2025 Volkswagen Jetta Stands Firm in a Shrinking Segment

• The 2025 model year brings a number of cosmetic improvements for Jetta, including revised front fascia with new upper and lower grille designs, and new LED headlamps with an available light bar.

• Standard now for every 2025 Jetta and GLI Autobahn is the 8-inch Comp Color infotainment screen. Lower grades of the ‘24 Jetta had a 6.5-inch screen, which was way too small.

• Stepping up to the ’25 GLI Autobahn will cost $33,940 with destination, representing a considerable price hike of $4,630 from the 2024 GLI. The base ‘25 Jetta S is $23,220 with destination, an increase of $650.

It wasn’t long ago that compact sedan shoppers had lots of options from lots of automakers, foreign and domestic. This was the gate through which many young buyers passed as they joined the ranks of new car buyers.

The options remain plentiful today but only when factoring in the flood of compact crossover/utility models, which now outnumber their sedan counterparts nearly three to one in the US market.

Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler—all these entrenched and storied American brands have given up on low-margin small sedans, surrendering the entire market primarily to Asian rivals.

But there’s another long-running brand that has not given up so easily. Volkswagen holds fast with the Jetta, which has been refreshed inside and out for the 2025 model year in some meaningful (and more expensive) ways.

Enthusiasts might be sad to hear the manual transmission is no longer available in the Jetta, replaced instead by a standard eight-speed automatic that works pretty well paired up with the 158-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter EA211 four-cylinder TSI engine that uses a modified Miller combustion cycle to boost efficiency. Available in four Jetta trim levels, this engine is also rated at 184 lb-ft of torque.

But the sporty GLI Autobahn variant still offers the six-speed manual (along with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission) channeling 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque from the 2.0-liter EA888 four-cylinder turbo to the front wheels.

VW execs say only 5% of previous Jetta shoppers opted for the stick shift, while about 30% of GLI shoppers chose the manual.

The GLI Autobahn is clearly the more entertaining to drive, as we learned last week on the lovely, winding roads near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Wind up the revs, work the GLI’s light clutch, row your own gears, keep a steady hand on the tiller in the event of some torque steer, and you have the makings for a great day of old-school backroading. As the future tips toward electrification, a time will come when experiences like this will become fond, distant memories.

Adding to the GLI Autobahn enjoyment is a multilink rear suspension, a rear anti-roll bar, sport-tuned gas-filled shocks, stiffer springs, and a ride height that is 0.6-inch lower than the base Jetta, which uses a torsion beam rear setup with telescopic dampers.

The strut-type front suspension is the same in both Jettas, with long-travel coil springs, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar. Driving the two back to back, it’s not hard to feel the additional agility of the more powerful GLI Autobahn.

The 2025 model year brings a number of cosmetic improvements, including revised front fascia with new upper and lower grille designs, and new LED headlamps with an available light bar. The new trunklid also gets a standard light bar, and the new exterior colors are Monterey Blue Pearl and Monument Gray.

The Jetta SE trim gets new 17-inch aluminum alloys, while SEL and GLI Autobahn models get redesigned 18-inch alloys. The 18-inch black wheel has also been redesigned as part of a $650 black package for GLI that includes blacked out roof and mirror caps. An 18-inch black wheel package is available in the standard Jetta for $495.

Much of the refreshed content for the 2025 Jetta and GLI Autobahn is found inside, particularly the 8-inch Comp Color infotainment screen that is standard for every model.

Lower grades of the ‘24 Jetta had a 6.5-inch screen, which was way too small compared to screens in the Subaru Impreza (11.6 inches), Honda Civic (9 inches), and Mazda3 (10.25 inches).

That larger screen in all ‘25 Jettas provide access to the improved (and standard) Dual-Zone Climatronic Touch system, which had been roundly criticized for its lack of user friendliness in earlier Jettas.

In the new Jettas, the driver can tweak the interior temperature either from the touchscreen or with new haptic controls that include sliders for fan speed and for setting cabin temps for both front-seat occupants.

Jetta SE, SEL, and GLI Autobahn buyers will also get improved voice control, three 45-watt USB-C charging ports, and 15-watt wireless charging for smartphones. And while GLI Autobahn customers will have leather seats, SE and SEL buyers will get Microcloud seat covers.

All this new content comes at a higher cost: The base ‘25 Jetta S is $23,220 with destination, an increase of $650. With destination, the price is $24,500 for Jetta Sport, $26,200 for SE, and $30,225 for SEL.

Stepping up to the GLI Autobahn will cost $33,940 with destination, representing a considerable price hike of $4,630 from the 2024 GLI.

The 2024 Jetta GLI with the manual transmission was rated at 28 mpg combined, and that improves to 30 mpg for ‘25, while the new DSG dual-clutch in the ‘25 GLI costs 1 mpg in efficiency, down to 29 mpg combined, compared to the 2024 GLI with an automatic.

For the base Jetta, combined fuel economy drops slightly from 34 mpg to 33 mpg in the ‘25 model, while the EPA rating is unchanged at 33 mpg combined for Jetta Sport, SE and SEL trims.

While other automakers have bailed from compact cars, Volkswagen will remain committed to the Jetta in the US market for the foreseeable future, Serban Boldea, director of Volkswagen Product, told journalists last week.

That’s because the Jetta represents a crucial (affordable) entry point to draw in young buyers and—hopefully, Boldea said—establish a long-term relationship to build brand loyalty for future purchases.

But the numbers don’t lie: Volkswagen sold more than 177,000 Jettas in 2011, and last year they sold fewer than 48,000 in the US, even after the Golf hatchback had been killed off two years earlier. How low do Jetta sales have to fall before difficult decisions are made?

The 2025 Jetta lineup, including the GLI Autobahn, will be in dealerships by the end of next week.

Have you owned a VW Jetta, GLI, Golf, or GTI, or are you considering buying a refreshed ‘25 Jetta? Please comment below.