VW Jetta Desiel

[Sifty]

We are looking at getting one due to a long commute .

Any thoughts?

[Jeremy airjer W]

leere Brieftasche!

[Dave S]

We've gotten as high as 51.3mpg out of ours. Been extremely happy with it so far. We also have a Tiguan in the garage with 65k trouble free miles.

[Whoaru99]

Sorta depends on what you get now for fuel mileage vs. what the Jetta may get, factoring in (presumably) the buying cost of the Jetta and the typical differences in the cost of the fuels.

I've read a number of cases saying that often it's not very good payback to buy a new/newer car just for better fuel mileage. YMMV with the factors above, of course.

[delcecchi]

Say a guy is getting 20 mpg and drives 100,000 miles, that is 5000 gallons. If a new car gets 40 mpg, that is reduced to 2500 gallons, saving 2500 gallons. At 4 dollars per gallon that is 10,000 dollars saved over several years.

Just a number or two to help the discussion.

[Ufatz]

For what it's worth I had to drive one of those things for half a day. Noisy, hard riding and not impressive at all. And by noisy I don't mean the "diesel noise" (I'm and old Powerstroke and MB diesel guy) but just road noise and thumpety-bump over every crack in the road and wind noise.

I used to believe VW made good products and have owned a batch of them over the years. These latest are OVER priced and poorly made in my opinion.

I'd take almost ANY Toyota over one of them.

Just one guys thoughts.

[Dave S]

Only way for Sifty to tell is to drive one himself. My opinion is opposite from Ufatz.

Granted they won't ride like a Cadillac but they aren't intended to either.

[DRH1175]

I myself, am looking at one for my next car as well. I currently have a 1993 corolla that keeps on going. But when it dies, I am strongly looking at a TDI. I drive 100 miles a day to work and when the time comes. It is one of the cars on the top of my list. My miles are highway miles and that is where the diesels shine. If I was driving a lot of stop and go than I may look at a hybrid.

[PurpleFloyd]

Lol.

Now that I read this I can't get the word Farfegnugen out of my head.

[JOHNBIGDOG]

I own a 2011 TDI Jetta.

thinks I like:

power/torqe for a four banger.

"Direct Shift Gearbox" being able to select any gear from 1st to 6th if I want and hold it there till the redline, and the "sport" mode.

I like the 8 inch touch screen radio, the sound system is quite impressive to me.

handling is ok at low speeds, high speeds gets sketchy. Needs a rear sway bar.

Interior is nice, pleather(?) One touch down/up on all 4 windows is convenient. I with it came with auto dimming rear view mirror but eh cant have it all. The manual seat is adjustable height. It has plenty of leg room for my 6'4" legs that I have to move the seat forward. The steering wheel is manual up down and telescopic.

Diesel is cheaper than gas for a short while

I can get a honest 40 MPG out of it (in the winter to boot) with cetane booster on trips to the metro around 67 MPH. I can leave from Mt. Iron get to the metro screw around and get back on one tank of fuel. Usually I get about mid 30's regularly

It has an electric heater in the plenum, so that is the defrost is on and blower speed is on two or above it will come on to help defog the window.

Things I dislike

For the life of me I don't get why this engine seems to randomly run rough, for a diesel, it should not do it, and it bothers me, as the high pressure pump is a known as a common failure part. If it fails you have to replace the whole H.P. fuel system.

The fuel filter does NOT have a water separator, one has to replace the fuel filter every 20K and at the same drain and water out of the fuel filter housing.

A block heater is NOT available from the factory, and one is not available from VW to install as an add on. One is available aftermarket, but it is a tank style, externally mounted. I have left my car out all winter, there were some days she started hard, but she started in -40 below.

Maintenance is expensive, so figure it in. Oil is only available from VW, and if you would like to keep your warranty, you WILL use VW fluids. 1 Quart is 11 bucks, you need 7(?) and a $9.00 filter. DSG requires replacement every 40K at $500.00 quoted from the dealer.

I disliked that the car did not come with fog lamps, but VW does offer a retrofit kit to install them. I would have liked auto headlamps instead of the manual one on my car.

