Hell — The VW Jetta GLI has long lived in the shadow of its sibling, the OG hot hatch Golf GTI. No more.

With a dramatic refresh for the 2025 model year, the once-frumpy GLI is now a lean, mean, fighting machine.

A lean Golf-like fascia has replaced the previous bulbous, Shrek-like nose. The lower red front lip curls with a sense of menace, and full-width taillights and chiseled body stampings communicate the athletic chassis underneath. Add twin-modern digital displays, and Jetta style now matches its value — at $33,940, the loaded GLI Autobahn is a whopping $7,790 cheaper than a comparable GTI Autobahn while offering more interior room for your pals.

Best of all, the 2025 Jetta still offers a manual transmission option coveted by enthusiasts — even as the ‘25 GTI ditches the stick when it goes on sale next spring.

Flying down Hankerd Road south of Hell, I double-clutched into second gear for a 90-degree lefthander onto Glenn Brook Road. Back on the throttle, I upshifted to third before breathing over a blind rise. The V-dub’s shifter is not as tight as competitors Honda Civic or Mazda3, and its longer throw from 2-3 requires a more deliberate shift (on the plus side, especially if you plan on moving to San Francisco, the six-speed stick has hill assist).

You’ll get used to it. Back down to second, I kept the revs in the meat of the rev band (4,000 RPM) for the 228-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-4, then flattened a series of switchbacks with the beautifully balanced Jetta chassis.

We Yankee enthusiasts love sticks, and manual transmissions account for 40 and 50% of GLI and GTI sales, respectively. Alas, as Europe forces the homogenization of automotive drivetrains (ultimately forcing electric power) via ever-stricter emissions rules, manuals are going the way of the Dodo bird.

Happily for us, the Mexican-made Jetta is a North American-exclusive model (the GTI, on the other hand, is assembled in Germany), and the folks at U.S. headquarters in Reston, Virginia know their customers.

“It’s simply that Golf GTI is a world car, and the only market that wants a manual is North America,” VW America’s PR Director Mark Gillies told our colleagues at Road & Track. “Since we control technical development on the GLI, as it is a (North American Region) car, we were able to retain the manual.”

Long live the manual.

And long live affordable performance cars. Detroit brands have abandoned the affordable small sedan segment for SUVs. Foreign makers, however, still see opportunity in the compact sedan class and offer a chest-full of fun toys. The Jetta GLI competes against the Civic Si, Mazda3 Turbo, Hyundai Elantra N and Toyota GR Corolla — all compelling, $30K-plus upgrades to entry-level sedans.

The base Jetta, too, is better than ever.

The instrument display in the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is configurable.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Since manuals are an enthusiast thing (they no longer offer an advantage in fuel economy), VW has dropped it as an option for the entry-level Jetta. At $23,220, the automatic Jetta S is loaded with standard IQ.Drive goodies like blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control, auto windshield wipers and a fat leather steering wheel. That value package was added for the last-gen 2024 model year and has made the German competitive with class price leaders like the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla while undercutting performance peers like Civic and Mazda3 by two grand. Sales have doubled in the last year.

Rooted to the earth, the steering feel was confidence-inspiring in the $26,200 Jetta SE (my choice of trims in the 1.5-liter, standard Jetta’s lineup of S, Sport, SE and SEL) over the high-speed twisties of Dexter. Dress SE in a Monterey Blue Pearl or Monument Gray wardrobe with the 18-inch Black Wheel Package, and the sedan is one tasty strudel.

The standard turbo-4 mill can’t match the GLI’s  228 horses, 258 pound feet of torque, or multi-link rear suspension — but the SE/Sport/SEL models boast a limited-slip front differential and lowered sport suspension. Combined with the inherent goodness of Volkswagen’s MQB chassis, you’ll get plenty of grins with the standard engine’s 184 pound-feet of torque. It gets better inside.

The standard Jetta actually improves on the athletic GLI’s steering wheel ergonomics.

The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is the only Jetta left with a stick option.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

German automakers like Mercedes and VW have belatedly discovered the same haptic touch features that drove Cadillac owners mad a decade ago. The Golf GTI and Jetta GLI adopted touch steering-wheel controls that look pretty but that are less intuitive to operate at speed.

