Drove a new Jetta TDI.

[Regcabguy]

Yesterday I drove a new Jetta TDI w/six speed auto. Motor is nearly silent underway and produces a mild hum at idle. Transmission works real well with semi-firm shifts. Pickup was excellent under surface roads and freeway conditions. Fit and finish were excellent,with comfortable seats and excellent driving position. Being German,it did not have power seats,only manually adjustable including height. Tilt and telescoping steering wheel is standard. Braking was right up to par with VW's usual offerings. Ride was compliant yet stable,typical VW. No urea injection yet. The only problem is VW's not producing many for the US market due to the weak dollar. They can sell everyone they can produce abroad and make more money at it. Retail was a tad under $24,000. I believe it was the middle model. It had a sunroof if that helps. The mileage indicator read "38. 7 mpg. " w/ 1092 city miles on it. Pretty nice. They're going to be alloted one Sportwagon a month. The rest will be sedans. I have driven a Prius and aside from less mpg. ,this vehicle kills the Toyota. If you're near Bob Baker VW in Carlsbad,Ca,you can stop by for a test drive and evaluate it for yourself.

 

[The patriot]

I'd like to see the TDI in a Passat. The Jetta's just too small for us. The wagon may be large enough. I havent seen one yet.

They keep telling me "another month" etc. etc. Same old bull **** I went through the last time I wanted a diesel VW.

 

[Regcabguy]

I'd like to see the TDI in a Passat. The Jetta's just too small for us. The wagon may be large enough. I havent seen one yet.

They keep telling me "another month" etc. etc. Same old bull **** I went through the last time I wanted a diesel VW.

Yeah,my dealer friend shares your pain. He's got waiting lists for anything diesel from VW or Subaru(his other brand). VW won't even give him enough gassers to sell. They're building a plant here to build a US style product which will be bigger than the Euro dimensions. I sat in a Toureg which was actually roomier than the Jetta. He'd like to get the VW Polo,which is boxy and gets 60+mpg. worldwide. Oh well.

 

[Matt400]

I have driven a Prius and aside from less mpg. ,this vehicle kills the Toyota.

I still don't understand that vehicle, up front AND after 200,000 miles the Yarus will have a much lower cost to operate, its trendy and even has a sporty look.

 

[Regcabguy]

I still don't understand that vehicle, up front AND after 200,000 miles the Yarus will have a much lower cost to operate, its trendy and even has a sporty look.

One thing the Prius and the VW Jetta have over the Yaris is room for us "tall drinks of water". I tried to sit in a Yaris at the car show and it was a no go. In all fairness,that was true of 80% of the vehicles there. A new four banger sedan is hard to beat these days though. A couple of my surf buddies are driving Honda Elements. It's a toaster on wheels,not that fuel efficient(18-25mpg. ),but boy is that thing practical and roomy!

 

[MAleshire]

I just cannot understand why Honda isn't foresighted enough to put a diesel in a CRV or an Element. VW is the only company to produce a station wagon type vehicle that will get much over 30 mpg. It's too bad that there is about a 10+ mpg drop between the pre-2006 TDI and the current model. The TDI wagon is rated at 40 mpg.

 

[Regcabguy]

I just cannot understand why Honda isn't foresighted enough to put a diesel in a CRV or an Element. VW is the only company to produce a station wagon type vehicle that will get much over 30 mpg. It's too bad that there is about a 10+ mpg drop between the pre-2006 TDI and the current model. The TDI wagon is rated at 40 mpg.

Yeah,an Element that got maybe 35+ all the time would sure sell. The lowend torque of the Jetta I drove was unreal,and the six speed auto had me on the freeway easily as quicklas our Pilot. You could shift it manually also. There's a huge market out there. I could have bought the last Jetta TDI allowed into Ca from my friend at cost but my wife held it up. This new one in spite of the increased complexity kills it in driveability and acceleration. I believe it's rated at 37-42mpg for the auto sedan.

 

[BRobertson]

We love my wifes TDi Touareg. It drives like a sports car and is the best vehicle I have ever driven on our Alaska roads!!

It gets a lot better mileage than the V8 Touareg she had. It is fairly heavy for a compact SUV (5900lbs), but it really scoots when the turbos get spooled up!!

The new 2009 with the V6 TDi will get even better mileage, but probably will not be as much fun as the V10.

Bob

 

[Regcabguy]

Quick Toureg.

