The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta Is $6,400 Cheaper Than A 1980 Jetta, How Much Better Is It?

It’s 2025, and it’s a funny time to look at the Volkswagen lineup. Mainstays like the Golf are barely hanging on, while SUVs and electric vehicles have taken the reigns amidst a changing technological landscape. Still, one classic nameplate persists, as the German marque continues to find American buyers for its compact, efficient sedan. I speak, of course, of the Volkswagen Jetta.

Today, we’re going to take a look at two major points in the Jetta’s history—when it was born, and where it stands today. We’ll be looking all the way back to 1980, a time of great change when the Malaise was raging and the compacts rose to glory.

Specifically, we’re going to pore over the numbers to compare what you got for your money today versus yesteryear. We’ll examine whether the Jetta is still good value, and whether it stays true to the original concept from so many decades ago. My calculator is humming, so let’s dive in.

DIMENSIONS: 2025 Jetta v. 1980 Jetta

The 1980 Volkswagen Jetta landed in America as a sedan available in both two-door and four-door formats. The German automaker had noted that the hatchback Golf was popular, but that some buyers still preferred a traditional three-box body style. It had the same wheelbase as its hatchback progenitor of 94.4 inches, though overall length was increased to 168 inches thanks to the trunk at the rear. Overall width was 63 inches. As for seating, whether two-door or four-door, the Jetta was a four-passenger vehicle.

Today, the Jetta still serves largely the same role as the original from four decades ago. It’s a three-box commuter sedan that shares its MQB platform with the Volkswagen Golf. Where the hatchback has all but left American shores, barring performance models, the sedan lives on. These days, though, it’s solely available in a four-door, five-passenger configuration. It’s swollen in size somewhat over the years, though not as much as some other vehicles. It boasts a 105.7 inch wheelbase and a length of 185.1 inches—10.3 and 17.1 inches longer, respectively, compared to the 1980 model.  Chinese long-wheel-base models are a further 2 inches longer again. At 70.8 inches wide, it’s also a full 7.8 inches wider than the original.

PRICE: 2025 Jetta v. 1980 Jetta

On its 1980 debut, the Volkswagen Jetta sold for a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $7,650. That’s roughly $29,680 in 2025 dollars, which would put the Jetta at a bit of a premium compared to other modern compact sedans. Meanwhile, the median family income was $21,020 in 1980, equivalent to $81,579 today.

The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta starts at $23,220 for the base model by comparison. That’s a full $6,400 cheaper than the 1980 model, accounting for inflation. Median family income in the US was $80,610 in 2023, according to available data, which is approximately $84,603 in 2025 dollars.

Basically, the Volkswagen Jetta used to be a bit more expensive back in the day. Indeed, it launched at a price roughly 25% higher than the Golf it was based on (then called the Rabbit in the US). Volkswagen offset this at the time by giving the original Jetta somewhat more premium appointments than the popular humble hatchback. There were contemplations of producing the vehicle in US plants in the early 1980s, which might have brought down prices, but Volkswagen abandoned this idea by 1982.

POWER & WEIGHT: 2025 Jetta v. 1980 Jetta

Okay, now back to the cars! The 1980 Jetta ran a 1.6-liter inline four driving the front wheels. Complete with fuel injection, it was good for 76 horsepower and 83 pound-feet of torque. Those were healthy numbers, and the 2,100-pound weight didn’t hurt a bit, either. You could get it with a five-speed manual as standard, or you could choose the three-speed automatic if you were so inclined to a two-pedal driving experience. Contemporary tests put the EPA fuel economy at 25 mpg.

In 2025, Volkswagen offers the Jetta with a range of engines in different world markets. In the US, there are two primary variants. The basic Jetta comes with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbo offering 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic, driving the front wheels. Alternatively, you can upgrade to the Jetta GLI, which comes with a 2.0-liter turbo four good for 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It can be had with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox or a classic six-speed manual.

Power is the big difference compared to the Jetta of old. The base model has more than double the horsepower of the original, while the GLI is three times more powerful. With that said, those new modern engines do have to haul a little more weight. The new Jetta weighs between 3,012 pounds for the base S model and up to 3,241 pounds in GLI spec. On average, it’s around 1.5 times as heavy as the original! Still, the greater power pays off. The new Jetta and Jetta GLI will do zero to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and 6 seconds, respectively. Meanwhile, the classic 1980 Jetta takes around 11.8 seconds to do the same sprint.

Options: 2025 Jetta v. 1980 Jetta

The Jetta had a few interesting items on the options list in 1980. Volkswagen positioned it as more of a premium car compared to the Golf, and you could upgrade with a sunroof ($240), metallic paint ($95), tinted glass ($65), or leatherette upholstery ($60). Alloy wheels could be had as well, and the automatic transmission was an optional upgrade over the manual.

Standard equipment was pretty good for the era, too.  You got an AM/FM cassette radio as standard, with speakers in the doors. A remote-controlled passenger side mirror was also standard on all models. The Jetta had rack-and-pinion steering, fully-independent suspension front and rear, and front disc brakes with rear drums in a dual circuit setup—something Volkswagen still felt the need to mention in the brochure in 1980.

The march of technology is unrelenting, and the new Jetta has a much longer list of equipment with a ton of stuff that didn’t even exist in 1980. You get the usual touch-screen infotainment system with Bluetooth, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto built-in for a start, and there’s an 8-inch display for the instrument cluster, too. You also get steering wheel controls, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, power windows, and power locking—all of which is the norm these days.

If you’ve got the cash, you can throw a bunch of extra gear at your Jetta, too. SiriusXM satellite radio is an option, as are power seats, heated seats, and nicer CloudTex or leather interior trim to boot. Other options include a sunroof, ambient interior lighting, and larger 10.25″ digital instrument cluster. Those looking for a handling upgrade might also consider the XDS Cross Differential System fitted to the upper trims—an electronic diff lock to help you better put the power down to the road.

A Proud Sequel

Some popular nameplates have changed drastically over the years. The Honda Civic has doubled in size, power, and weight, while the Mitsubishi Eclipse morphed from a powerful turbo coupe into an unappealing slab of SUV slop. Automakers have played fast and loose with badges, slapping the names they think fit best onto whatever vehicle best suits the moment.

Not so the Jetta. Volkswagen has seen fit to stay the course, by and large keeping the sedan true to its origins over time. That’s been fairly straightforward, of course, as the German automaker has always found a market for well-presented commuter sedans. There are few places you can’t show up in a Jetta—it somehow manages to have a hint of style and class that other commodity sedans don’t, without needing to outright jump into the more expensive luxury space.

The Jetta isn’t a standout by any means in the modern market. It doesn’t shout about performance or get around in flashy colors; it exists as capable transport for those who need it. The current generation has been on sale since 2018, undergoing a couple of refreshes over that time to keep up with the Joneses. Fundamentally, though, it’s been a steady performer, making strong sales in the mid-five-figure range year after year. It’s not quite like the halcyon days of past generations, where Volkswagen could sell almost 200,000 units Stateside in a single year, but times have changed and sedans are not as popular as they once were. And yet, the Jetta perseveres, and the Jetta prevails.

There are few cars that stand still as time moves on. The Jetta has remained stable in concept, while steadily making the necessary changes to stay relevant in a rapidly advancing world. The call might have gone out that three-box sedans are dead, but the Germans never got the call. In 2025, as in 1980, the Jetta still finds its fans with aplomb.

Image credits: Volkswagen