About to test drive a 2025 Jetta GLI manual
- Thread starter Hermann
- Start date
I’m not saying that you’re wrong, you just see it differently than I do.
He is amazed that there is still a manual tranny car(that isn’t a subcompact hatchback) that is reasonably inexpensive & fun to drive with the level of standard features(even though it has a regular ignition key), that the base JETTA has for its MSRP & OTD price and still drives like a good VW…compared to what is available in today’s market for $20K-ish.
The sad thing about some vehicles is that you can option them up to $10K-$15K over their base price.
Maybe even double the cost over the base trim level. The JETTA being one of those vehicles. I mean, you can buy a base JETTA for ~$20,000 and a GLI for almost ~$40,000 if you’re not careful with dealer add-one’s. Not market adjustment but dealer accessories. I’d almost rather have two base models or two different vehicles for $40K.
Maybe even double the cost over the base trim level. The JETTA being one of those vehicles. I mean, you can buy a base JETTA for ~$20,000 and a GLI for almost ~$40,000 if you’re not careful with dealer add-one’s. Not market adjustment but dealer accessories. I’d almost rather have two base models or two different vehicles for $40K.
Prices posted above are Canadian. GLI is starts around $34K in the US, and there is really no way to option it up very far as the Autobahn is now the only trim.
Yup, I got it.
I'm going to be real, having owned many stick cars in the past, my GLI doesn't have the same fun factor driving a stick compared to past cars rather they were slower or faster. Maybe I'm getting old. I do like my car and would buy it again with a stick. The 2025 refresh model is sharp. I'll try to add more if I get time.
It's interesting to me because it offers a bit of a juxtaposition.
I was looking at a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta S earlier today at an auction site. It had 67,000 miles on it. The clutch had been replaced roughly halfway through that journey , and the seller was offering it for $8,700 plus the auction fee and transport.
So right around $9,200.
Then there is this brand new 2025 Volkswagen Jetta S that now offers only the automatic transmission. It is very well equipped though, especially for a base model, and outperforms the older Jetta on many, many quality of life metrics.
That one is now $23,200 plus whatever bogus fee the dealer inflicts on the customer.
If you add taxes to both and the other registration costs, it's roughly a $15,000 difference between the two.
Is that trade worth it? No one can tell the future. And both sides really do have some very strong limitations to them. The older Jetta has cheap seats and in some areas you can tell that it is a dated product.
The newer Jetta has a 1.5L engine which may have some long-term reliability issues. But the average owner here would probably never see them because we are so preemptive and focused on how we maintain our vehicles.
I love the fact that both options are there.
Is new better than used? That's a question that only the consumer can figure out for themselves.
I was looking at a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta S earlier today at an auction site. It had 67,000 miles on it. The clutch had been replaced roughly halfway through that journey , and the seller was offering it for $8,700 plus the auction fee and transport.
So right around $9,200.
Then there is this brand new 2025 Volkswagen Jetta S that now offers only the automatic transmission. It is very well equipped though, especially for a base model, and outperforms the older Jetta on many, many quality of life metrics.
That one is now $23,200 plus whatever bogus fee the dealer inflicts on the customer.
If you add taxes to both and the other registration costs, it's roughly a $15,000 difference between the two.
Is that trade worth it? No one can tell the future. And both sides really do have some very strong limitations to them. The older Jetta has cheap seats and in some areas you can tell that it is a dated product.
The newer Jetta has a 1.5L engine which may have some long-term reliability issues. But the average owner here would probably never see them because we are so preemptive and focused on how we maintain our vehicles.
I love the fact that both options are there.
Is new better than used? That's a question that only the consumer can figure out for themselves.
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My biggest complaint when I bought mine was the numbness in the clutch pedal. This was remedied by removing the delay valve, a tiny orifice in the hydraulic line that is meant to slow disengagement. Stupid. It was easy to remove and now the clutch feels normal and like any other stick I've driven. Some people complain that the throw is a little long, but a short shift kit would remedy that easily as well. Lastly, I am still (barely now) under warranty and didn't want a full tune so instead I bought a JB-1 so that if needed I could remove it. No regrets, and I firmly believe every GLI/GTI needs at least a JB box or Stage 1 tune. Having that bit of extra power on tap completely changes the experience.
In my case the other two sticks that I've had were also FWD, but neither had an LSD up front like the GLI so in my case that too is a plus.
I tuned my car already using an APR Ultralink. I first flashed the stage 1 93 octane low torque tune. It made it very fast but felt like the turbo wasn't made for it. I than flashed it to the APR 87 octane tune rated at 290 HP--320 ft-lbs and that tune feels perfect. It should come that way from the factory. I've been using Sheetz E15 88 octane or Costco 93 for the most part. Not having a powertrain warranty doesn't concern me.
I once owned a 2013 GTI with a stick I bought new. I never tuned that car but the dual-mass flywheel did go out so I bought a South Bend clutch kit and traditional flywheel for it.
My wife has a 2015 Audi A4 quattro with a stick and the dual-mass flywheel went out at 112K which I replaced with a Luk dual-mass flywheel and clutch kit.
My dumb butt managed to hit one of those island curbs in a parking lot covered with snow. It shifted the subframe and I had the dealer do an alignment. They had to shift the subframe and install new stretch bolts. When the tech test drove my car, a rock cracked the windshield. So the dealer loaned me a 23' Jetta SE for a week while they got an OE windshield and had a glass company install it.
The invoice on the VW windshield and install was $980, which the dealer didn't charge me. The alignment was $350.
The loaner Jetta had the 1.5 and 8 speed auto. Plenty of power and it got very good fuel economy.
Shopped a GLI recently, drove both the manual and DSG. I would take the DSG over the manual hands down for several reasons, number 1 being the shifting is vague and rubbery with long throws, along with clutch engagement that seems high and switch-like. Too isolated and no feedback like older manuals I used to drive and love. One great feature about the DSG is you CAN drive it like a manual, albeit with paddles or shifter. It is just basically an automated manual. The past 2 GTIs I had were both DSG and I drove them that way 95% of the time. I even retrofitted a paddle equipped steering wheel on the Dadwagon (2010 Passat wagon) so I could drive it's DSG like that. Overall, the new GLI is a super value because it is so well equipped (2025 GLIs only come as Autobahns) and I would get one in a heartbeat. Same familiar EA888 3 from the GTI so is very easy to make more power, but with a trunk. And my God is that a trunk, it's huge! Way bigger than the one on my son's MKVI GLI (PQ35) thanks to MQB. And that gives it lots of rear space/legroom too. I like the refresh of the 25 vs. previous, but that is mostly cosmetic. Same great car as before without a huge price increase. I'd get mine in white.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I didn’t fallow Jetta closely, but does base model comes with solid axle? Compared to GLI independent?
You'd probably be better off with a John Deere for that.
Quite different vehicles, really more than just a trim - it's a GTI sedan (somewhat peformance car here) vs. a base econo car. What dealer add-ons? A base Jetta is a very plain/stripped/boring economy vehicle (which I like BTW).
The hill hold feature shouldn't intrude unless you are on an actual slope. The DSG cars have the same thing and mine only engages on actual hills. You can also change the time it holds (more or less) using a VW-specific scan tool but I've not seen a way to completely turn it off.
Yeah they went Torsion beam on the rear for the MK7 Jetta (GLI has independent).
Where do all these low mileage cars come from...rentals?
