It’s no secret that cars are becoming an increasingly rare sight in showrooms these days as more and more brands eschew traditional three-box sedans in favor of tall-wagon-SUV-type things. But the ones that remain seem to be furthering a special class: enthusiast sedans. The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is one of a handful of offerings that remain, but what a group of funboxes we still have: the Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N and Subaru WRX. All are priced in the mid-$30,000 range or less, and all offer a manual transmission. Add VW’s Golf GTI if you prefer a hatchback, or the Golf R and Toyota GR Corolla for a bit more money.
But if you’re looking for cheapish speed, rewarding handling, slick good looks and the convenience of four doors, you actually do still have some solid choices. And one of them just got freshened for 2025: the VW Jetta GLI you see here.
Related: 2025 Volkswagen Jetta: Refreshed Looks, Affordable Price
The changes for 2025 apply to all of the Jetta line, which gets some trim and content simplification, but the nice part about the Jetta versus the related Golf hatchback is that the Jetta is largely a North America-only product, which gives the local VW corporate office a bit more control over its content and equipment. This is why the Jetta GLI still has a manual transmission, whereas the Golf GTI now does not anywhere in the world. VW says 30% of Jetta GLI buyers opt for the stick shift, while globally, manual-transmission Golf GTI buyers were a mere fraction of that. So congrats, America, you actually did save the manuals — at least for now, in this model.
A (Mildly) Fresh Look
For 2025, the cosmetic changes to the Jetta are minor, and they’re shared among all variants. There’s a new front bumper and grille with a much larger lower portion, a slimmer upper section and a light bar on some trims. Out back, a full-width taillight panel now adorns the trunk lid, tying the edges of the car together with a wider look. You’ll have to park the new GLI next to the old one to tell what’s changed, and even then, it might be tricky to determine which is the new one. A black wheel and roof package is your only cosmetic extra-cost option for the ‘25 Jetta GLI; it basically comes only one way, equipped with the previously optional Autobahn Package. The only other choices you make for a GLI are what color you want and if you want the six-speed manual transmission or the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The look of the car is either tired and common or tried and true depending on how you feel about VW’s sedan styling. I personally find it clean, inoffensive and likely to slip under the radar of the local constabulary as I’m blasting down a back road (as long as you don’t get it in a loud paint color). Part of the beauty of a hotted-up compact sedan is its ability to blend into the crowd and appear as just a cheap commuter car regardless of what’s under the hood.
Still a Joy to Drive
What’s under the hood hasn’t changed for 2025, either. The GLI only comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making a stout 228 horsepower and 258 pounds-feet of torque. It’s sent to the front wheels via either the six-speed manual or seven-speed “DSG,” or direct-shift gearbox — technically an automated manual transmission, but for all intents and purposes, it’s an automatic that has the capacity to shift more rapidly than a traditional torque-converter-equipped automatic transmission. My test vehicle for a brief spin around the back roads of Ann Arbor, Mich., was a manual-equipped version, but VW lets you choose your transmission for free — the automatic doesn’t cost anything extra.
I picked the manual for the test because of its novelty, and you should, too. It’s an easy-to-use, super-forgiving transmission that even beginners should be able to pick up on quickly with a little training and practice. Clutch engagement is smooth and progressive, the shift quality is easy and loose, and the overall experience adds an extra bit of fun in what is already a very entertaining car. Driving a stick gives you something to do when you’re driving in addition to pushing the pedals — you’re part of the experience, working with the machine, bringing your own inputs and efforts into the process of creating motion. But it’s motion as entertainment, not just motion as transportation, and that’s why a manual transmission is something a small but dedicated group of people insist on having in a vehicle. If you haven’t tried one (and chances are you haven’t) and you consider yourself any kind of driving enthusiast, I implore you to find a friend who’ll teach you — or watch our video tutorial — and have a go at it.
