Volkswagen EVs get a lot of coverage, but the company isn’t abandoning gas-powered. Volkswagen introduced the 2025 Jetta and Jetta GLI with new exterior style accents, colors, and wheel choices, plus an updated interior, including a new dash with a floating 8-inch display. Aware of Jetta’s entry-level role in the brand’s model lineup, VW also promises the 2025 Jetta starting price will be lower than the 2024 Jetta with an automatic transmission, which starts at $21,995.
Why the VW Jetta matters
Since its introduction in 1980, the Jetta has been Volkswagen’s best-selling car in North America. VW sells many Jettas to first-time new car buyers, newly graduated college students, and people looking for value in a new car that seats five. VW also views the Jetta as a gateway car for future car sales when owners have positive experiences with their Jettas and are inclined to stay loyal to the VW brand.
Because Jetta is the lowest-priced VW in the U.S., buyers benefit from new features and technologies earlier and at a lower cost than they might with other brands or models. VW hopes to benefit from current and future sales by continuing to attract new customers by updating the Jetta platform and keeping the entry price low for the brand.
New for the 2025 Jetta and Jetta GLI
Notable new features for both the 2025 Jetta and Jetta GLI include:
- New colors and wheel choices
- Revised front fascia with LED headlights
- New trunk lid with a light bar connecting the tail lights
- New dashboard with an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment display
- Standard Climatronic Touch automatic climate control
- Standard IQ Drive has an extensive Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADASs) suite.
The 2025 Jetta’s standard 1.5-liter, 158-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, is carried over from 2024.
For 2025, the Jetta GLI, aka the GTI with a trunk, The sportier GLI, available with either a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission or a six-speed manual, has a sport-tuned engine that makes 228php and 258 lb-ft of torque. The GLI also has larger brakes, an electronically-controlled torque-sensing limited-slip differential, an electronic differential lock, an adaptive damping system, and a sport exhaust system.
VW expects the 2025 Jetta and Jetta GLI will begin to arrive at U.S. dealers in late Q3 2024.