For 2025, the GTI (which arrives stateside early next year) reverts to the steering wheel found on the standard Jetta. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Readers of these columns know I rank GM wheels highly due to their raised control buttons that allow volume and cruise control speed adjustment without taking your eyes off the road.

The Jetta employs similarly intuitive buttons. What’s more, they also provide buttons for adjusting radio channels and volume by feel.

Alas, the Jetta GLI gets stuck with the steering wheel off the last-gen GTI. No raised buttons. No feel for the volume/speed/channels. It’s one of the few blemishes on an otherwise superb update. Want another? VW still refuses a mute button for the radio.

Look past these quirks and all Jettas have gained a more modern dash design to go with their sculpted exteriors. After entertaining myself through Hell’s twisties, I cruised effortlessly behind midday Washtenaw County traffic, scanning news and music stations on the new eight-inch tablet touchscreen display mounted high on the dash.

It’s flanked by useful menu buttons and knobs, and my favorite SE trim includes wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and wireless charging so I could navigate to my destination. On the GLI, heated steering and heated-and-cooled automatic leather seats also comes standard.

And front-wheel-drive handling from the gods.

Exiting Glenn Brook onto Patterson Lake Road, I matted the throttle and the electronic front differential put 258 pound-feet-of-torque to the ground beautifully. No slip. No torque-steer.

The GLI leaped forward, the Dynamic Chassis Control system electronically adjusting the shocks to absorb Patterson Lake’s undulating surface. Third gear. Fourth gear. Let the big dog run.

Love ya’, hot hatch GTI. But for thousands less, I love the 2025 GLI pocket rocket, too.

Next week: The classic Alfa Romeo 4C

2025 Volkswagen Jetta/Jetta GLI

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact sedan

Price: Base price $23,220, including $1,225 destination charge ($26,200 SE, $30,225 SEL and $33,940 GLI as tested)

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder (Jetta); 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder (GLI)

Power: 158 horsepower, 184 pound-feet of torque (Jetta); 228 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (GLI)

Transmission: Six-speed manual (GLI only); seven-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.1 sec. (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 126 mph

Weight: 3,217 pounds (GLI)

Fuel economy: EPA 30 city/41 highway/34 combined; 27 city/36 highway/30 combined (GLI manual)

Report card

Highs: Looks to match handling, long live the GLI stick

Lows: No mute button, rubbery manual shifts

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Minneapolis — Hell has frozen over. The Chevrolet Equinox is cool.

The brand’s compact-class SUV was a reliable flavor of vanilla its first three generations. For 2025, it’s added Chunky Monkey Peanut Butter Rocky Road Chocolate Crunch to the recipe. I suppose this was predictable. After all, the entry-level Chevy Trax was my 2024 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year, transforming the brand’s entry-level meh-mobile into an affordable, gotta-have-it entry-level ute.

And Equinox’s big brother Traverse has suddenly become one of the hottest SUVs on the planet after years as a three-row wallflower.

Credit Chevrolet’s brainstorm to inject its SUV lineup with truck DNA. The coolest thing about Chevrolets after all are the pickups (well, after the Corvette, but modeling Equinox after a mid-engine, two-door supercar didn’t make sense) — the big, bad Colorado and Silverado.

So Equinox rummaged around the pickups’ western, cowboy wardrobe, and — voila! — cool, dude.

Chiseled bod. Wider, high-noon stance. Bold face. Squared-off wheel arches. Activ trim with off-road rubber. Dress it in Cacti Green. All that’s missing is a scarf and cowboy hat.

“Chevy couldn’t mail it in anymore,” said Paul Waatti, an auto analyst with Auto Pacifica. “The segment is just too strong.”

True enough. The Toyota RAV4, the best-selling SUV in the USA, modeled its most recent generation after Toyota’s best-selling Tacoma midsize pickup. Cue the Equinox’s transformation.

Jump into the saddle of my favorite Equinox Activ model and it keeps getting better.

