Ah, the mid-cycle facelift, a mainstay of automotive product planning. Some facelifts are good and wholly revitalize a car. Just look at the 2020 Genesis G90, for example. Some facelifts are really bad, and actually make a car less appealing — that would be the 2000 Hyundai Tiburon. However, every so often, an automaker unveils a facelift that’s merely underwhelming. Well, the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is here, and it’s here to elicit sighs.
Now, let’s get this out of the way — I’m far more of a lover than a hater. I loved it when, for 1999, Volkswagen made the Jetta its U.S. moonshot, an attempt at moving the compact car more upmarket than it had ever been before. The Mk4 ignited a firestorm of desirability that carried through to the Mk5, before changes in leadership and changes in plans resulted in the decontented, Americanized Mk6 Jetta of 2011.
Once that brief detour into rental car-dom was over (an adventure not without merit, for the 2.0-liter model was a bargain), the Mk7 Jetta sparked up a flame once again. It was back on the same chassis as the Golf, had a much nicer interior than before, and followed classic sensibilities of being a nice, if conservative, sedan that was always a pleasure — like a warm cup of tea on a crisp autumnal morning. Then the 2025 model had to come along.
Up front, the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is a bit of a mixed bag, but it’s pretty good if you stand back a bit. The new front bumper is excellent, and I applaud the idea of a skinnier grille. However, it’s in both the fine details where things start to fall down. For instance, there’s an available light bar in the front grille, which is only the most ghastly trend in automotive design right now. Unless you’re working with a full-width one-piece front lamp assembly or a Mercury Sable, the results are going to look like cack. At least it’ll distract from the way the headlights meet the body, because it’s not the most graceful meeting of panels.
See, the problem with extending the filler panel above the grille would be that there aren’t provisions to keep it physically attached to the fenders, so we ended up with this slapdash bodge to shove the thing out the door. It’s the sort of amateurish corner-cutting in an area Volkswagen was historically great at that would make Ferdinand Piëch turn in his grave so violently, he alone could supply enough power to illuminate Lower Saxony.
At the same time, the rear of the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is a wholehearted improvement. Not only does the full-length taillight treatment work brilliantly, but the simplified chrome trim on the rear bumper was exactly what the Jetta needed. No notes back here, this is definitely an improvement. So, what happens when we move into the cabin? Let’s first refresh ourselves on what the outgoing Jetta’s interior looked like.
Sure, it’s not the most imaginative cockpit in the world, but it’s sensible, easy to use, features enough soft-touch plastics to not feel like a penalty box, and keeps gloss black fingerprint-attracting surfaces from being absolutely everywhere. Now, care to see the new dashboard in the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta?
Ah. There’s some stuff to unpack here, so let’s start with the infotainment screen situation. Keep in mind, this screen is no bigger than it was on the old model, but it’s integrated far worse, with a chunky bezel that dates the look of the system. The fact that the infotainment unit isn’t even close to the same shape as the bezel isn’t great for aesthetics either, which just makes you wonder why Volkswagen would do this. Probably to fit more irritating glossy black plastic on the dashboard because it’s everywhere now. That’s, uh, not great.
Then there’s the climate control unit situation. Volkswagen has decided that all 2025 Jetta trims should get capacitive-touch sliders, learning absolutely nothing from Cadillac’s CUE debacle of more than a decade ago. I’ve been unlucky enough to experience this panel in a Volkswagen before, and let me tell you, it’s not great for user-friendliness. The old knobs were nigh-on perfect, so why change now? Oh, and while the standard car gets real buttons on its steering wheel, the GLI gets capacitive touch stuff. There’s nothing quite like activating your heated steering wheel mid-autocross run, right?
Exterior styling and cabin design aside, there aren’t any huge changes to the Jetta for 2025. The standard model loses the manual gearbox option, the GLI keeps it, every trim gets an eight-inch touchscreen, and that’s really it. Standard models get the same 158-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as before, the GLI gets the same 228-horsepower two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as before. From a technological standpoint, this is a facelift that didn’t need to happen, but Volkswagen did it anyway.
The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta seems like a missed opportunity. Instead of adding real substance, Volkswagen has taken the manual transmission away from non-GLI models, added moderately infuriating capacitive touch climate controls, and made the interior uglier. It’s irritating to see because Volkswagen has done so much better in the past, and many of these updates seem more annoying than helpful. The 2024 Jetta was lovely, but this one seems a little less so, even if at $23,295 including freight, the new car starts at $165 less than the outgoing base model with the automatic optioned. Oh well.
(Photo credits: Volkswagen)
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Looks Chinese. Very similar to the design language they use on the Lavida and Lamando.
I’m sure piano black trim is sticking around for the same reason touch controls for everything are sticking around: manufacturers think they’re fooling people with a “luxury feature” that’s actually just cheaper to manufacture.
