Prius or Jetta TDI

That's it exactly. Ours is a Sabb (not Saab) Model G - 500 pounds for 10 horsepower. There is a nice access plate on the side which is perfect for scraping out crud.

Tom

 

It's a romantic afternoon with your sweetie when you shout

"Honey?! Time to scrape the sludge out of the Lister!"

 

Either car is a better choice than a SUV like a Murano.

If you're willing to spend an extra 10$K in options, spoilers, 16 speakers, ridiculous wheels, and such custom work, then the Jetta TDI might be for you.

If you want to simply have the *best* anti-pollution car, then the Prius wins on all counts.

High or Low MPG is not the measure for anti-pollution, emissions are. The cleanest diesels will still pollute more than a Toyota Yaris or a Honda Fit.

So comparing Tier2Bin5 exhaust to a PZEV exhaust should be a concern.

TCO (total cost of ownership) should also be a concern.

 

Most people here drive diesels, especially TDIs. I used to drive a Golf V 2.0 TDI (140 hp) and I sold it after 10.000 km. The gearshift kept blocking while shifting in very hot days. Asked the dealer to fix it, he said that nothing was wrong. It kept happening. I kept asking for a fix, they kept saying everything was ok.

Then one the day after I hit a speed bump, my middle brake light fell off. I went to the dealer, asked for a replacement... Not so fast, I went to the dealer, I waited for an entire hour because he was busy, then managed to ask for a replacement. They told they would have ordered the brake light and would have called me once it arrived. Have you heard anything from them? I haven't.

So I sold the damn car and I was stupid enough to buy another Golf. The fact is the VW dealer, due to high demand, would have valued my car just 500 euro less then what I paid for it, he was the only one who offered me that much. So I bought a GTi. Had many problems but I was happier than with the previous. At least it was fast. When the on board computer decided to die, considering the various rattles and noises that developped over time I sold that one too. The big issue about VW is that they didn't care to what you asked them at all, especially about... nuances (small things but that are annoying). I mean, the seatbelt sensor on the passenger side was broken, it kept beeping even if nobody was sitting there. I told the dealer to fix it, I went to get the car after "maintenance", told me everything was ok, and guess what it was still broken... Then a misaligned headlight, and so on... A similar experience happened to a friend of mine who owned first a Golf V 1.9 TDI and then a Audi A3 2.0 TDI (170 hp).
So this time after the Porsche experience (which was perfect and thrilling, they repaired ANYTHING from rain wipers to scratched side markers without questions and for "free") I was firm on one thing: I would have avoided like hell a VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat car.

For the moment I am driving an Aygo the dealer lent me while I am waiting for the Prius. Very basic car, slow, noisy, but honest. No problems so far, a nice chassis, a very nice HI-FI system (for being a city car) with 8 speakers and iPod integration! So far my experience with Toyota is very good!

 

A lot of us in North America are under the impression that only the VW's intended for North America have that problem - that the VW's sold and serviced in the EU are somehow better

I personally am still considering a 2010 VW Golf Wagon Highline TDI, but the service and reliability questions are leaving me concerned

 

New Golfs other than the wagon are built in Germany. The same was true with the Mk5 Rabbits. My Mk4 Golf was made in Brazil. Other than the new Golf Wagon, I don't think Golfs or Rabbits were ever made in Mexico.

 

The wife test drove a Jetta Sportwagen TDI. She thought it was pretty nice. That being said - the sales people were using a bunch of tactics like "we only get two a month" and other BS tactics to get a deposit / pressure her into dealing with only one dealer. It's been a while since we've bought a car and I am reminded how repugnant a process it can be with salespeople who are typically minimally trained in car mechanics and actual human relations/sales training.

Overall, sleazy and parallels prior thoughts about overall VW integrity.

 

Yeah, the North American Rabbits/Golfs/GTIs are built in Wolfsburg. Except for the Golf Wagon, which is more closely related to the Mk5 Jetta and built in Puebla like the Jetta.

 

Puebla does make Boras too, they end up getting sent overseas as kits which go to local plants for final assembly to avoid taxation. I'm not sure if they ship out complete vehicles as well, or just the kits.