As a truck wannabe, Activ trim gets a fierce, Silverado-inspired front end, optional all-wheel drive for Michigan winters, shark-fin C-pillar and all-terrain tires wrapped around 17-inch rims. If you prefer the LT or RS trims, they loom over you with Colorado-inspired fascias. Dude, I told you this beast was cool.

With Activ’s rims protected by beefy, tall, all-terrain sidewalls, I galloped around Metro Minneapolis without fear of destroying them in random potholes. Minneapolis was littered with short-summer-season road construction but it’s nothing compared to Metro Detroit, where roads are so bad we’re basically off-roading through potholes, expansion joint cracks and asphalt washboards.

With its white roof and staple wheels, the Activ preened. But enough about options. The standard stuff is where Equinox really shines.

If the tires protected me — WHUMP! — from the odd pothole on Minneapolis’s still-recovering-from-2020-riots south side, then standard, state-of-the-art electronics protected me from other four-wheeled creatures.

Merging onto the Twin Cities’ I-94 race track, blind-spot assist helped me do so safely. Once at speed, I punched adaptive cruise control on the steering wheel and settled into a highway gallop. Chevy has always been a class leader in ergonomics and Equinox is no exception.

I controlled ACC — without distracting my eyes from the road — with raised buttons on the steering spoke. Toggle to advance speed 1 MPH, loooong hold to advance 5 MPH. Want Google Maps navigation screen in front of you? Cycle through different screen views. Want to switch radio stations? Toggle the UP and DOWN buttons on the back left of the steering wheel. Adjust volume? Toggle the twin buttons on the right side. Want to store your bag of McDonald’s fries for later? Slip it into the cargo bay under the cubby-loaded console, thanks to the electronic shifter located — Mercedes-style — on the steering column.

But wait, there’s more: Automatic emergency braking, pedestrian/bicyclist braking, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic braking and auto front ejection seats (kidding about that last one).

This treasure chest of standard equipment costs just $29,995 in the base LT model, which lagged my Activ tester only in AWD, panoramic roof and convenience package with goodies like a wireless phone charger.

Useful appliance — wrapped in state-of-the-art design.

I already mentioned the Mercedes shifter, and Equinox has bracketed the cockpit with Merc-like aviator-style, oval vents (also inspired by the now deceased Camaro). Turn the oval left-and-right to adjust air flow. Rotate the orb up or down for air direction. Give that designer an A+.

Between the awesome orbs is a continuous pane of glass occupied by an 11-inch digital instrument display, and 11.3-inch infotainment screen for the center console. The Google Built-in operating system is as intuitive as your phone, and you can even move your favorite icons around the “home page.” The screen sits above a keyboard of climate buttons.

In a class choked with talent like the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-50 and Dodge Hornet, Equinox obsesses on detail. Check out the soft-wrapped door rests for my sharp elbows. Or adjacent storage cubby. Or the storage space for wet shoes between cargo floor and the spare tire. And, of course, Chevy’s stellar JD Power quality rating helps when you’re shopping versus bone-reliable Toyotas.

Detail attention extends to the drivetrain.

LT, Activ and RS are all powered by a competent, 175-horse 1.5-liter turbo-4. AWD optioned on all. A continuously variable transmission flogs FWD, an eight-speed lashes AWD. Both are smooth and unobtrusive thanks to a cabin insulated from road noise. Even those knobby all-terrains didn’t interrupt the cabin’s solace.

Curiously, Chevy’s trucklet doesn’t come with a SPORT mode and accompanying exhaust growl. You know how we cowboys love a bull ride. Instead, AWD models offer paddle shifters behind the steering wheel (don’t confuse them with the radio controls) that are activated by an L (for LOW) button on the steering wheel. Chevy thinks it will come in handy when, say, hauling a 1,500-pound small boat ‘n’ trailer out of the water.

Oh well, Chevy prefers peace — perhaps as a peek at the silent electric future promised by the Equinox EV on the other side of the showroom.

But Equinox ICE won’t make the EV transition any easier. Both cars share the superb Google Built-in operating system and digital screens (the bigger EV has a wider center screen), and my AWD Activ tester dusts the comparable AWD EV in range — 406 miles to 285, not to mention quicker fill-up times.

