Yahoo Autos 2025 VW Jetta Looks Bettah and Gets You More for Your Chedda
After years of falling sales, the Volkswagen Jetta's fortunes are turning. In 2023 in the U.S., VW moved 24 percent more units of the compact sedan than the previous year. And as of the first half of 2024, Jetta sales are up a whopping 76 percent.
For 2025, the Jetta gets a refresh in a bid to keep the momentum going. This marks the second major revision to the current-generation Jetta in less than three years. Whereas the superficial alterations to the sedan for 2023 were analogous to a Botox injection, this latest round of revisions is akin to full-on plastic surgery.
Gone are the doe-eyed headlight bezels, oversize upper grille, and grimacing front fascia of the prior car. Instead, the Jetta adopts a conservative but handsome look that incorporates narrow slitlike headlights, a thin upper grille, less frumpy-looking front and rear fascias, and full-width taillights.
VW updates the interior too. The previously standard 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system is broomed in favor of an 8.0-inch unit. The touchscreen no longer integrates neatly into the dash. Instead, the display now rises from it like a small monolith. Dual-zone automatic climate control moves to the standard features list. Its touch-capacitive interface is reasonably responsive, but unlike the prior three-knob setup, it's difficult to operate by feel alone. The redesigned dashboard makes the Jetta's insides feel a little less cut-rate, although cheap-seeming hard plastics still abound.
But the real gut punch is the loss of the six-speed manual transmission previously available in entry-level S and Sport trims. The carryover 158-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four now mates exclusively with the previously optional eight-speed automatic transmission.
This gearbox is the weaker of the two. Its responses to throttle inputs can be lackadaisical, and its too-short first gear requires a light right foot to accelerate on low-traction surfaces without overwhelming the front tires—the engine's 184 lb-ft of torque arrives at just 1750 rpm. Play it right, though, and the 2025 Jetta should manage the same 7.1-second sprint to 60 mph we recorded in a 2022 Jetta with the very same powertrain. (That 2022 model also averaged 42 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test.)
Save for the base Jetta S, all 2025 models now include the 0.6-inch-lower suspension setup that Volkswagen previously reserved for the Sport. Though the drop improves the static stance of Jetta SE and SEL models, it doesn't significantly affect driving dynamics. Wheel size, however, does affect ride quality, with the 17-inch units of the Sport effectively cushioning the blows of southeast Michigan's cracked and cratered tarmac, whereas the thinner sidewalls of the SEL's larger 18-inch setup struggled to absorb road irregularities, making for a choppier ride over rougher roads and noticeable impact harshness over bumps. (Base S models make do with 16-inch rollers.)
On curving back roads, no Jetta can match the poise and lithe dynamics of the Honda Civic or the Mazda 3. Still, the Jetta doesn't feel completely out of place in this setting, and excess body motions never overwhelm the chassis. The light and direct steering weights up nicely in corners in the Sport; in the SEL, with its selectable drive modes, you'll want to choose Sport rather than Normal, as the latter brings about additional on-center slop and less natural weighting.
The typical Jetta buyer likely is more focused on the compact sedan's generous passenger and cargo space and its affordable price. The cost of entry rises $560 for 2025 to $23,220, but that difference fails to account for the now-standard automatic transmission. Factor that in, and the base 2025 Jetta undercuts the equivalent 2024 model by $240. The $24,500 Sport comes in $110 less pricey for 2025 when comparing like-for-like powertrains. The $26,200 SE inches up by $100 and the $30,225 SEL by $175 for the new model year.
At north of $25,000, the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta makes a less compelling case against newer, more engaging competitors. Stick to the better-riding S and Sport trims, though, and the 2025 Jetta's affordable pricing, lengthy list of standard features, and spacious interior offer the sort of value that explains this model's recent sales growth.
You Might Also Like
