VW Jetta GLI Retains Available 6-speed Manual Transmission
Fans of manual transmissions in the US are hit each year with a steadily decreasing amount of choices. Three-pedal fans who want the practicality of a sedan have all but given up. Bud Brown Volkswagen is happy to throw its shift-it-yourself fans a lifeline by informing you that the Jetta GLI is retaining a 6-speed manual for the 2025 model year.
The GLI keeping a 6-speed manual is particularly surprising because, for the first time, the Golf GTI, which is mechanically very close to the GLI, will be available exclusively with the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. That might not make much sense, considering that the GTI is the more overtly sporting of the two models and has a manual transmission take rate of about 50% in the US compared to 40% for the Jetta GLI. However, it all depends on where the models are sold and who makes the drivetrain decisions.
To explain that further, the GLI is essentially a vehicle for the North American market, which generally prefers sedans to hatchbacks. Because it is primarily a North American model, the folks at Volkswagen’s U.S. headquarters in Reston, Virginia, get to make the drivetrain choices, and they want to keep the manual. By contrast, the Golf GTI is sold globally. So, while 50% of Americans want the manual, 95% of GTI customers around the world opt for the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The idea that Americans want the manual more than Europeans seems counterintuitive, but there is an explanation. The number of Americans who learned to drive a manual is an increasingly dwindling number, but those who learned the skill are proud of it. The enthusiasts among them tend to seek out vehicles that let them exercise their expertise. Most Europeans, on the other hand, learned to drive with a manual. To them, there is nothing special about it, and most are happy to get a car that does the shifting for them. The fact that the Volkswagen’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission has incredibly quick shifting and actually makes the car quicker doesn’t hurt. Combined with the upcoming Euro 7 emission regulations that are expected to be increasingly strict, the decision makers at Volkswagen’s Global Wolfsburg headquarters gave the 6-speed manual GTI the ax.
The Jetta retains the choice of either the 6-speed manual or the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, as well as the 228-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 it is attached to, which also has a peak torque rating of 258 lb-ft. Changes for 2025 include new front-end styling that more closely resembles the GTI and a completely new interior and instrument panel. The 2025 Jetta GLI models are expected to find their way into the Bud Brown Volkswagen inventory in early Fall 2024.
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