Equinox get an assist from its Trax sibling — a screaming bargain at $21K — which sports its own Cacti Green Activ model, and is pulling new customers into the brand like a giant ACME magnet. Equinox ICE (or the three-row Traverse) awaits when those buyers need more room.

It’s a handsome stable.

Dismounting after a days’ drive in the Equinox ICE, I looked over my equine’s comfortable saddle and thick, leather-wrapped reins. Were they heated for when the weather turns cold in Minnesota and Michigan?

Seems both features are standard. Of course.

Next week: 2025 VW Jetta

2025 Chevrolet Equinox ICE

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV

Price: $29,995, including $1,395 destination charge ($29,995 LT FWD, $36,395 RS and Activ as tested)

Powerplant: 1.5-liter four-cylinder

Power: 175 horsepower, 184 pound-feet of torque (FWD), 203 pound-feet of torque (AWD)

Transmission: CVT (FWD); eight-speed automatic (AWD)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.0 sec. (Car and Driver est.); towing capacity, 1,500 pounds

Weight: 3,428 pounds (FWD LT)

Fuel economy: EPA 26 city/28 highway/27 combined (FWD); EPA 24 city/29 highway/26 combined (AWD); 452-mile range (AWD)

REPORT CARD

Highs: Bold styling inside and out; bucket-full of standard features

Lows: Steering paddles can be confusing; throatier engine growl on the Activ, please

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Pontiac — The Woodward Dream Cruise is one of the world’s biggest auto events, bringing an estimated 40,000 cars and 1 million spectators to a 16-mile stretch of Metro Detroit’s main street. I love the variety. Unlike other cars shows, the Cruise is free and open to every type of automobile, from vintage milk trucks and Motown muscle cars from the 1960s to current-generation pickups and European exotics.

This year, I took an odd couple to the Dream Cruise: the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and Mazda MX-5 Miata Club, both future classics.

The Mach-E and Miata are automotive bookends representing the diversity of models in the industry today. The Mach-E is an automatic, all-wheel-drive electric vehicle with twin electric motors, four seats, a frunk and more thrust than the Space Shuttle. The Miata, by contrast, is a manual, petrol-powered rear-wheel-drive roadster that seats (barely) two, and is more fun than an inflatable tube on a snow hill.

For all their differences, the two vehicles have their roots in 1960s sports cars. Mach-E is Ford’s first SUV inspired by the Mustang muscle car, and the Miata was inspired by the iconic English Lotus Elan. The pair also offer a chilling glimpse into a dystopian future auto landscape where governments force manufacturers to make only EVs. In 25 years, will internal combustion roller skates like the Miata be banned? A relic of a golden age? Let’s hope not.

For now, these models are a celebration of individual transportation.

Friday fun day

On Friday afternoon, the rains cleared and Mrs. Payne and I rolled toward Woodward for some cruising in the Miata. At a stoplight, we went topless. The car, that is.

The Mazda’s soft top is one of the industry’s engineering marvels. No, it’s not electronic. It doesn’t have a screen, or a dial. But in three seconds, I unhooked it from the windshield and stowed it behind me without getting out of the driver’s seat.

I popped the front latch, pulled the soft top back over my head, and stuffed it into the cubby behind my head. It’s as simple as taking a blanket off your bed in the morning.

I turned off traction control, shifted into first gear and slid the rear end out with controlled throttle as I accelerated onto Woodard’s damp pavement. The short wheelbase Mazda is playful, easily controlled whether on the track or on the road. Like the analog soft top, the old school shifter is crisp and easy to throw.

The Mustang Mach-E is a different kind of giggle.

While the Mustang’s heritage also includes drop-top coupes, the Mach-E doesn’t offer a convertible option. Drop-top EVs like the GMC Hummer have been few. My $64K GT tester, however, let the sun shine in with a panoramic glass roof and was further enhanced with a stylin’ Bronze Appearance package. Incredibly, the GT performance model puts more torque (634 pound-feet vs. 625) to the ground than the King of Mustangs — the $80K supercharged V-8 Mustang Shelby GT500.

