When I got the 2025 Volkswagen Jetta SEL to review, it brought back the memories I had as a previous VW owner. Prior to my current vehicles, the family car was a 2015 Jetta and before that, a 2002 Golf. We decided not to keep the 2015 Jetta after the lease was up because it was the year before Apple CarPlay was added and the newer models had a smaller 1.4L instead of the 1.8L that ours had. The Golf I had was simply showing its age and I got rid of it.

With the Kings Red Metallic color, you’ll have to be careful not to attract police attention. The SEL comes with a light bar integrated into the front grille which is a nice addition to the LED daytime running lights. The 18” wheel design had a twist design to give it an aggressive look to them. I would’ve liked an option to have a black top that included the A and C pillars.

Getting in, the Grigio & Titan Black leather interior were a great color combination. The seats were comfortable and had heated and venting to them. I did experience a weird situation where my saved memory was not being completely recalled and had to continuously press and hold to get to my true saved spot. I was impressed with the flexibility of the gauge cluster to select from many different parameters. Although I’d describe the infotainment screen with realtor-talk as cozy, it was still big enough to display the wireless Apple CarPlay.

Under the hood, the 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder was cranking out 158 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. The power then goes to an 8-speed automatic, and then to the front wheels. I did encounter a bit of a turbo spike when if I accelerated from about 2,500 to 3,000 RPMs. You’ll want to ease into the gas to avoid it as it was annoying to deal with the sudden kick. When you were on the high end of the RPM range, it did feel as if the 1.5L was struggling a bit. I wish the power delivery was a little bit linear for everyday driving but it was hard to complain when I was still managing to get around 35 MPGs without even trying.

Overall, I was impressed with this newer generation of the Jetta compared to the previous. I can see where Volkswagen improved it and may have me considering one for a daily.