The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Is a Last Bastion of Affordable Fun

I’m a simple guy who likes simple things, and the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is the type of car that tickles every part of my lizard brain. Driving the updated GLI for the last week, I’ve had to remember that drive modes other than Sport exist—especially with passengers in the car.

With VW’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder EA888 engine under the hood, the GLI still makes 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque—the same as last year. It’s enough power to engage the car’s stability at launch or traction control through a corner, with the limited-slip differential helping sort it all out.

The 2025 GLI is the only Jetta available with a six-speed manual. My test car had the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with paddle shifters instead, which was fine. It’s the gearbox that about 70 percent of GLI customers opt for, anyway.

Sport Mode awakens the throttle response, stiffens the standard Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive dampers, increases the sound of the exhaust note inside the cabin, and holds the revs high in anticipation of your right foot. Never once did I feel the transmission shift up a gear too early, and it’s always eager to shift down when needed. It enhances all the noises I love to hear, too—sorry, neighbors.

Normal, Comfort, and Eco Modes still work as advertised, taming the suspension, throttle response, and exhaust note. Your passengers will appreciate them, but I barely remember they existed when I laid into the throttle, soaking up the sound of the turbo and waiting for the pops and burbles from the exhaust. Even if the piped-in engine noise is a bit raspy, it’s still awesome.

VW only made minor updates to the exterior of the Jetta line, including the GLI, for 2025. It has a revised fascia and a few new wheel options, with the GLI getting a fresh 18-inch wheel design and a light-bar grille. The most significant changes are inside.

The Climatronic Touch automatic climate controls are now standard across the entire Jetta range. The lack of tactile buttons or switches forces you to take your eyes off the road when adjusting the HVAC, and even though there are indentations for the temperature and fan speed controls, they’re not defined enough to instill much confidence when reaching for them.

Anthony Alaniz / Motor1

Anthony Alaniz / Motor1

And even if you do put your finger in the right places, it’s hard to tell what you’re accomplishing without looking at the sliders. But I don’t despise using them like I thought I would. Being able to slide your finger across a capacitive touch surface is neat, but taking your eyes off the road to do it is not.

The glossy buttons on the steering wheel aren’t as frustrating to use, but Volkswagen is moving away from that wheel design in the GLI. The Jetta also gets the free-standing 8.0-inch infotainment screen in the redesigned instrument panel, which is big enough for the sedan, but I did find myself accidentally switching between screens when reaching for the small-ish volume knob. The tweaked interior is nice, but the cabin is starting to feel dated in this competitive segment.

Anthony Alaniz / Motor1

Volkswagen didn’t rewrite the Jetta’s formula for 2025. Not that it needed to. This is the seventh-generation sedan’s second refresh since 2018, and the GLI remains an engaging, practical sedan with a turbocharged engine tuned for affordable fun.

The car seats five, has a spacious trunk (compared to the Mustang my family fills up every week grocery shopping), and comes equipped with drive modes your mother will love, all for just $33,940 with the $1,225 destination fee included. There’s no need to spend $50,000 on a boring crossover when this thing exists, and you can bomb down suburban streets like a menace without getting yourself into ticket territory.

Buyers will only have two choices when purchasing the new GLI: Picking their transmission and deciding whether to add the $650 Black Package. Both the manual and automatic-equipped GLIs have the same starting price. The regular Jetta is cheaper to start for 2025, at $23,220. The updated Jetta and Jetta GLI will go on sale toward the end of the third quarter this year.