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Compact cars aren't as small and cheap as they used to be. As evidence, look no further than the refreshed 2025 Volkswagen Jetta, which is roomy enough for a family while offering upscale looks and modern technology at a budget-friendly price.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Most of the changes to the 2025 Jetta are cosmetic, but they have a significant impact on this four-door sedan's appeal:
The 2025 VW Jetta continues in S, Sport, SE, SEL, and GLI Autobahn trim levels, with prices ranging from $23,220 to $33,940, including the destination charge of $1,225.
JD Power previously published reviews of the 2019 Jetta SEL Premium, 2020 Jetta GLI Autobahn, and 2022 Jetta GLI Autobahn with the Black Package. This review focuses on the Jetta's updates for 2025 and how they potentially impact its overall consumer appeal.
For this 2025 Jetta review, Volkswagen provided a test vehicle equipped with SEL trim and no options. The price was $30,225, including the destination charge to ship the sedan to your local dealership from the Volkswagen assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Most Jetta models have a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine generating 158 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 184 pound-feet of torque at 1,750 rpm. An eight-speed automatic transmission powers the car's front wheels.
That engine debuted in the 2022 Jetta and boasted numerous engineering enhancements designed to preserve power while improving fuel economy. Volkswagen estimates the 2025 Jetta will return 33 mpg in combined driving, which aligns with my observed 31.8 mpg driving in the city, on the highway, and in the mountains near Pasadena, California.
Equipped to perform as a legitimate sports sedan, the 2025 Jetta GLI continues with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Notably, it still offers a six-speed manual transmission, a feature the updated 2025 VW Golf GTI goes without. If you can't drive a stick, you can get the Jetta GLI with a no-cost optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).
The Jetta GLI also features a 0.6-inch lowered sport suspension with adaptive damping and employs a more sophisticated rear independent multi-link design compared to the standard Jetta's simple torsion beam setup. In addition, the GLI has larger brakes, a front torque-sensing limited-slip differential, and progressive variable-ratio steering.
For the 2025 model year, Volkswagen adds the GLI's stiffer and 0.6-inch lower suspension to the Sport, SE, and SEL trim levels (but without the adaptive dampers and independent rear end). This seemingly small change makes the less powerful versions of the car more engaging to drive, particularly with the 18-inch wheels available for the SE and standard for the SEL.
Volkswagen also equips the GLI with the appropriately named Autobahn trim. Loosely translated, that means fast, it is capable, and fully loaded with everything you get in the Jetta SEL plus sport seats, touch-sensing steering wheel controls, and exclusive styling details like red accents, a black headliner, and stainless steel pedals.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Heading into its seventh year since its last redesign, the VW Jetta gets a styling refresh that gives the compact car a new lease on life.
In front, the huge grille is gone, replaced by a narrow slit that naturally flows into the revised headlights. The lower air intake is more prominent, visually lowering the car and creating a more modern look. New taillights with a standard light bar between them adorn the rear. The changes bring greater cohesiveness to the car's overall appearance and make it look more upscale.
Fresh wheel designs and colors also help in this regard. In particular, the SE's 17-inch and the SEL's 18-inch wheels feature substantial, appealing designs for 2025. The GLI models also get a new multi-spoke wheel that looks great in either a silver or black finish. The new colors are Monument Gray (a lighter, flatter hue with a blue undertone) and the sensational Monterey Blue Pearl seen in the photos.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
The Jetta is a surprisingly roomy car with plenty of interior space for four people. (You can squeeze in a fifth when necessary.) Plus, it has a large 14.1 cubic-foot trunk, nearly as much space as some midsize models, like the Toyota Camry.
This year, the 2025 Jetta gets a restyled dashboard with a design that helps to hide the air vents. In addition, all Jettas now have an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system mounted in a semi-floating housing above the center air vents, paired with an 8-inch digital driver display in most versions of the car. The SEL and GLI have a more sophisticated 10.25-inch driver display.
A touch-sensing climate control panel is newly standard for 2025, offering dual-zone automatic control of the cabin temperature. With these systems, I usually choose 70 degrees and rarely adjust climate settings, but I live in a temperate part of California, so that tracks. Still, on occasion, I must make changes.