In the Jetta GLI, it just adds to the experience. It’s not quicker than the automatic or that much more fuel-efficient, but it is without question more fun. The acceleration from the turbo four is quite brisk and appropriate for the sporting nature of the car — not head-snapping, but plenty grin-inducing, and not so crazy-quick that it scares anyone. The power is usable from this turbo engine, encouraging you to wind it out and enjoy the (piped-in) sound of the engine when switched into Sport mode on the central touchscreen. The only thing it’s missing that can be found on competitors like the Hyundai Elantra N is downshift rev-matching, a welcome feature that assists even more in spirited driving.
The suspension, which features front struts and a rear multilink setup, provides an excellent balance between sporty responses and well-damped ride quality. The fact that the wheels are only 18-inchers and not something bigger is a testament to Volkswagen keeping the GLI appropriate to its mission and beautifully balanced between sport and usability; bigger wheels and tires would be heavier and ride quality would suffer, but what’s fitted to the Jetta GLI works perfectly. The GLI comes with an electronically controlled torque-vectoring differential, as well, and it works well to keep the car on the line you’ve chosen while dealing with any torque steer from acceleration out of a bend.
The Jetta GLI isn’t the crispest, razor’s-edge kind of sports sedan, but instead an excellent upgrade in the “fun” department from the base Jetta. People seeking a more serious sports experience might want to look instead at a Honda Civic Type R or Hyundai Elantra N, but the Jetta GLI stacks up quite well against the popular Honda Civic Si.
The New Interior
One of the other benefits of keeping a lot of local control over the Jetta’s design and manufacturing in particular is the ability to influence the interior, and this is evident in the multimedia system that’s now standard in the car for 2025. It’s a floating-style 8-inch touchscreen that these days isn’t terribly big in terms of screen real estate, but it keeps some dedicated buttons and knobs for its controls, so we applaud this move. Other VW multimedia systems, like the one in the Atlas SUV, are awful — hard to use, not intuitive, and they incorporate nearly every control in the screen as VW follows the global trend of making everything a touchscreen. Not so in the new GLI, however, and while the operating system isn’t quite as advanced as what’s in your average Hyundai these days, it’s easily on par with Honda or Mazda.
The upper part of the dash is what’s new for 2025, and it’s a clean, high-quality design that works just fine. Smartphone connectivity is quick and easy, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are present for even more familiarity. A 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster that’s reconfigurable to a few different views is also standard, and it’s also bright and easy to read. The new Climatronic touch-sensitive climate-control panel is also standard, but surprisingly, I don’t hate it. It’s simple, bright and easy to use — and backlit, too, unlike what we’ve inexplicably seen in other VW models. Overall, the Jetta GLI’s interior feels familiar, comfortable and easy to use.
The only quibbles I have would be with the seating position and touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls; like many VW sedans and hatchbacks, seat adjustability is limited despite its power operation, and it feels like the seat cushions are too high and too angled. And the steering wheel’s touch-sensitive controls make it easy to accidentally activate something or change a setting while you’re driving spiritedly. The traditional buttons on the regular Jetta’s steering wheel are better.
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A Performance Bargain?
There’s just one price for the ‘25 Jetta GLI: $33,940 (all prices include destination fees), unless you opt for the Black Package that brings a black roof, mirrors and wheels for $650 more. There are no extra-cost options, it just comes loaded. This is an eminently reasonable price for this highly equipped, immensely entertaining, roomy and comfortable compact sports sedan.
A 2025 Honda Civic Si starts a bit less at $31,045, but it only comes with a manual transmission (no automatic option is available), and though it has standard matte-black wheels, its optional black wheels are a more hefty $1,600. A manual-transmission Hyundai Elantra N rings in at $34,850, and it brings with it a more powerful 276-hp turbocharged engine, 19-inch wheels, leather-and-simulated-suede-trimmed seats and a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen with a much richer multimedia experience. It’s a bit pricier than the Jetta GLI — especially with the Hyundai’s optional dual-clutch automatic, which adds $1,500 — but it’s also a bit more raw and in-your-face than the calmer Jetta GLI. For enthusiasts looking for a fun combination of refined daily driver and back-road entertainer, the Jetta GLI is a great option, and a good value, as well.
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