HELL, Michigan — The VW Jetta GLI has long lived in the shadow of its sibling, the OG hot hatch Golf GTI. No more.

With a dramatic refresh for the 2025 model year, the once-frumpy GLI is now a lean, mean, fighting machine.

A lean Golf-like fascia has replaced the previous bulbous, Shrek-like nose. The lower red front lip curls with a sense of menace, and full-width taillights and chiseled body stampings communicate the athletic chassis underneath. Add twin-modern digital displays, and Jetta style now matches its value — at $33,940, the loaded GLI Autobahn is a whopping $7,790 cheaper than a comparable GTI Autobahn while offering more interior room for your pals.

Best of all, the 2025 Jetta still offers a manual transmission option coveted by enthusiasts — even as the ‘25 GTI ditches the stick when it goes on sale next spring.

Flying down Hankerd Road south of Hell, I double-clutched into second gear for a 90-degree lefthander onto Glenn Brook Road. Back on the throttle, I upshifted to third before breathing over a blind rise. The V-dub’s shifter is not as tight as competitors Honda Civic or Mazda3, and its longer throw from 2-3 requires a more deliberate shift (on the plus side, especially if you plan on moving to San Francisco, the six-speed stick has hill assist).

You’ll get used to it. Back down to second, I kept the revs in the meat of the rev band (4,000 RPM) for the 228-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-4, then flattened a series of switchbacks with the beautifully balanced Jetta chassis.

We Yankee enthusiasts love sticks, and manual transmissions account for 40 and 50% of GLI and GTI sales, respectively. Alas, as Europe forces the homogenization of automotive drivetrains (ultimately forcing electric power) via ever-stricter emissions rules, manuals are going the way of the Dodo bird.

Happily for us, the Mexican-made Jetta is a North American-exclusive model (the GTI, on the other hand, is assembled in Germany), and the folks at U.S. headquarters in Reston, Virginia know their customers.

"It’s simply that Golf GTI is a world car, and the only market that wants a manual is North America," VW America's PR Director Mark Gillies told our colleagues at Road & Track. "Since we control technical development on the GLI, as it is a (North American Region) car, we were able to retain the manual."

Long live the manual.

And long live affordable performance cars. Detroit brands have abandoned the affordable small sedan segment for SUVs. Foreign makers, however, still see opportunity in the compact sedan class and offer a chest-full of fun toys. The Jetta GLI competes against the Civic Si, Mazda3 Turbo, Hyundai Elantra N and Toyota GR Corolla — all compelling, $30K-plus upgrades to entry-level sedans.

The base Jetta, too, is better than ever.

Since manuals are an enthusiast thing (they no longer offer an advantage in fuel economy), VW has dropped it as an option for the entry-level Jetta. At $23,220, the automatic Jetta S is loaded with standard IQ.Drive goodies like blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control, auto windshield wipers and a fat leather steering wheel. That value package was added for the last-gen 2024 model year and has made the German competitive with class price leaders like the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla while undercutting performance peers like Civic and Mazda3 by two grand. Sales have doubled in the last year.

Rooted to the earth, the steering feel was confidence-inspiring in the $26,200 Jetta SE (my choice of trims in the 1.5-liter, standard Jetta’s lineup of S, Sport, SE and SEL) over the high-speed twisties of Dexter. Dress SE in a Monterey Blue Pearl or Monument Gray wardrobe with the 18-inch Black Wheel Package, and the sedan is one tasty strudel.

The standard turbo-4 mill can’t match the GLI’s 228 horses, 258 pound feet of torque, or multi-link rear suspension — but the SE/Sport/SEL models boast a limited-slip front differential and lowered sport suspension. Combined with the inherent goodness of Volkswagen’s MQB chassis, you’ll get plenty of grins with the standard engine’s 184 pound-feet of torque. It gets better inside.

The standard Jetta actually improves on the athletic GLI’s steering wheel ergonomics.

German automakers like Mercedes and VW have belatedly discovered the same haptic touch features that drove Cadillac owners mad a decade ago. The Golf GTI and Jetta GLI adopted touch steering-wheel controls that look pretty but that are less intuitive to operate at speed.

For 2025, the GTI (which arrives stateside early next year) reverts to the steering wheel found on the standard Jetta. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Readers of these columns know I rank GM wheels highly due to their raised control buttons that allow volume and cruise control speed adjustment without taking your eyes off the road.

The Jetta employs similarly intuitive buttons. What’s more, they also provide buttons for adjusting radio channels and volume by feel.

Alas, the Jetta GLI gets stuck with the steering wheel off the last-gen GTI. No raised buttons. No feel for the volume/speed/channels. It’s one of the few blemishes on an otherwise superb update. Want another? VW still refuses a mute button for the radio.

Look past these quirks and all Jettas have gained a more modern dash design to go with their sculpted exteriors. After entertaining myself through Hell’s twisties, I cruised effortlessly behind midday Washtenaw County traffic, scanning news and music stations on the new eight-inch tablet touchscreen display mounted high on the dash.

It’s flanked by useful menu buttons and knobs, and my favorite SE trim includes wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and wireless charging so I could navigate to my destination. On the GLI, heated steering and heated-and-cooled automatic leather seats also comes standard.

And front-wheel-drive handling from the gods.

Exiting Glenn Brook onto Patterson Lake Road, I matted the throttle and the electronic front differential put 258 pound-feet-of-torque to the ground beautifully. No slip. No torque-steer.

The GLI leaped forward, the Dynamic Chassis Control system electronically adjusting the shocks to absorb Patterson Lake’s undulating surface. Third gear. Fourth gear. Let the big dog run.

Love ya’, hot hatch GTI. But for thousands less, I love the 2025 GLI pocket rocket, too.

2025 Volkswagen Jetta/Jetta GLI

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact sedan

Price: Base price $23,220, including $1,225 destination charge ($26,200 SE, $30,225 SEL and $33,940 GLI as tested)

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder (Jetta); 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder (GLI)

Power: 158 horsepower, 184 pound-feet of torque (Jetta); 228 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (GLI)

Transmission: Six-speed manual (GLI only); seven-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.1 sec. (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 126 mph

Weight: 3,217 pounds (GLI)

Fuel economy: EPA 30 city/41 highway/34 combined; 27 city/36 highway/30 combined (GLI manual)

Report card

Highs: Looks to match handling, long live the GLI stick

Lows: No mute button, rubbery manual shifts

Overall: 4 stars

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