Exterior is a big improvement on this refresh. I always thought the Jetta was one of the least attractive sedans out there and this fixed a lot of my qualms – other than the fit of the wheels in the wheel wells, but whatever. The interior is a huge disappointment. At least they fitted the slightly better touch climate controls from the Tiguan in here rather than force you to use the screen like they do on the Golf and Atlas, but it’s a step backward from the superior HVAC controls that they already had. And I can’t believe I keep seeing the #capacitiveBS steering wheel pop up in revised VW models. It’s a total failure of UI/UX and it’s also a huge problem for VW. My Wife’s ’22 Tiguan has this steering wheel and not only do I hate it, the vehicle is now on its THIRD new steering wheel since leaving the factory because control modules built into the wheel keep failing and disabling either active safety systems or making the heated steering wheel come on at random.
I feel like enthusiasts shit on the 6th gen just because it’s fashionable. It had a lot to offer and was legitimately roomy for an awesome price. I thought it handled pretty darn well despite its “ancient” torsion beam setup. Sure, there were some hard plastics. Big whoop. Mine was full-on Euro-spec with a 6-speed and the “dirty” TDI. I would have kept it had they not offered me so much in the dieselgate settlement to take it back. Oh, and it sold better than any other generation in the US.
I agree. As a newly single dad with two small kids in 2015, I picked up a very affordable 2011 Jetta with the 2.slow. Underpowered? Sure, but the 6-speed auto in sport mode helped. Seriously roomy backseat for the kids, lots of trunk space, decent handling, good gas mileage… and mechanically simple enough that I didn’t have a single issue that I couldn’t address in my own driveway.
I keep forgetting the jetta exists, but I’ve also largely written off most sedans at this point. Passat, too. The arteon is dead, is it not?
The new scowl-look vw design language isn’t great. The catfish whisker treatment in the lower grill isn’t good, either. Put together it looks like the design team was trying to emulate an over-designed vacuum cleaner, and not in a good way.
I believe they have a red rear turn signal or combo brake/turn signal now, rather than an amber rear turn signal. If true, it loses another 1945 design points.
I’d get a Mazda3 if I needed a smaller ICE-powered new sedan. Looks great, drives great, best interior in the segment.
I’m old enough to remember when Jettas were cool.
Now they’re just a Bora.
Thanks for letting me Vento.
I went on a walk yesterday and took note of a current Jetta. And was reminded just how derpy the front end is. Yeah, this is a huge improvement, lightbar or not.
The interior is unfortunate (as most things are) but at this point, I think we should probably take a moment to appreciate that the Jetta exists. We’ll miss it (along with just about all non-crossovers) someday.
100% on point. I dig the exterior tweaks, but f* all that jazz inside.
Ugh, give me a giant touchscreen over capacitative touch controls.
That’s…..not any better…..
It gets rid of the horrible cat fish grill the mk 7 Jetta had. Overall this looks like more of a design language continuation of the mk 6, which was more of a continuation of the mk 4. Both of which had more conservative designs languages, and both of which (unlike the mk 5 and the mk 7) aged very well. There was NOTHING good or special about the mk 7 Jetta, and these design changes are a WELCOME improvement.
Wow…I miss my ’84 Jetta…
I had an ’84 Jetta GLI for eons. One of the very best cars I have ever owed. I would pay really stupid money for a good one today.
Wow, nice! Mine wasn’t a GLI but it was cheap and fun to drive…I got it to learn stick a long time ago. It wasn’t in the best shape but fixed it up a little…eventually it got tired to the point that I decided to just go ahead and have someone put another engine in it and go through everything mechanical…then had a lot of fun on road trips; some cross country
The VW Jetta was THE car for sorority set in the late 1990s well into the 2000s. This doesn’t look like it’ll grab that market.
XC40s and Evoques are taking over, with plenty of the ugly little FWD Benzes too.
You saw a Jetta, you knew the girl was gonna be hot. Then they migrated the the Mazda 3. Past decade or so I don’t know where they migrated to. Or likely, I’m just too old to notice anymore. *shrug*
What’s the deal with having a narrow piece of painted bodywork between the leading edge of the hood and the grill opening? It can’t possibly have any significant cost difference (even among automotive bean counters) and creates an unnecessary extra panel gap to screw up.
Pedestrian safety, potentially
It’s fairly common. I suspect Master P is correct that it’s likely for pedestrian safety, so that there’s a deformable panel before a struck pedestrian would hit the hood or beyond.
No, it’s a nod to old school VW tuners – just Google “VW boser hood”. The only reason they did a trim panel like that is cost – they would have had to completely redesign the hood for a true boser, but in doing this, they save a lot of money only redesigning the grille. And that makes sense on a facelift rather than a full model change.
