Prius over Golf TDI? Mixed feelings

Since you keep the car for awhile, think ahead. In 5-10 years, which car would you rather drive? The number of your family may grow.

 

I feel your pain. I was taught to drive on a stick shift. I have always driven sticks until I bought the Prius. When driving the Prius, I sometimes find my right hand lying on my lap, apparently bored from lack of use. It will rise to cycle through the displays, occasionally fiddle with the radio, and back down it goes. It feels awkward when it rests on the steering wheel.

But I do think the Prius is more engaging than your run-of-the-mill automatic. Instead of thinking about gears and shifting, I'm thinking about MPGs, electric motor usage, and engine-off gliding. I'm paying attention more closely to the terrain, traffic, and lights, trying to minimize speed variation and reduce wasteful braking. Ultimately, it's very thought-provoking, even though my right foot is the one seeing all the action.

 

This is a person take on their Golf TDI wagon

Test Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI
Since I own this car, in the same configuration except manual and no rear SABs, will chime in with a few items.

I want HIDs too. They're not an option on Jetta Sportwagens in the US (they are on Golf hatches though, unlike here). To buy 'em, it'd be $3,000+ I had investigated when I bought and also when the headlights had to be replaced after hitting the deer. I'd love them, but find the standard headlights and fog lights (which don't project forward well, only to the sides unlike the Ram) and high beams fine.

The rear seats do fold flat. There's now the option of folding them nearly flat easily (like in the photos in the article), or removing the headrests and flipping the bottom cushion forward before folding flat like on the previous generation Golf (front seats cannot be slid all the way back when folded flat, but most don't need them to).

Up front, there's also a little storage nook to the left of the steering wheel on the dash. Find that one one convenient. The centre console is rather small, but the door pockets are reasonably sized.

My parents have an Elantra Touring GLS Sport, and I've compared the two vehicles a lot. The Elantra has extra height for the cargo area and it's significantly easier to get in and out of, and the rear legroom is more spacious, but otherwise the VW is the superior of the two - and considering the price differential it ought to be. From the sunroof, to the controls, to the seats, to the materials, to the drive (ride, handling, and steering), to the power, and fuel economy.

On my commute I'm getting 5.2-5.6L/100kms over 120 highway kms, at 20-25km/h over the posted limit. In warmer temperatures I was netting 4.5-4.9L/100kms, and over 1,150kms per tank. On a flat road going 90km/h, can see mid-to-high 3's (not as a trip average, but over extended cruising). In the city, 6.5-7.5L/100kms is easy, but where the hybrids really shine.

Yes, on very cold days it's interesting to see the engine temperature guage move toward colder while idling at a light. I wish they shipped them all with the electric heater, or heater enabled. Or maybe even an electrically heated windshield to defrost.

Biggest complaint I have is the centre console is wider than it needs to be and impedes knee room (the 2011 Elantra Sedan is beautiful in this way). Also, I have a buzz in the driver's door when the audio volume and bass are high in certain frequencies of sound, mostly when it's cold. Also, find the rear styling a little frumpy... not bad, but not great.

At 48K, and continute to LOVE THIS CAR!!!

 

I only drove manuals until last year. I went from a Maxima to the Prius. I won't lie, the Prius is an appliance and nothing more. Seriously. If driving experience is important to you you get the TDI. Finances are priority, you get the Prius. I thought driving was more important to me than it ended up being. I was surprised I replaced a Maxima with it but I like the Prius a lot. I like it FOR its being an appliance now, it's like a perfect vehicle from a utilitarian standpoint.

If we step back, driving was never intended to be fun, it was intended to serve a need. That's what the Prius goes back to, need above all else. I'll tell you that as an errand-running vehicle it's fantastic. Take it to a parking lot and park and it's a dream. Its turning radius is great, but what I very much like is the near-instant gear changing, R->D->R, absolutely no vehicle with conventional gears (nor a CVT) can do it because they lack the electric motor which can switch direction in an instant. I tend toward impatience and this is a perk for me. Also, with no start time required except for a very quick boot up from pressing power to being in gear and driving I've not seen a vehicle quicker.

 

I totally agree ! And the MPG is just fantastic, and this is going to be more of an issue in the coming years.

I must say I REALLY love driving the damn thing, just for the challenge and technology of it. I love driving along for miles at a time and seeing ZERO RPM's on my scanguage. Now THAT is FUN !!

REV

 

How VERY well said. 1+
Description fits me to a tee too, at least in city driving.

 

Driving experience? I LOVE driving the Prius, more than any car I've ever owned. It is the first automatic trans. I've ever owned, and I DO miss shifting, but the Prius gives me enough to do and to look at.