We love my wifes TDi Touareg. It drives like a sports car and is the best vehicle I have ever driven on our Alaska roads!!

It gets a lot better mileage than the V8 Touareg she had. It is fairly heavy for a compact SUV (5900lbs), but it really scoots when the turbos get spooled up!!

The new 2009 with the V6 TDi will get even better mileage, but probably will not be as much fun as the V10.

Bob

Yeah,my friend was allocated one Toureg diesel and it went to a high roller here for way over retail. He had to have the turbo replaced,which required his dealership to have to purchase a $6,000 lift in order to lower the motor from below the vehicle. He said that Toureg diesel was the quickest car he'd driven since the muscle car era. Volkswagen may put that 2. 0 diesel in the Tiquan for USA release. That's a roomier car in spite of smaller outside dimensions.

 

[E7mack96]

yaris

I rented a Toyota Yaris and drove it for 900 miles. I am 6'3" and had no trouble with it. I was actually very suprized at how roomy it was. I was driving the 4 door, and also got 38 mpgs at 75-85 on the highway. I am actually considering buying one as it was a much more pleasant experience than I expected.



The kicker, I rented the thing for $10. 00, unlimited miles (a promo) and drove it from fl to oh and turned it in within the 24 hr window. The look on the girls' face was priceless when she saw the miles I drove in 13 hrs.



Anyways, I really like the Toyota Yaris



E7

 

[Regcabguy]

I rented a Toyota Yaris and drove it for 900 miles. I am 6'3" and had no trouble with it. I was actually very suprized at how roomy it was. I was driving the 4 door, and also got 38 mpgs at 75-85 on the highway. I am actually considering buying one as it was a much more pleasant experience than I expected.



The kicker, I rented the thing for $10. 00, unlimited miles (a promo) and drove it from fl to oh and turned it in within the 24 hr window. The look on the girls' face was priceless when she saw the miles I drove in 13 hrs.



Anyways, I really like the Toyota Yaris



E7

That's odd as myself(6'4") and another tall guy tried to sit in one and we had insufficient legroom. It was a manual adjustment and we were dismayed as the shoulder room,headroom was great. Maybe it was just that particular car. I'm going to sit in my neighbor's up the street out of curiousity. Thanks. P. S. I hope we see a resurgence of the station wagon too.

 

[BRobertson]

I do most (99%) of the work on my truck, but the thought of having to do anything on the Touareg is scarry. I believe that the engine has to be lowered in order to change the turbos or the water cooled alternator!!!!

I have changed the oil at 5000 miles (12 quarts!!) and the fuel filter($90) and will probably have to do a brake job by the time it has 25,000 miles(has 10,000 miles now). The brake job requires new rotors, and at the dealer it costs $1500 from what I've heard!!

I can get the parts for $450 so I will be doing that of course!!

It all puts the costs of our trucks in perspective!!

Bob

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Just for kicks - and sorry for the the hijack - but here's an alternative - probably great for tall guys and those with large families...



Will Lightning Strike in the UK? - MSN Autos



There seems to be an increasing volume of efficient, alternatively fueled vehicles popping up on the scene - the TDI seems to be the king of high MPG diesel powered vehicles capable of carrying a family - but nice if we can also get some decent competition to the TDI - especially since actual available USA supplies are so scarce...

 

[Andersonville]

Okay Gary,

I know you figured out where to mount the Frantz in the TDI!

 

[Regcabguy]

Plenty of apparent legroom in that UK offering. You could land a helicopter on that thing. FYI,all scheduled maintenance is covered for 3/36 in the TDI.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Plenty of apparent legroom in that UK offering. You could land a helicopter on that thing. FYI,all scheduled maintenance is covered for 3/36 in the TDI.

I went and looked at the latest TDI while in Bend a month or so back - VERY impressed with it overall, but didn't have time for a test drive.



I'd go for one in a heartbeat - but my wife's '05 Ford escape is too new to replace, gets decent MPG, and has full time 4WD - needed here in the John Day Winters. I know the front wheel drive vehicles do well in ice and snow - but all the MPG in the world is no benefit if the wheels are just spinning in the ice and snow...



'Fraid the Escape will have to do us for a while longer...

