{"id":33297,"date":"2024-09-06T20:25:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-07T00:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33297"},"modified":"2024-09-06T20:25:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T00:25:52","slug":"payne-affordable-jetta-vast-fast-and-at-last-fetching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/payne-affordable-jetta-vast-fast-and-at-last-fetching","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Affordable Jetta vast, fast, and (at last) fetching"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hell<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The VW Jetta GLI has long lived in the shadow of its sibling, the OG hot hatch Golf GTI. No more.<\/p>\n

With a dramatic refresh for the 2025 model year, the once-frumpy GLI is now a lean, mean, fighting machine.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With a leaner, more sculpted front and rear fascia – and dressed in Montery Blue Pearl – the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is a looker. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Best of all, the 2025 Jetta still offers a manual transmission option coveted by enthusiasts \u2014 even as the \u201825 GTI ditches the stick when it goes on sale next spring.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
\n
The lean, crisp lines of the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n

Long live the manual.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 all compelling, $30K-plus upgrades to entry-level sedans.<\/p>\n

The base Jetta, too, is better than ever.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
The instrument display in the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta is configurable.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n