I floored the Mach-E and it buried my spinal column in the seatback. Sixty mph blew by in just 3.7 seconds out of the South Boulevard and Woodward stoplight — nearly two seconds quicker than the Miata. Mach-E GT manages this despite tipping the scales at 5,000 pounds — double that of the Mazda. Some of that is due to the Mach-E’s SUV proportions, so that you can take the whole family on a thrill ride.

Let’s blow away this Porsche Boxster, kids!

The roomy cabin of the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

But much of the girth is in the 91-kWh battery pack. The battery is also a big reason the Mach-E costs $20K north of the Mazda. Fans of small sportscars like the Miata shiver when they think of future, battery-powered sportscars due to the massive weight/cost gain that might entail.

Minimalist dashboard

The Mach-E’s cabin is one of my favorite examples of the digital revolution pioneered by Tesla.

Discussion inside the Ford design team was spirited, but ultimately designers went clean sheet — crafting a modern, minimalist dashboard rather than echoing the classic Mustang coupe’s aviation-style cockpit (even the ICE coupe would go big screen when its seventh-generation car debuted in 2023).

Where Tesla showcased a 15-inch horizontal screen in the Model Y, the Mach-E went vertical with its 15.5-inch display. Unlike Tesla, Ford complements the center stack with a small hoodless display behind the steering wheel that gives you essentials like mileage and speed. The operating system synced effortlessly to my phone and I barked directions to the wireless Android Auto system to help me navigate around Woodward’s worst choke points.

The screen is anchored by a huge volume button — the exception to the streamlined touch-screen environment. The icing on the cake? My GT boasted Blue Cruise, Ford’s interstate-only hands-free driving assistance system for when I exited Woodward onto I-696.

In keeping with its analog, driver-focused experience, the Mazda is spare on electronic wizardry — even eschewing adaptive cruise control that is standard on its sedan and SUV brethren. Still, the Miata’s infotainment system has made big strides.

To the frustration of touch-screen millennials, Mazda has relied on a rotary dial-controlled center screen. But new models like my MX-5 now have a new 8.8-inch touch screen that supports wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. Or you can still use the rotary controller — just like premium brands BMW and Genesis.

Niche vehicle

When it comes to daily driving, the Mach-E sport ute should be the obvious choice. Roomy hatchback, four seats, useful frunk. But Mach-E’s electric powertrain makes it a niche vehicle like the Miata.

Given Mach-E’s charging limitations, most will buy it as a second car for their garage. Install a charger in your garage for around two grand and the ‘Stang is an excellent daily commuter — or Woodward cruiser. Road trips? Not so easy, though Ford’s recent access to Tesla’s reliable charging network is a big help.

The Mazda’s old-school appeal extends to its old-school gas engine. It’ll make effortless round trips to, say, an autocross in Columbia — and that clever soft top allows you to store a suitcase in the boot.

Twenty-five years from now, we’ll know a lot more about the longevity of EV batteries. Will they hopelessly degrade? If so, will it crater residuals? We already know the Miata’s reliability — as evidenced by the 1998 second-generation MX-5s that turned 25 years young on Woodward this year.

Long live the ‘24 Miata and Mustang Mach-E. Long live Dream Cruise variety.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive four-door SUV

Price: $55,890, including $1,895 destination charge ($64,025 as tested)

Powerplant: 91-kWh lithium-ion battery driving twin electric motors

Power: 480 horsepower, 634 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.7 seconds (Car and Driver)

Weight: 4,952 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 280 miles

Report card

Highs: Exhilarating acceleration; state-of the-art tech

Lows: Porky; road-trip charging requires planning

Overall: 3 stars

2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive two-passenger sportscar

Price: $33,650, including $1,165 destination charge ($39,045 Club, manual model as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter four-cylinder

Power: 181 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 6-speed manual; 6-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 140 mph

Weight: 2,368 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 26 city/34 highway/29 combined (manual)

Report card

Highs: The purist’s sportscar; easy drop-top

Lows: Sporty Club suspension can be stiff on Michigan roads; limited storage space

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.