 

[FTwardoch]

We sold my wife's CRV a month ago and bought a 2002 Jetta TDI... ... ... ... the CRV was awful as far as comfort goes (I'm 6'4") but the Jetta is awesome and plenty of room. I can't even put the drivers seat all the way back... ... ... ... and the seats are way comfy. Great car to drive... ... ... ... and best of all, with a tank of fuel doing 90% highway, we got 56 (yes, not a misprint nor a computer calculated number, all hand calculated) mpg... ... ... ... for real. Yes, I did drive it 65 or less and upshifted at less than 2500 rpm but dang, that is freaking unreal. Other tanks have been mid 40's with a 50/50 mix if in town/highway. Only problem with TDI's is they are in very high demand on the used car market. We only paid $11K for ours with 96K on it but it is loaded and a 5 speed (KEY here for mileage). Love the car.



Bought it so I could drive it to work (60 miles round trip a day) and the wife drives the Dodge (6 miles round trip) so the gas savings will be huge. The CRV only got tops 24 mpg on the road and around 20 mixed so the goal was to double that... ... ... ... . which we've done easily.



Do not buy an auto transmission TDI (at least not the early slushboxes) tho I hear the tiptronics are OK but for mileage, 5 speed all the way... ... ... ..... Oo.

 

[Cliffman]

Yesterday I drove a new Jetta TDI w/six speed auto. Motor is nearly silent underway and produces a mild hum at idle. Transmission works real well with semi-firm shifts. Pickup was excellent under surface roads and freeway conditions. Fit and finish were excellent,with comfortable seats and excellent driving position. Being German,it did not have power seats,only manually adjustable including height. Tilt and telescoping steering wheel is standard. Braking was right up to par with VW's usual offerings. Ride was compliant yet stable,typical VW. No urea injection yet. The only problem is VW's not producing many for the US market due to the weak dollar. They can sell everyone they can produce abroad and make more money at it. Retail was a tad under $24,000. I believe it was the middle model. It had a sunroof if that helps. The mileage indicator read "38. 7 mpg. " w/ 1092 city miles on it. Pretty nice. They're going to be alloted one Sportwagon a month. The rest will be sedans. I have driven a Prius and aside from less mpg. ,this vehicle kills the Toyota. If you're near Bob Baker VW in Carlsbad,Ca,you can stop by for a test drive and evaluate it for yourself.

Nice reprot Bob... I too test drove the 09 TDI and loved it. Only problem is running bio-diesel is still up in the air. We'll just have to wait this one out as I'm sure someone will try it.

 

[TheBigSgt]

We sell them at our sister dealership. The new TDI is great! My boss at my other job has a Bug TDI that she drives to and from Salt Lake everyday and gets about 50 out of it. Hard to find any of the used!



On a salesmans stand pont, there isn't anything in a newone, we like to sell the used ones! LOL



There are a few used Jeep Liberty's out there, the CRD, I beleive, a friend has one and gets about 35 on the highway out of it. Don't forget the New Grand Cheroke with the 3. 0 in it!



Yaris is OK, I'm a big man and can get in and out. But it is what it is. A cheap little car, and is not in the same class as a Jetta TDI. Now you have to remember My cummuter is a Suzuki X-90 and is easier for me to get in and out of than a Jeep GC! And gets my 35MPG and is 4x4. OH, and has a frame! Yes, a real frame! Very easy to work on.

 

[Regcabguy]

We sell them at our sister dealership. The new TDI is great! My boss at my other job has a Bug TDI that she drives to and from Salt Lake everyday and gets about 50 out of it. Hard to find any of the used!



On a salesmans stand pont, there isn't anything in a newone, we like to sell the used ones! LOL



There are a few used Jeep Liberty's out there, the CRD, I beleive, a friend has one and gets about 35 on the highway out of it. Don't forget the New Grand Cheroke with the 3. 0 in it!



Yaris is OK, I'm a big man and can get in and out. But it is what it is. A cheap little car, and is not in the same class as a Jetta TDI. Now you have to remember My cummuter is a Suzuki X-90 and is easier for me to get in and out of than a Jeep GC! And gets my 35MPG and is 4x4. OH, and has a frame! Yes, a real frame! Very easy to work on.

New car sales are starving my buddy's store. He makes out ok on the service,but VW's and Subaru's especially are so reliable and the service intervals so infrequent that there's not much income with that either. Used car sales are where it's at now. He recently allowed a customer the equivalent of $6,000 for an '06 Suburban in trade. The guy was upside down in the loan and wanted out. :{