[Jeremy airjer W]

We can average 30mpg or better with everyday driving with our Camry. We can also get an honest 38-40 mpg on the freeway at 70mph. Performance is not rocket ship rated but is surprisingly unexpected for a four cylinder in a "full size" vehicle.

I can buy oil for about $5 a quart less if its on sale and have multiple manufacturers to choose from. No weird over the top maintenance costs. Hardly worth getting a diesel if you ask me.

[theoilman]

I own a 2011 TDI Jetta.

Things I dislike

Maintenance is expensive, so figure it in. Oil is only available from VW, and if you would like to keep your warranty, you WILL use VW fluids. 1 Quart is 11 bucks, you need 7(?) and a $9.00 filter.

No, you don't have to go to the dealer and use VW branded oil (an European manufactured Castrol). Mag.-Moss fair trade act: If they tell you that you have to use their service products they have to give them to you for free! You do have to use VW spec 507 on the newer TDI diesels, it is available from AMSOIL (product code AEL) but it is still $11 per quart.

[Dave S]

If it's fuel mileage you want, fuel mileage you can get. This is after my 47 mile commute from Lakeville to Le Sueur today.

[CJH]

TDI's excel in HWY cruising!!!

As you are showing, while gas generally gets below EPA estimates, diesels generally get better than EPA estimates.

[rundrave]

and it was really windy yesterday.....what did it average out on the way back home. If I measured my MPG by the lie meter for the first 47 miles of all of my fill ups they would be higher than average as well.

[SkunkedAgain]

I know a handful (5 or 6) of people that have owned VWs and the same two things always seem to come up:

- expensive repairs

- electrical problems

For being what I call a "common car" like your Toyotas/Fords/Honda, VWs tend to have repair bills more in line with luxury cars like BMWs. It isn't an issue until your car reaches the repair stage of its life, but it will happen and it will hurt.

VWs seem to have persistent electrical issues. Yes, most vehicles tend to be labeled for having some kind of persistent issue. This is VW's problem. I haven't run into many major electrical issues, but the are annoying issues such as headlights, brake/tail, and turn signals that burn out much faster than typical.

[Dave S]

and it was really windy yesterday.....what did it average out on the way back home. If I measured my MPG by the lie meter for the first 47 miles of all of my fill ups they would be higher than average as well.

This was on the return trip home. I hear ya on the lie meter but it's fun to watch. Round trip I would guess the overall average to be closer to 50 mpg. I'd guess the longest stretch of straight road to be about 8 miles before there's any stop signs or I turn off on a different road. Cruise control was set at 57 to get that 54 mpg yesterday.

Only for comparison sake, we had a Chevy Cruze before this and the best we would average would be around 33 mpg.

Skunkedagain,

I keep hearing about the electrical issues and haven't experienced anything yet. If it happens, big deal. Not too worried about it. It's not as though I haven't dumped a shat-ton of money into any of the domestic brands I've owned (Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Buick). They all have their issues. Bottom line is to get what ever trips your trigger.

[SkunkedAgain]

Agreed

[1968]

How about 75w synthetic atf? Only OE or Pentosin are allowed that push 20 bucks a liter and has a 40k interval.

More than a couple cheap synthetic oils aren't up to the task for that engine either.

[DRH1175]

I also noticed that the Chevy Cruze is available with the ecotech diesel now that may be worth a look as well.

[Dave S]

I haven't seen the Cruze diesel on the lots yet. Comparing numbers between the Cruze and Jetta, the hp/torque are almost identical. The biggest selling points to me is IMO VW has more background in diesel engines whereas the Cruze diesel is a new release in this market and the price comparison between the two has about a $2K difference with the comparably equipped Jetta being the less expensive of the two.

[JOHNBIGDOG]

not to mention VW's problem with H.P. pumps going bad, engines hydro-locking do to over efficient inter-coolers.

On the chevy side, you will be running D.E.F. where as the VW do not. engine reliability is still questionable in cold weather. (that tdi will start in -40 weather sitting outside, no block heater)

I still have not seen much from mazda on their diesel.