Took a second test drive of the 2025 Jetta GLI 6-speed manual

[Hermann]

So I went and test drove a GLI manual for the 2nd time. Definitely will not be buying one. Even less impressed now. The drivetrain seems to be on two different missions. Never noticed any rev hang and the shifter was quite good. The clutch feel and ultimately the smoothness in the lower gears left much to be desired. I didn't run the green engine very hard, but was peppy once the turbo kicked in.

The biggest letdown was the steering. Total lack of any resistance or feel in either setting. Was constantly dialing in too much steering. It was one finger steering. Not exactly what I would call a drivers car. Could not find the tire pressures on the screen and neither could the salesperson. My Maverick has 100 times better steering feel and satisfaction. The Jetta felt like an Audi Q5 I had as 3 week loaner, which had very darty steering. Feels like any semblance of tactile feedback has been exorcised. No wonder the same nine manual GLI's have been on the lot for months. Who knows there might have been 60 psi in the tires. Most cars from Mexico and the Orient come with 50 psi and supposed to be lowered during PDI. Plus these came in during the winter and now the 75° warm weather today may had raised the pressure even higher.

 

[1444buicking]

VW had so many fun and practical drivers' cars.

But with all the "recent" corporate scandals, they have little money left for development and have cut a lot of costs on the cars.

It's really too bad but they made their own bed.

 

[AZjeff]

Would be a shame if over inflated tires kept you from buying an otherwise acceptable car. Would it be worth going back with a tire gauge and know if it's the car or 50 psi in the tires?

 

[fantastic]

I can see why a newer manual car would have easy steering. Less effort while shifting but some folks are looking for more input from the car & is why they're choosing a manual for the experience. Any other cars on your list?

 

[Zee09]

The Maverick can do that to you.
I hussle mine daily on some really curvy roads and it handles better than most vehicles. And yes I own a VW....

 

[factorytuned2012]

vw isn't exactly a drivers car these days actually there's not much of anything that's exciting to drive

 

[skyactiv]

VW doesn't use TPMS sensors on that car and you can't tell the tire pressure unless you use a tire gauge.

You can adjust the steering by mode or in custom.

The Hankook Kinergy GT's VW puts on that car new are garbage low rolling resistance EPA achievers. They are H rated. What is weird is that Nissan puts Hankook Kinergy GT's on the Nissan Sentra SR, a much slower car, but the Nissan has V rated ones on it.


The tune on the VW from the factory sucks. I flashed an APR 87 coat tune using an APR Ultralink and that is how the car should come from the factory. I tried the APR 93 octane low torque stage 1 tune but the 87 octane tune feels the best.

 

[dbias]

If the GLI is truly on your list I would go back and check the air pressure in the tires.
When my city got a new $600k rescue truck everyone was complaining about the steering and how darty, non centered the truck felt. On the highway it would pull left for a while and then pull right like it was fighting a big crown on the road. It was sent to two different heavy equipment dealers for alignment and after the second one it was a little bit better but still the jumping back and forth on the highway was still there. One morning a firefighter rotated into that station for overtime who had his CDL and hauled heavy equipment on his days off did the usual truck check like we do every morning and found the problem. The steering tires were inflated to 150 psi and he check the spec sheet and it was supposed to be 110 psi. He dropped the air pressure and then the truck tracked like a laser. Turns out when the tires were overinflated it would ride too much in the solid center part of the tire and the least little change in wind direction or road surface would pitch the tire from one side of the center to the other.

 

[andrew_j]

The steering is electric and car likely in normal mode. Click it to sport mode and it will stiffen . Our Tiguan has dial for this however I know you can do thru screen and customize it.

 

[CharBaby]

I remember your 1st post and you really seemed to like the one you tested. And the video that I posted was super positive about that car.

Could it be that this recent test drive is just that particular vehicle? Maybe the tire psi too? Or even the tire brand? Maybe the car was sitting on the lot too long and needed to stretch her legs or too, another example’s engine may be more responsive, clutch take-up, throttle response, computer reflash etc. IDK!

Maybe you should test another JETTA yet again! Go for it. I mean, these could be the last of their breed especially with the manual and we may never see them again.

 

[CharBaby]

I learned how to drive on manual transmission vehicles, cars & trucks. And even 3-on the-tree. And even drove some 6 & 10 wheel dump trucks.
It’s not my favorite thing to do especially with our climate, roads, stop & go/slow & go type of environment and not the greatest knees.

I like cars in this category but
BEFORE THEY’RE ALL GONE…
IF I were to get one car with a manual transmission and among the best reliability and overall-ness, it could be a CIVIC sedan or hatch with just the 2.0L N/A engine & the manual. Possibly the Mazda3 sedan only(if a manual is available) but most likely the CIVIC as the Mazda is a bit tight/cramped and I’m not the biggest fan of the hatch. And it’s hard to go wrong with Honda NA engines/manual transmission.

And don’t get me wrong, I like the JETTA too(and GOLF) however, there are too many reliability & cost of ownership concerns to keep me away even if statistics may say otherwise.

And if these vehicles are even available with a manual anymore…
I thought about the COROLLA too but they just feel too cheap & tight/cramped for me. And the HYUNDAI/KIA
ELANTRA & K4 are too funky looking for my taste.

 

[raaizin]

VW had so many fun and practical drivers' cars.

But with all the "recent" corporate scandals, they have little money left for development and have cut a lot of costs on the cars.

It's really too bad but they made their own bed.

