. We’re a little less enthused about the “upgraded” climate controls, trading the previous buttons-and-knobs for a touch panel finished in gloss black.
Hopping into the base Jetta and twisting the key — yes, a key — fires up the standard 1.5-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine. The EA211 engine, as it is known in Volkswagen-ese, is untouched from last year, putting out 158 horsepower and a healthy 184 pound-feet of torque. You could get last year’s base Jetta with a stick, but that option is gone for 2025, so the only available transmission option is an eight-speed automatic.
As far as base powertrains go, this is among the better ones. A hundred and fifty-ish ponies isn’t much, but peak torque comes on early in the rev range, so the Jetta feels pretty punchy and loves to scoot. The eight-speed auto is well-behaved, kicking down quickly when you need it, and fading into the background when you don’t.
Also untouched is the Jetta GLI’s powertrain. It heads into 2025 with VW’s 2.0-litre turbo-four known as the EA888, though it’s not the latest version featured in the GTI, Golf R, and Atlas. It puts out a punchy 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, and works with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or a six-speed manual. That’s right, folks: where the GTI is ditching the third pedal and wobbly stick from now on, the Jetta GLI keeps it alive.
Listen, I haven’t always said nice things about stick VWs. I’ve even gone as far as to admit that I prefer the dual-clutch automatic over the manual. So, take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt: the stick GLI is pretty sweet. Throws are crisp and the shifter feels less rubbery than I remember, and the clutch is easy to gauge. Of course, the Civic Si still has the best-feeling shifter between the two, but hey, compared to the GTI, at least the GLI still lets you row your own.
Beyond the engine and transmission, both the vanilla and spicy Jettas drive well. I’ve always maintained the Subaru Impreza and Crosstrek are arguably the best-riding small cars for the money, but the Jetta challenges that notion. It’s super quiet on the highway, the squishy sidewalls on lower-trim Jettas soak up bumps and rough pavement well, and steering feels good — not as dead as you’d expect. There’s always been a solidity to these cars, and that’s still apparent today.
I’m not too thrilled at some of the changes inside. The old touchscreen, despite being “only” 6.5 inches, looked better-integrated, and the touch points going to stupid shiny panels instead of buttons and kobs is mildly frustrating at first. But once you get used to all that, you’ll see the Jetta still does many things right. It feels solid, it’s roomy, it’s comfortable, the GLI is fun, and best of all, it’s cheap.
The good cheap. The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta starts at $25,795 for the base Comfortline trim, running all the way up to the GLI, at $34,995. That’s great value for what you get, and for a decent bit less than a base Civic or Taos. Say what you will about SUVs taking over and everything else becoming too expensive, the Jetta makes cents. Pun intended.