The Jetta seems like a car that was made because someone told them they had to do it. Every time I see a review, I immediately think of James May’s “Good News! The Dacia Sandero……”. How you made a review of a Jetta somewhat interesting, I will never know. I have not driven one in years, but I just can’t imagine cross shopping similar vehicles and walking away think the Jetta is the best choice.
There really aren’t many relatively economical sedans out there any more. And, in the case of the GLI now, almost none that are sporty-ish that you can buy with a manual transmission. There’s this and the Elantra N/N-Line, I think? I have a 2021 GLI with a stick and I liked it a lot better than the Hyundai at the time I bought it.
Mazda3 comes to mind.
Mazda has been on record saying they they weren’t aiming for the 3 to be sporty, but more toward the premium/entry level luxury end. I’d add in the Civic Si to the mix as a GLI competitor, though.
The front end is a huge improvement over the ghastly bloated mess stuck to the front of the last gen Jetta. I swear that was the ugliest generation Jetta ever, I shuddered a little every time I saw one.
Mildly related… My daughter stopped by in her 2022 Jetta and I couldn’t figure out how to start it to move it. I had to use the flipout fob-key and insert it into the ignition. This was after I spent 30 seconds looking for a start button. (my 2012 Passat had a similar fob and a button).
I think the Jetta is going all Benjamin Button on the inside. That “new”, worse interior looks 2015. If it keeps up, by ~2050 the Jetta will only come with rear defrost, am radio and a 4-speed. Which, to be fair, I would enjoy.
On the outside, this should have been the way the A7 Jetta debuted. It looks so much more aligned with the Mk7.5 Sportwagen than the rest of the current lineup. Disagree that the back looks better; it still has too much overhang for me.
The inside is going to be completely about the capacitive touch crap. How did the Golf, which they sell only ~10k a year, justify dropping the capacitive wheel only to pass it on to the much more successful Jetta? And that climate module… eeew. That’s going to be so annoying to use; I probably adjust fan speed more often than any other vehicle control save for volume.
Sooooooo much piano black in that new interior.
It’s going to look good for about 10 seconds, and then it’ll attract fingerprints, dust and scratches like nobody’s business.
Piano black trim needs to die like fake wood did in the late 2000’s.
I’m sure piano black was sent from hell by satan himself until we repent for our sins
I’d rather have the fake wood. At least the fake wood brings a color other than black to an interior.
….and it doesn’t show dust or scratches half as much a shiny black plastic.
I’d much rather have fake wood. In fact manufacturers have gotten so good at making fake wood it can be difficult telling it apart from the real stuff in certain applications.
Thomas, I haven’t said so in a while only because I’m way behind on my reading… but I just wanted to say thanks for this: even on these more finite, briefer stories, your skill and wit are deeply appreciated.
I’m glad there’s at least the option of a manual on the GLI, but after owning four VWs (the last one an A4 Golf TDI for 23 years) I’m not even remotely tempted to have another. It’d take something a lot more interesting for me to dip a toe in the VW pond again, and those VWs never come to the states.
That front end is giving me angry jeep face vibes and I don’t like it. And that interior is way too shiny. Hard pass.
Yeah, all I can see is where the headlight should be behind the angry eyes
I’ve taken to calling them “constipation face” because that’s generally not a look folks wish to emulate.
The front end is a huge improvement. Makes the car look a hell of a lot more clean and athletic than the pudgy derp face they originally gave it.
I cannot say the same thing about that interior. Good lord.
When I got to the 2025 interior picture, I literally gasped. What in the Corolla hell is this shit?
OTOH, the sheet metal transition to the faceted side of the taillight is goddamn art. Wow.
The exterior is a huge improvement. My wife hates the GLI front end and she bought the car. I guess not having to look at it while driving helps. Not sure why they decided to prop the infotainment screen out of the dash. The flush/inset large screen is one of the nicest things about the GLI. Its such a refreshing change from every car with the tablet stuck to the dash look.
My wife is looking for a new car in this price range. The GLI lookED like a solid contender. The exterior updates are fantastic (mostly because the outgoing model was rather ugly and trying too hard on the outside), but the interior is such a step backwards that I couldn’t imagine us owning it.
I’m starting to wonder if there’s going to be an aftermarket cottage industry where actual controls are sold to plug in place of all this digital stuff. Maybe I should start importing Chevy Colorado headlight switches from overseas to install in USDM trucks for a pretty penny.
I think for cars with a following, this might be a reality. It’s a weird…step backwards in an industry that has typically only moved forwards.
Yeah, it just seems to failure prone to me. Music and car settings sure, but lights, HVAC, those should always be physical switches.
I really don’t think so.
The majority of people treat cars as an appliance and don’t care as long as it works, let alone taking the time to make a modification of their car.
As long as it is “good enough” people don’t give a shit.
Exterior looks nice. It’s like they took a modernized MK6 nose and placed it on the MK7.