The cost cutting started way before "dieselgate" . In the early 2000s VW wanted to be the #1 car manufacturer based on volume. Prior to that the quality of their cars was just a step below a BMW or Benz. It was hard to sell a $20-24k Jetta against a 15k Corolla or civic so they made a decision to take cost out of their cars. We had a 2008 Jetta SE and a 2012 Jetta SE. The 2012 lost rear discs, independent rear end and a much cheaper interior. The 2008 interior was almost as nice as our 2008 BMW X3. Recently they have made some improvements with their vehicles. Personally I like a light steering so that wouldn't bother me.

I would look at the Civic Si it looks like it has potential.

 

[CharBaby]

^^^
Yes! I remember when the JETTA’s & PASSAT’s were considered the baby(le$$er expensive) AUDI’s.

 

[Hermann]

Would be a shame if over inflated tires kept you from buying an otherwise acceptable car. Would it be worth going back with a tire gauge and know if it's the car or 50 psi in the tires?

Thinking about that but at a different dealer. I just don't like the drive to that dealer. Busy inter city location with lots of heavy stop and go traffic 6am to 10pm. For sure will go armed with my trusty Milton tire gauge. Might even take along the battery inflator.

 

[Hermann]

The cost cutting started way before "dieselgate" . In the early 2000s VW wanted to be the #1 car manufacturer based on volume. Prior to that the quality of their cars was just a step below a BMW or Benz. It was hard to sell a $20-24k Jetta against a 15k Corolla or civic so they made a decision to take cost out of their cars. We had a 2008 Jetta SE and a 2012 Jetta SE. The 2012 lost rear discs, independent rear end and a much cheaper interior. The 2008 interior was almost as nice as our 2008 BMW X3. Recently they have made some improvements with their vehicles. Personally I like a light steering so that wouldn't bother me.

I would look at the Civic Si it looks like it has potential.

The interior was nicely done in a light tan leather. and the seat were VERY comfortable and slightly hugged the entire length of my shoulders and obliques. No cost cutting that I could see right off inside the car. The tires were some generic all season. Also think the colors it comes in are a bit off putting. The light blue is grayish, the red looks like someone sanded it down, had a medium blue that was at best OK. Now I understand why this can be bought for $31,999 with no haggling. With 9 on the lot that have been there awhile, probably more can come off. Every VW dealer is at least 18 miles away and that is the inner city one. To bring to the forefront how poor VW sales are in the KC area, the dealer in Lawrence KS, 46 miles away is willing to bring a GLI to me to test drive.

 

[CharBaby]

Good idea Hermann to bring a psi gauge & pump especially since you are so very interested in the JETTA . And you can’t beat the base price of a JETTA with a stick, for such a nice overall car. I even like’em and I’m not even a VW guy. I’d be inclined to consider a Jetta or Golf even in spite of my last reply above!

 

[1444buicking]

The cost cutting started way before "dieselgate" . In the early 2000s VW wanted to be the #1 car manufacturer based on volume. Prior to that the quality of their cars was just a step below a BMW or Benz.

c.2000, It was crazy how much the VW Golf IV evolved and how close it was to the Audi A3.

VW charged a premium for the Audi brand and sleeker exterior...and people paid for a while.

These were not really the "pocket rockets" of prior generations but rather heavier, more comfortable GT cruisers with short wheel bases.

 

[DuckRyder]

Ours is not a GLI, but i cannot emphasize enough that the OEM tires on it were the worst tires ive ever owned by a sizable margin.

I understand that GLIs built post 01/01/2025 do not have beats, which was highly maligned but better than the standard stereo.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I was happy when my 2019 Jetta S lease ended. Originally excited to get an MT.
Cheaply made car with many issues with that platform. including rearward and to some extent FWD visibility due to extremely high cowls. And I am over 6ft tall with a long torso.
Poor drainage of trunk water channels, Poor draining of rear door channels. I had multiple issues through winter. Then there is the" break my axle" wheel hop problem. Pull out onto the highway with some enthusiasm on a slick road and BANG BANG BANG BANG! BANG! Maybe less of an issue with the XDS diff locker on the GLI. With the turbo you either bog or GO!

I will say there was enough power for fun with the 1.4T once you added some 0W40 to thicken the oil a bit. That made a big difference when revving it out. Almost like you added 5psi boost. Torque was equivalent to a heatlhy 3.0 L naturally aspirated six cylinder

I would get a Base S with the 1.5 and beef up the suspension. But maybe no MT in the base cars offered anymore?


Base 2025 Jeep Wrangler 2 door with 285 HP Pentastar V6 and 6 speed MT for $31K with current deals.
But looking at low 20's for economy if that is important to you. Didn't try one, but I bet it's fun.

 

[KCJeep]

The interior was nicely done in a light tan leather. and the seat were VERY comfortable and slightly hugged the entire length of my shoulders and obliques. No cost cutting that I could see right off inside the car. The tires were some generic all season. Also think the colors it comes in are a bit off putting. The light blue is grayish, the red looks like someone sanded it down, had a medium blue that was at best OK. Now I understand why this can be bought for $31,999 with no haggling. With 9 on the lot that have been there awhile, probably more can come off. Every VW dealer is at least 18 miles away and that is the inner city one. To bring to the forefront how poor VW sales are in the KC area, the dealer in Lawrence KS, 46 miles away is willing to bring a GLI to me to test drive.

Whatever you do I’d stay away from Lees Summit. A super high pressure, smoke and mirrors volume dealership that will make you feel like you need a shower by the time you leave.

Molle is easy to deal with but is small and usually doesn’t have a lot of inventory.