First Drive: 2025 Volkswagen Jetta

The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta refresh is a cosmetic job, and one that seems entirely designed to aid the sedan’s marketability. That said, the improvements to the car’s façade and interior combine to create a more modern, polished package that belies its position as the brand’s gateway vehicle.

Contributing to the fresh appearance are new grille designs, headlights and available light bar up front, along with a clean new trunk lid and light bar in the rear. On the Sport package in the mid-level Comfortline trim, the grille, window surrounds and mirror caps are blacked out, while on the top level GLI the blacked-out grilles form a honeycomb pattern and red detailing that are meant to create an association with the VW GTI hatch.

All this is available in new blue and grey exterior paint colours, along with distinct new 17-and 18-inch wheels designs at each trim level.

Interior design updates include two-tone surfaces on all trim levels but the base, eliminating the “coal bin effect” found in previous models, said Patrick Danielson, director, product planning and brand strategy at Volkswagen Group Canada. All models get an eight-inch floating touchscreen along with a revised dash design, wireless charging, dual zone climate control and the myVW app, with its connected services.

The new look is sleek. It sets the VW apart from others in the competitive compact sedan set – like the Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3 and Honda Civic – with a more mature, sophisticated appearance.

This all makes sense from a marketing perspective. While the Jetta is not the least costly car in the compact sedan segment, its buyers boast the highest median income of shoppers who buy in it. Jetta buyers also skew a little older, and more male than competitors.

According to Danielson, this is an important segment for the brand. More than 60 percent of Jetta buyers move into another VW when they outgrow the sedan, primarily buying into the SUV lineup.

This update, he noted, is intended to keep the product fresh, and decisions on trim features were made with affordability in mind. A quarter of Jetta buyers opt for the entry level Trendline, which retails for $25,795 (plus freight), the majority choose the mid-level Comfortline, and a third drive away in a top-of-the-line GLI.

“As the entry to the brand you have to start somewhere,” said Thomas Tetzlaff, Volkswagen Group Canada public relations manager. “It’s all well and good to have a $35,000 car, but some people can’t get there and they don’t want to buy a used car.”

For the money Jetta buyers – across all trims – are getting good value. This is a car that upholds the German engineering pedigree that VW has come to be known for. Nothing under the skin has been changed with this refresh, and drivers will experience the same excellent road manners that the Jetta has demonstrated since its last major update.

All are built on the MQB chassis. The Jetta trims have a torsion beam rear suspension, while the GLI has a multi-link setup. The Jetta is powered by a 1.5-litre turbo 4-cylinder that produces 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

It’s also gratifying to see VW retaining the manual transmission in the GLI, and at the same price point as the automatic. The GLI powerplant is the EA888 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, which makes 228 hp and 258 lb-ft. The automatic is a seven-speed DSG.

All this adds up to a responsive vehicle. Steering is light and compliant, and even at the base trim, the Jetta hugs the pavement. Acceleration is what you’d expect from a small four-banger turbo – acceptable but not super. It’s not particularly quiet, however, with quite a bit of road noise and vibration transmitted through the body and suspension. It is a comfortable ride, if a little stiff, a common attribute of every VW car I’ve driven.

Visibility all round is excellent, there’s plenty of room for driver and passengers, both front and rear, and the trunk is spacious enough that a growing family could get away on a road trip without too much stuff needing to be jammed in a box on the roof.

The GLI, as expected, is a different creature. The bigger engine and manual transmission make for a thoroughly enjoyable package, especially in a car you can buy for $35,000. It’s sporty enough to be fun on twisty roads, and calm enough to be a capable commuter. It’s a car that can make you smile as the driver and appreciate its refinement as a passenger.

For Volkswagen Canada it’s a car that they hope will continue to show the kind of sales growth it’s experienced in the past year. While it’s the fifth best seller in the segment, it has also seen an 85 percent sales bump since July 2023, a trend that seem likely to continue with this update for 2025.