Rowing your own is a thing of the past for many automakers, with manuals being replaced by fast-shifting DCTs and torque-converter autos. Over at Volkswagen, the German automaker offers two models with a manual tranny as of June 2024, those being the Jetta and Jetta GLI.
Volkswagen of America has recently posted a teaser of the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta on social media, which pretty much confirms the survival of the row-your-own gearbox for the next-gen model. The red stitching on the boot indicates Jetta GLI, which competes against the likes of the Hyundai Elantra N sedan.
It's not clear if the regular Jetta with the 1.5-liter engine will soldier on with a manual as well, but in any case, it's more than surprising to see Volkswagen of America making a case for a manual transmission in the Jetta GLI. The Golf GTI and Golf R, by comparison, come with the DSG exclusively for model year 2025.
As opposed to the GTI and R, which are Golf 8.5 derivates, the soon-to-be-revised Jetta will mark a new generation of the compact sedan. Dubbed A7, the seventh generation rolled out in January 2018 for the 2019 model year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
It originally sported a 1.4-liter TSI four-cylinder turbo from the EA211 engine family, with said lump developing 147 horsepower at 5,000 revolutions per minute and 184 pound-feet (250 Nm) at 1,400 rpm on regular unleaded. The Jetta GLI followed suit in February 2019 at the Chicago Auto Show with the 2.0-liter TSI four-cylinder turbo from the EA888 engine family.
Photo: Volkswagen
Similar to the 2024 model, the 2019 model belts out 228 ponies at 5,000 revolutions per minute and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm) at 1,700 rpm. It goes without saying that VW's dual-clutch box is the better choice for track days, but alas, it does not hold a candle to the manual in terms of emotion.
The regular Jetta switched to a 1.5-liter TSI for the 2022 model year mid-cycle refresh, with said engine making 11 more horsepower. As opposed to the DSG in the Jetta GLI, the Jetta can be had with a torque-converter automatic sporting eight forward gears instead of the DSG's seven.
Given that a GTI puts out 296 horses for 2025, it's pretty obvious that more power is coming to the GLI for 2025. Despite being a new generation, the A8 isn't expected to bring substantial changes on the styling and technological fronts. Looking at the bigger picture, Volkswagen of America doesn't have to because Toyota and Honda cannot be dethroned that easily in this particular segment.
47,408 units of the Jetta and Jetta GLI were delivered stateside in 2023, plus a further 13,024 examples in the first quarter of 2024. That's not good enough in this crossover-heavy market, and especially not good enough compared to the Corolla and Civic. Be that as it may, Volkswagen knows that it needs the Jetta and Jetta GLI as the gateways to the German brand in the United States of America. Their prices kick off at $21,345 and $27,995, respectively, whereas the most affordable crossover and electric vehicle in the lineup start at $23,995 and $39,735.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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