In 2024, I drove some 30-odd vehicles, enough for most of them to blend together into a hazy mush. There are exceptions, of course, but the infinite sea of gray SUVs is almost indistinguishable in my memory. But as a city dweller, they almost all suffer from the same problems: They’re too big for Seattle’s narrow streets, difficult to parallel park, and have poor visibility (especially for pedestrians). Not to mention they are generally quite boring to drive.
So when a bright blue 2025 Volkswagen Jetta ended up in my parking spot for a week, it was an immediate standout. It isn’t the perfect car, but it is a car, and that alone made it one of my favorite drives of last year.
| Quick Specs | 2025 Volkswagen Jetta SEL |
| Engine | Turbocharged 1.5-Liter Inline-Four |
| Output | 158 Horsepower / 184 Pound-Feet |
| Efficiency | 29 City / 40 Highway / 33 Combined |
| Base Price / As Tested | $23,220 / $30,225 |
| On-Sale Date | Now |
The Jetta is mildly refreshed for 2025, although under the skin it’s still the same MK7 platform that debuted in 2018. The turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder still puts out 158 horsepower, and the eight-speed automatic is the only transmission. VW killed the manual on all Jetta trims outside of the sporty GLI.
The Jetta is remarkably efficient, with 33 combined city/highway miles per gallon; I hit this number easily in my top-trim SEL test car. Base buyers get this drivetrain, too, and for a starting price of just $23,220—which makes the Jetta one of the cheapest cars on sale in 2025—it’s fantastic.
Pros: It's An Actual Sedan, It's Painted In An Actual Color, Still More Enjoyable To Drive Than Most SUVs
Almost as impressive as the Jetta’s price is how lively the turbo motor feels when it’s not lugging four thousand pounds of metal. A curb weight of just a touch over 3,000 pounds makes it feel markedly more exciting than many of the larger vehicles I’ve driven recently. Sixy miles per hour happens in just over 7 seconds, which isn’t necessarily quick, but the low ride height makes that journey off the line much livelier than an equivalent SUV.
Despite the torsion-bar rear suspension, the ride is comfortable enough for the price point and doesn’t feel completely numb or floaty when hucking the Jetta through an off-ramp. The steering is more relaxed, but again—it turns out low-strung steering in a car is more engaging than tensed-up, twitch-reflexes in a crossover.
Let’s be honest: The Jetta is about as mundane a sedan as it gets, and I found myself having genuine fun in it. Why?
I’m convinced most of the Jetta’s fun factor comes down to seating position and cabin design. The driver is low to the ground—thanks, sedan ride height—and is also low relative to the cabin floor. Your legs are outstretched, your heels sit in front, and your hands closer to chin level. It feels dynamic at rest—like many performance sedans of yore. Throw in the Jetta’s big, airy greenhouse, and when in motion, you see more: more pavement, more motion blur. The sensation of speed is heightened.
With all of these sedan factors well played up, the Jetta feels lively even at low speeds. And, when I was faced with parallel parking in Seattle, it felt easier than it has in any car I’ve had in ages. Sure, the Jetta has a relatively short 105.7-inch wheelbase and a tight 35.8-foot turning circle, but I could also see out of it. Rear-view cameras and 360-degree displays are helpful, but nothing matches being able to intuit the size and shape of a vehicle easily. The quickest route to that is simply visibility.
Cons: Ponderous Eight-Speed Automatic, Terrible Touch-Capacitive Controls, Awkwardly Positioned Infotainment Screen
The Jetta still has all of the modern conveniences that make life actually easier, mind you. An 8.0-inch touchscreen and CarPlay/Android Auto are standard; the SEL model I tested had heated and ventilated front seats and a bass-heavy but enjoyable Beats-branded 9-speaker sound system. It’s still got comforts; it’s just not a crossover.
The rest of the Jetta has some remarkable traits for the small sedan class (cargo volume is excellent for a small sedan, at 14.1 cubic feet of trunk capacity) as well as some disappointing ones (the new capacitive-touch HVAC controls are finicky and vastly worse than last year’s buttons), but at its core, it is a very well-executed sedan.
Throw in the fact that the new-for-2025 Monterey Blue Pearl finish (seen on my test car) is a no-cost option available on all trims, and it is an actual affordable car that can come painted in an actual honest-to-God color.
For me, that’s damn memorable.
Competitors:
Volkswagen Jetta
