The verdict: A competent, well-constructed, value-priced compact sedan is an increasingly rare sight, but the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta fits that bill for those who still want such things.
Versus the competition: The field is shrinking, but the Jetta is still mid-pack in its class despite its updates for 2025; Korean offerings have better tech and its Japanese rivals have better reliability, but the VW remains stylish and fun to drive.
Compact sedans aren’t as popular as they used to be, but given the affordability crisis around new vehicles these days, lots of people are taking a closer look at them as alternatives to the increasingly higher-priced compact SUVs that had largely replaced them. Not as many automakers offer small cars as they used to, either; the American brands have gotten out of the game entirely, leaving cars like the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta to soldier on — and grab those entry-level buyers.
And grab buyers it has: The Jetta is one of the most popular vehicles in VW’s lineup, responsible for getting lots of new buyers into the automaker’s showrooms, as well as retaining current VW owners. And why not? With a starting price of just $23,220 (all prices include destination fee), the Jetta is a relative bargain: The average price of a new car is more than twice the Jetta’s sticker. But is it any good? And have the changes VW made for 2025 done much for the Jetta?
Related: 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Quick Spin: The Adult Compact Sports Sedan Option
Pick Your Jetta
The new ‘25 Jetta comes in no fewer than five trim levels: S, Sport, SE, SEL and the range-topping GLI. While trims S through SEL are all variations on the same model, with increasing levels of standard equipment and some minor styling modifications, the GLI is a very different animal. That car gets a more powerful engine, sport suspension, aggressive styling and a mission to be a budget European sports sedan. (You can read our Quick Spin on the new 2025 VW Jetta GLI here.) For this review, we’re focusing on the top SEL trim, which is the loaded version of the more basic Jetta. It received similar changes to the GLI for 2025.
All Jetta models get mildly updated styling; if you parked a ‘25 Jetta next to a ‘24, you’d be hard-pressed to spot the differences. Changes are limited to new grille and bumper designs, some new taillight treatments, and new wheels and tires. As I said in the GLI Quick Spin, the look is either tired and common or tried and true, depending on how much punchy styling you want in your value-oriented compact car. Suffice it to say the Jetta is fairly invisible and flies under the radar well. It’s also offered in some pretty colors, including my test car’s blue finish. A Hyundai Elantra is definitely more dramatic, as is a Kia K4. Even the Toyota Corolla looks fresher than the latest Jetta, but the VW has a clean, attractive look that’s more mature than some.
Surprisingly Peppy for So Few Horses
The powertrain for the Jetta hasn’t changed; it’s still powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out just 158 horsepower and 184 pounds-feet of torque, which doesn’t sound like a lot for a turbocharged engine these days. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission (the previously available six-speed stick shift is now available only on the GLI) that drives the front wheels. There’s no all-wheel-drive version of the Jetta, and there’s no hybrid model, either.
Even with so few horses and middling torque numbers, the Jetta feels surprisingly quick and peppy. The eight-speed automatic shifts quickly to make the most of those horses, and it’s tuned well, keeping the boost on boil to make the Jetta feel quick and responsive. It’s a surprisingly good powertrain given the numbers on paper, and it rewards you with its drivability around town and on the highway.
Combine that with its excellent ride and handling balance, and the Jetta continues to please as a budget European-style sedan despite the fact that it’s now almost exclusively designed to cater to North American tastes. There’s a sophistication to its suspension despite the low-cost torsion beam at the rear in place of the GLI’s more expensive (but more responsive) multilink setup. The 18-inch wheels and tires on the SEL model I tested aren’t as aggressive as the sportier rubber on the GLI, but they provide a quiet, supple ride without eliciting any tire chirping when you take corners a bit more energetically. Like most compact sedans, the Jetta tends toward understeer, but that’s only if you’re really driving it hard — which is only likely if you’ve opted for the GLI performance variant. Braking performance, meanwhile, is strong, and the pedal is communicative. Drive it calmly, like a typical owner or commuter, and the Jetta will reward you with a solid experience, as do most VWs. If you need some extra oomph or vim, step up your game and opt for a GLI; it’s still a performance bargain even if it isn’t quite as sharp as it used to be.
New Interior Bits, Plenty of Content
The local Volkswagen organization seems to have had a bit of say in this Jetta refresh. The 2025 car has an updated dash and multimedia system that differs from some of the latest global VW stuff — in good ways. An 8-inch touchscreen is now standard in all trims, and while it’s not terribly big as far as screen real estate goes nowadays, it functions well, and there are still knobs and touch-sensitive buttons for many of the Jetta’s controls; not everything has been incorporated into the screen as it has in the Atlas and ID.4 SUVs. The climate controls have gone touch-sensitive, but it’s a better setup than we’ve seen in other new VWs like the ID.4. The Jetta’s is at least backlit and has big control surfaces. It works well.
The Jetta’s multimedia system is simple and easy to use; you won’t have to consult the owner’s manual or YouTube to figure out how to do things like change the radio station. (We’re still frustrated with our last Atlas SUV experience, in case that wasn’t obvious.) Hyundai and Kia have more sophisticated systems, with bigger screens and better graphics, but there’s something to be said for a small, simple and straightforward system, too.
The upper dash is new for ‘25, and while it breaks no new ground, it’s clean and well done. The 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster in SEL and GLI models is bright and easy to read. Other trim levels get an 8-inch screen.
All Jettas except the GLI get a steering wheel with actual buttons, too, instead of the GLI’s touch-sensitive controls. It’s a holdover from prior models that we’re not at all mad about.. The rest of the Jetta’s interior is spacious and accommodating, with plenty of backseat room for taller people thanks to the Jetta’s relatively upright cabin and formal sedan roofline. Only the driver’s seating position is something I find fault with, but that’s not unique to the Jetta; many VW seat bottoms aren’t as adjustable as we’d like, with angles that aren’t the most comfortable. Seating materials, however, look premium and well made, with the SEL getting actual leather upholstery.
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Decent Value
More impressive, perhaps, is the amount of content you get in a loaded Jetta SEL. VW has moved options into the trim levels, leaving very few stand-alone options or packages — if you want more content, get a higher trim level. My SEL stickered at $30,225, which is well below the average new-car price these days but still around $7,000 more than a base Jetta. It was loaded, featuring a power driver’s seat with memory, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, a panoramic moonroof, a premium BeatsAudio system, ambient lighting, adaptive cruise control, a spate of safety technologies and more.
Base models are also well-equipped, with 16-inch alloy wheels, cloth seats, the 8-inch touchscreen multimedia system, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated side mirrors and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift. It’s all very competitive with other compact sedan offerings — including the Hyundai Elantra, Kia K4, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla — in terms of price and equipment. That said, most of the competition does outgun the Jetta in the electronics department: The standard multimedia screen in a Kia K4 is 12.3 inches, for instance, and it features a lot more content and more sophisticated software. Some rivals outgun it in the powertrain department, too, including the Mazda3, which comes standard with a 191-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Still others offer hybrid models (Hyundai and Toyota) or AWD (Mazda and Toyota). But for basic, solid and stylish transportation, with a bit of European flavor, the revised 2025 Jetta is worthy of consideration.
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