2025 Volkswagen Jetta: Gunning for Fourth Place

Ann Arbor, Michigan—Small, affordable cars have been dropping like flies for the past decade. Some makes have left the segment altogether, while others have decided to pay much less attention to it. SUVs and crossovers have taken over, as you know, but not everyone is ready to embrace them. For many people still, a sedan is the way to go.

The Volkswagen Jetta can please small families and singles alike, including students, which is probably why the automaker chose Ann Arbor in Michigan—home of many universities and colleges—to host the media launch of the refreshed 2025 model. Canadian executives on hand told us they expect to go from fifth place to fourth place on compact car sales charts.

• Also: Refreshed 2025 Volkswagen Jetta Loses Stick Shift Except in GLI Trim
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Only One Transmission Left

The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is the latest car in the segment to axe its manual transmission, joining the sportier Golf GTI and Golf R. That means the turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine (158 hp, 184 lb-ft) is now mated exclusively to an eight-speed autobox. Power is still routed to the front wheels only. There is no AWD option, let alone a hybrid variant.

Think the company should have stuck with the three-pedal unit a bit longer? Let’s face it, beyond the realm of sports cars, manual transmissions have pretty much gone extinct. Sad, but true.

Instead of focusing on acceleration, the turbo-four delivers exemplary fuel economy, as evidenced by estimated ratings of 8.4 L/100 km in the city, 6.1 L/100 km on the highway and 7.4 L/100 km combined. More demanding drivers always have the sportier and punchier Jetta GLI, which you can read about in a separate review coming up soon.

Successful Lifting

Another change for 2025 is the revised front fascia. Many folks would agree that the outgoing Jetta wasn’t such a great looker, but this new model sports a more attractive design with a slimmer grille between the headlights and a massive one below. A U-shaped silver accent emphasizes the car’s wide stance and adds a touch of colour to the front end. Nice. The updated signature of the daytime running lights is pretty sharp, too.

Elsewhere, it’s no surprise that Volkswagen redesigned the wheels, which stand at 16 inches in base Trendline trim, 17 inches on Comfortline models and 18 inches when it comes to the Comfortline with Sport Package or the top-grade Highline.

In the rear, the 2025 Jetta’s taillights beautifully blend with a light bar that features “JETTA” lettering in the middle. The thin LED strip has also evolved in the process. By the way, the compact German sedan can be specified in eight different body colours including new Monterey Blue Pearl and Alpine Grey (the Jetta GLI offers just five colour options).

Mild Evolution Inside

The interior hasn’t really changed. You’ll still find a driver-oriented touchscreen on the centre stack, except that it’s now eight inches in size and standard on every Jetta. Alas, the sleek digital display in front of the driver is exclusive to the two most upscale models.

A lot of drivers aren’t too fond of haptic controls in the latest Volkswagen models. Here we have a more conventional interface with physical shortcut buttons on either side of the touchscreen, meaning you don’t have to rely on touch control to adjust the volume of the stereo, for one thing. The infotainment system isn’t the most advanced out there, but it’s still fairly responsive to input, making navigation through the various apps and settings rather simple and hassle-free.

The Climatronic panel below replaces the usual HVAC knobs with touch controls, no matter which model you select. The rest of the dashboard is basically the same as before, although designers have incorporated horizontal stripes that seamlessly merge with the air vents at each corner.

Oh, that’s right, customers can also enjoy new two-tone interior themes. The entry-level Jetta Trendline features a Black and Anthracite Grey combo, while the mid-grade Comfortline sports handsome Atlantic Blue and Storm Grey leatherette. The middle section in MicroCloud feels eerily similar to suede. As for the luxurious Highline, genuine leather highlights the cabin.

Other than that, the Jetta continues to shine with generous rear-seat space and a very spacious trunk.

How’s the Drive?

We quite enjoyed our time with a manual 2024 Jetta a few months back, but what about its automatic-only 2025 successor? Truth be told, we miss the stick-shift option, but Volkswagen’s eight-speed autobox is so effective at what it does that we can forgive the company for eliminating the former—and so should most Jetta customers.

In case we need to repeat ourselves, the standard Jetta is no powerhouse. Rather, it’s about comfortable and efficient commuting. You can have a bit of fun with the German sedan if you start to push it, mind you, with the automatic transmission showing a willingness to play along.

Steering is light and precise, and we just loved to grab that steering wheel. Meanwhile, the ride is somewhat stiff due to the solid rear axle. Luckily, the overall driving experience is not excessively compromised as a result. The sound of the turbocharged four-banger is miles away from the original Jetta, but it doesn’t really matter in the end because the interior is surrounded by relatively effective sound-deadening material.

Our Verdict

Starting at $25,795, the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is a tad more expensive than its predecessor, but do we need to remind you again there’s no manual gearbox to lower the base price? What’s more, standard content is more generous. Will that be enough to push the Jetta into fourth place in compact car sales in Canada? Time will tell.