During this evaluation, I needed to use the rear defogger and adjust to a higher cabin temperature on one chilly morning after a heat wave broke. While driving, I mistakenly lowered the temperature a few degrees and then somehow dialed it way up to maximum heat. I suspect that living with the Jetta for more than a few days would help resolve this, but I still think no-brainer temperature knobs are better.
The infotainment system equips the Jetta S and Jetta Sport with:
Starting with Jetta SE trim, the car has:
Upgrade to the Jetta SEL or Jetta GLI, and you get:
I like the infotainment system's design and layout, but there are quirks. For example, icons at the bottom of the screen indicate deeper settings, but it's unclear what they are and do unless you bring your hand up toward the proximity-sensing display. So, trigger the proximity sensor, determine which function to select, and press to access the desired settings. That approach creates a multi-step process with several reference points, which can be distracting.
In addition, after a few days with the car, my iPhone, Apple CarPlay, and the infotainment system quit playing nice with each other. My device was Bluetooth-paired and accessible through the Phone menu, but when I selected Apps and tried to run CarPlay, the tech wanted to use a phone paired by a previous driver. What is more, my phone wasn't on the list of available devices.
The Jetta's natural voice recognition system is a subscription-based upgrade. It wasn't active in the test vehicle, so I couldn't test it. When Apple CarPlay was functioning, Siri was helpful.
Regarding safety, Volkswagen equips every 2025 Jetta with IQ Drive, the automaker's collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). It installs the following features:
Aside from a few false lane-departure warning alerts and lane-keeping assist actions in situations where two lanes merged to become one or one lane expanded into two, the Jetta's ADAS turned in a nearly flawless performance. Travel Assist proved remarkably smooth, refined, and adept.
Safety ratings are unavailable for the 2025 Jetta. However, Volkswagen told me the car will get rear seatbelt pretensioners and load limiters starting with vehicles rolling down the assembly line in early 2025 to improve occupant protection.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
I evaluated the 2025 Jetta SEL on the city streets, freeways, and mountain roads near Pasadena, California. These were unfamiliar surroundings, but the Jetta's torquey turbocharged engine, excellent outward visibility, capable handling, and wireless Apple CarPlay made it easy to navigate the region confidently and comfortably.
Turbo lag is an issue when the Jetta SEL is in its Normal driving mode. To some degree, you can resolve it by choosing the Sport transmission mode and leaving the car in Normal or by switching to the Sport driving mode. I did the former to enjoy a more satisfying driving character, which might help to explain why I averaged 31.8 mpg in combined driving, a 1.2 mpg shortfall compared to Volkswagen's estimate of 33 mpg.
With the powertrain's responsiveness improved, the Jetta had no trouble climbing the Angeles Crest Highway in 95-degree heat. This year, all but the base Jetta S get a lowered sport suspension, and that, combined with the SEL's standard 18-inch wheels and tires, helped maintain hustle on the mountain road's curves and corners. During the return trip, the brakes resisted fading in the mounting summer heat.
On city streets, the new, firmer suspension tuning is evident. You feel the road now, making the Jetta drive more like a traditional German car. In addition, I did not detect significant compromises associated with the sedan's simple rear suspension design. However, I'm sure the Jetta GLI's adaptive dampers and independent rear end are superior in terms of ride and handling.
Highway driving is effortless, and the Jetta is remarkably fuel efficient. At times, during an hour-long slog across metropolitan Los Angeles, the trip computer indicated I was getting 38 mpg. The SEL test car's comfortable driver's seat, with heating and ventilation, and the Beats audio system made the triple-digit temps and clogged freeways more bearable.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
There aren't many compact sedans left, so the Jetta faces fewer rivals than in the past. However, those remaining are pretty competitive.
They include the:
In addition, you can get all-wheel drive on the:
Performance-tuned alternatives to the Jetta GLI include:
Nevertheless, I find the refreshed 2025 Jetta to be a better-looking, better-driving, and better-equipped car than before. Whether that means it is still betta to getta Jetta is a decision only you can make.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with 30 years of experience in the field and has held automotive editorial leadership positions at Edmunds, JD Power, and The New York Daily News. Today, Chris owns a content agency called Speedy Daddy Media, and in addition to JDPower.com, his work appears on Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, and Edmunds.