Before I bought mine, a friend who owns a Gen II said that once you drive a Prius, you can never drive anything else. She was right. My poor '08 Tacoma sits lonely in the garage most of the time.

 

The driving experience I really enjoy is a bicycle on trails. Cars are a very poor distant relative.

 

Sounds like someone's lonely truck might have a touch of Prius envy.

 

I like reading what you think about one of the most popular cars in Europe. To me it sounds really strange that diesel pumps are quite rare there overseas. Here, more than 65% of new cars are diesel powered, and TDI technology is one of the most popular.
I actually hate VW, especially Golf, since I was very young.
It's a kind of feeling, I hate that car.
But this comes from the fact that here VW and Audi (Audi are the VW for richer people, and Audi are part of VW group) are "status symbol". Do you want to be cool?, do you want people think you have learned everything from life? Do you want people see that you have a great car? ok, just buy a boring VW. Yes, I say boring because we have A LOT o VW. Too much! And usually, who drives this brand of car, is much more arrogant (not only when driving) than other people.
I had the chance to drive many VW in my life. They are well built indeed, they give a secure feeling when driving, they also keep a high value of money if you think to sell it someday (here VW is the most requested brand, gives sense of quality, and, remember, it's a status symbol).. ok. You also have to consider that nothing is free, and VW are quite expensive. But remember, VW TDIs are also famous for burning A LOT of engine oil, so you have to refill it quite often. And also, new TDIs comes out with a anti-particulate filter, to satisfy environmental requests. So, these filters block part of the dusts, but we have a higher production of PM2.5, extremely dangerous for health. These filters, to work properly, need to give a second "high temp combustion", and in especially if you use the car for short urban trips, contamination of engine oil with diesel can occur.
So when I choose Prius I choose a car that is uncommon here but I really love to drive.
Sometimes people who I don't know stop and say: "hey, you don't mind if I tell you how ugly you car is, why didn't you buy a Golf instead?". I really don't care about how this car looks like. I go beyond the exterior appearance.
This car works "as every car should work". I often think, driving in the everyday traffic jams, how would the air we breathe be if everyone could drive an HSD car.
I am experiencing a stunning 60 mpg avg driving, I'm relaxed and in quietness.
If I had chosen Golf, I'm sure, I wouldn't be so happy and enthusiast of my car.
I have to say sorry for my english, I guess I made a lot of mistakes. I just hope you understand the overall meaning of what I was trying to explain.
Greetings from Italy :wave:

 

Addressing the mpg concerns, I notice you are in NJ so cold weather performance
is quite relevant.
Here is the thread (73 pages!) to end all cold weather performance threads...the first pages contain some interesting anecdotal data from both sides.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...lder-weather-has-zapped-my-mileage-44mpg.html

That's a tough one. Good luck.
VW dealers are no doubt expensive but all dealers will overcharge you whenever they get a chance. Yes, Toyota's are more reliable overall than the VW's (German ) but the Prius is not your typical Toyota econobox or sedan. There are a lot more dealer only parts and service in the Prius than say a Corolla or Camry. If you can find a good VW independent, that will tip the scale even further towards the object of your love.

 

^^ My 2004 Prius is closing in on 7 years old and 125k miles. It has NEVER been to the dealership* for repairs or maintenance, and NO ONE would confuse me with a person of mechanical talent.

* I did put the wrong coolant fluid in my radiator back in the days that I though all coolants were the same for cars, and in a fit of hysteria and guilt took the car to the dealership for an exchange. I hesitate to categorize my stupidity as a car problem or cost, and today I would exchange the fluid myself.

 

Did you address the recalls yourself ?

 

There are a few of us on here that own performance cars.
I have 3 myself.
A 800 rwhp Plymouth Roadrunner, a AWD Turbo Talon making 500 awhp and a Subaru WRX making 300 awhp.
Then there is the Prius. I have no problem getting out of any of the other cars and driving the Prius.
Sure, it doesn't push me into the seat, but when all I'm doing is coming up to the next red light it doesn't really matter anyways.
I find the brakes on the Prius to be more sensitive and feel like they're doing more then even the huge brakes on the other 3 cars, which all have big aftermarket brakes.
The Prius can handle pretty good, I can push it in the corners and it goes through without any problems. I wouldn't take it to the track and expect it to go around those corners, but on the street it's more then enough.

What I'm trying to get at is that while it may not be a performance car of any sort, it can perform quite well. I don't think you'd have any problem wanting to do a little 'spirited' driving.

I've also got almost 200,000kms on the car (124,000 miles) and like SageBrush I've never taken it in for any repairs or maintenance.
I have changed the transmission fluid twice, spark plugs, air filter and oil...that's it.

And I haven't taken mine in for any recalls.