Car & Driver long term test of 09 VW Jetta TDI from March 2010 issue

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 Their opinions were mixed...

Looks like they're all negative!

 

This reminded me of when a friend test drove a GTI (I went along) in the late 80's. The turn signal stalk had snapped off and was hanging from the column. We asked the salesguy about it and he pretended that he didn't notice.

 

Wow those issues are major compared to the first year gen3 Prius.

 

There was a major recall involving 50,000+ cars equipped with the DSG transmission. Volkswagen DSG - Recall Update - Eurotuner Magazine

I'll take the simplicity and reliability of the Prius Power Split Device transmission (just 22 moving parts) any day of the week!

 

Those are some serious issues. I didn't know DSG needs fluid change ever 40k miles.

 

The fluid changes are not cheap either. I try to tell most people to stick with the 6-speed manual. It's cheaper, more efficient, and more fun than the DSG.

 

If your daily commute includes stop & slow driving, a manual becoming very annoying. Shifting yourself so frequently is not fun.
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I had 5 VW so far and not impressed they all have issues, and are at the bottom of the reliability list for a reason

 

That says it all really.

 

That's a good point, fun is very subjective. I'd still prefer a manual if my daily commute had lots of stop and slow, although others may not. The TDI is different than most manuals because it can be driven with one foot in stop & slow. But if a person is buying a car for a commute laden with lots of stop and go, a TDI would not be the best choice anyway. A hybrid would be my recommendation for them.

 

The biggest reason is the Touareg. The later MkV Jetta and Rabbits have been getting above average reliability ratings, but the Touareg is pretty much the least reliable vehicle available here.

 

They don't have much off-idle torque because the turbo isn't able to do much boosting at that point. A lot of ECUs are programmed to try to bring the revs back up if they drop below idle. So that makes it easy to get the car rolling and it can idle along in any gear.

 

Diesels do have a lot of torque. I have a 2003 Jetta TDI with the 90 hp / 155 lb-ft 1.9L engine. It has 80% of full torque at 1900 RPM and hits peak torque at 2400 RPM. Cruising at 70 mph on the highway puts the engine right on the 2400 RPM torque peak. That has two benefits: good acceleration in top gear without shifting, and maximum fuel economy.

I have a daily commute that starts off with a 6 mile stretch that takes 35 minutes! I simple alternate between idling in 1st or 2nd gear. It is not tiring or bothersome at all.

 

The ECU's desire to keep revs from dropping below idle makes it very easy to launch the vehicle. Diesels have a lot of torque because of the turbo. Naturally aspirated diesels don't make any more torque than a similarly sized gas engine.