I have had a lot of test vehicles this year... but this is the first press car I can remember in a while. This is the refreshed-for-2025 Volkswagen Jetta in its top SEL trim, and it is one of a dwindling number of honest-to-God sedans left on the market. This one even gets a real color: Monterey Blue Pearl! By the simple virtue of being an actual car painted an actual color, I'm already a bit smitten.
For 2025, the Jetta's updates are mild. Slightly updated front and rear fascias with new LED lights, new paint colors (including the blue hue of my test VW), mildly changed interior bits and bobs, and a larger touchscreen for lower trims comprise the bulk of the changes. Sadly, the manual transmission has disappeared entirely; now the 158-horsepower 1.5-liter turbo-four is paired solely to an eight-speed automatic, regardless of trim level.
The SEL is on the pricier side of the sedan market, with this fully loaded test car punching in at $30,225. That puts some sportier sedans—such as the Honda Civic Si—within striking distance, and as an adrenaline-seeking 29-year-old, tuned-up compacts will always be where my heart lies. But the Jetta's base price is just $23,220, which makes it one of the cheapest options left on an increasingly expensive market. That's hard to dislike.
And from what I can tell based on a few short drives, it is truly frugal. So far I'm also absolutely loving the fuel mileage I'm seeing. The size of the Jetta is easy to intuit and has made piloting it through city streets a breeze. Part of that is just the fact that it's a small car, to be sure, but the sight lines are quite good. It doesn't feel like sitting in a high-belted coffin, like some modern cars. I could see this making an excellent first new car for someone; it's easy to drive, it's not expensive, it's pretty comfy. What else could you want?
Let me know what else you would want, and what you'd like to know, and I'll do my best to answer in the comments or in the full review.
What’s Good So Far?
- It's a relatively inexpensive fuel-efficient sedan. It could accomplish nothing else and I'd still be thrilled with it.
- The interior is comfortable and the sight lines seem great. Overall, I'd call it quite ergonomic, except...
What’s Bad So Far?
- ...The new climate-control interface does away with buttons and knobs and replaces them with a flat slab of capacitive-touch plastic that provides zero feedback. It is frustrating to use and feels cheap.
- The eight-speed automatic is a little slow to respond to throttle inputs.
