The Volkswagen Jetta is known as an affordable compact sedan with a comfortable ride, roomy cabin, and good gas mileage. It’s been the best-selling sedan for VW. The Jetta gets refreshed for 2025 but can still feel a bit dated compared to some rivals.
Base Price: $29,000
As Tested: $30,225
Horsepower: 158
Mileage: 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway/33 mpg combined
The Jetta’s been around for more than 40 years and has been a stalwart among small sedans, along with the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra, and Toyota Corolla. More recent additions including the Hyundai Elantra and new Kia K4 make this category super-competitive.
For 2025, the Jetta gets some exterior and interior tweaks, including a new grille, updated front and rear fascias with new LED lights, a larger touchscreen on lower trims, and, unfortunately, the elimination of the manual transmission in the lower trims.
The 2025 Jetta comes in five trims: S, Sport, SE, SEL and GLI Autobahn. Starting prices range from $22,495 to $32,715. Front-wheel drive is standard; all-wheel drive is not available.
The engines are the same as the 2024 models. The base engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The GLI gets a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 228 horses and 258 pound-feet. The S, Sport, SE and SEL trims get an eight-speed automatic, while the GLI comes standard with a six-speed manual or an available seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
It’s worth noting that an eight-speed automatic is a rarity in the segment – most, except the Mazda3, come with a continuously variable transmission.
The base engine is fine for most driving situations with a decent amount of low-end torque. But you may wish for more oomph when merging and passing on the highway. The eight-speed shifts crisply and smoothly. Steering is light and direct, brakes are responsive, and there’s little body roll when cornering. While the Mazda3 and Honda Civic have zippier handling, the Jetta performs well as a daily driver.
Fuel efficiency is good for a compact car. EPA ratings for the Sport, SE and SEL trims are 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway with a combined rating of 33. I got 36 mpg during my week with a mix of city and highway driving. The S trim gets 29 mpg city, 39 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined.
The cabin is pleasant and roomy, and the upgraded infotainment system dresses up the dash. But the interior is not as nice as some competitors. There are plenty of hard plastics which give a cheap feel. Seats in both rows are comfortable and supportive with good leg- and headroom for the class. While the second row can technically fit three, it’s best for two adults.
Standard features include rearview camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, eight-inch digital gauge cluster, infotainment system with eight-inch touchscreen, four-speaker audio system, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, two USB ports, Wi-Fi hot spot and rain-sensing windshield wipers
Available features include remote start, proximity keyless entry, push-button start, synthetic leather upholstery, real leather upholstery, power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory settings, heated steering wheel, heated front seats, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster, navigation, nine-speaker Beats Audio stereo, satellite radio, HD Radio, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless device charging, voice control, automatic high-beam headlights, and a panoramic sunroof.
Standard driver assistance technologies include forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and pedestrian detection.
The new eight-inch touchscreen looks good with sharp graphics. The system responds quickly to touch and voice commands. There are handy physical knobs for volume and tuning. But the new interface for climate settings uses capacitive-touch controls – these can be frustrating to use, especially while driving
Cargo space is good for a compact car. There are 14.1 cubic feet of space in the trunk. The rear seats split-fold 60/40 but they don’t fold completely flat.
The good:
Affordable price
Pleasant handling
Smooth ride
Good fuel efficiency
Roomy cabin
Standard wired and available wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
User-friendly infotainment system
The not-so-good:
No more manual transmission on lower trims
Cabin not as nice as some rivals
Touch-sensitive climate controls can be tricky to use
Pricing info:
My tester starts at $29,000. The destination charge is $1,225, bringing the grand total to $30,225.
Bottom line:
The refreshed 2025 version of the Jetta does what this VW has always done: deliver a solid, affordable and roomy compact sedan with pleasant handling and good gas mileage. Sure, some rivals offer more athletic handling and nicer cabins, but the 2025 Jetta is still a good option for someone wanting a small car.
