people about to trade their Prius in for a Jetta TDI

I wish you the best of luck!

 

I never had a prius up north and i imagine the coldness erases alot of the gains prius can give .. things like mobil 1 synthetic and k&n air filters will give u a couple extra percentage on MPG as well as extra air pressure in your tires (ie tires that can take 50 psi and put over 40 in them) ...
the 76 HP engine and 45HP electric on Gen 2 are no match for a TurboDieselInjection on the highway .. -- and in the cold .. I think that's why Prius is so popular in Cali, AZ, TX, and Florida ---

 

Car and Driver: Mileage? No, it's Your Gallonage that Really Counts | PriusChat

Try running some "gallonage" calculations yourself to see that even a "large" drop of 5 mpg isn't very large in term of gallonage.

Have fun with your replacement car that will get worse mileage overall, cost more to fuel and almost certainly be less reliable.

As for DRLs, I don't care for them at all (esp. ones that can't be disabled as it looks dumb to me to be driving around w/headlights on all the time), but it seems the '12+ Priuses have LED DRLs standard. You could've always driven w/your headlights on all the time if you wanted DRLs.

Although I don't generally wish to pay for sunroofs and my two most recent cars (06 Prius and 04 350Z) didn't even have them as choices, I do agree that the extra cost of getting the solar roof is a bit much. I do wish one could get a cheaper sunroof w/o the solar roof portion.

 

Bye bye!

We hardly knew ye!

You realize you're not buying another 2004 tdi, right? And that diesel costs a bit more than gasoline, right?

 

wow, i don't have any of those complaints. my mpg's have been rock steady for almost 10 years, i can drive over 600 miles on a tank, gen II and III, i only use and prefer manual climate control, i dislike sunroofs and drl's and the radio is fine. otoh, i owned a vw rabbit in 1983 and never bought another one and never will. different strokes for different folks i guess. all the best!

 

You're complaining about a 2010 model. The 2012+ fixed half of the issues you listed and the solar roof option is $1,500 instead of $3,000.

1. The lowest mpg you will get with the Prius is the highest you'll get with the equivalent TDi. If you're happy with CONSISTENTLY lower mpg then you're headed in the right direction. I just hope diesel is cheaper than regular unleaded in your area. It's $0.30 or more higher than unleaded here.

2. The range is reasonable. Most vehicles are within the 350-450 mile per tank range. The diesels boast a huge fuel tank which is nice but complaining about a 400+ mile range? Really?

3. This seems to be a personal issue so there is no clear answer.

4. The solar roof option is $1,500 on the Model Three.

5. DRL are standard for 2012+

6. All models come with at least a 6.1" touchscreen display for Entune and vehicle programming.

If you're not happy with the car I can totally understand that but please make sure you compare like year models. Otherwise it's like complaining that my 1990 Chevy truck didn't have a 4+ speed transmission like a 2013 Ford truck does.....

Now that my rant is over, I wish you luck with your next purchase.

 

Enjoy your 35mpg to 41mpg vehicle that takes diesel and has many known emissions problems: 2013 Volkswagen Jetta MPG Reports | Fuelly

Also know that there is 118% the energy content in diesel versus gasoline. So a 40mpg diesel is really only getting 33.9mpg when you compare apples to apples in turns of energy burned.

1) Glad it was only the car that was inconsistent. We all know the weather never changes, winds never change, drivers always drive the same way, etc. It is very possible to have very different fuel efficiencies for the same drive through no fault of your own. Others cars do the exact same thing, but don't present it to you in the same way. In averages, it works out.

2) How often do you drive more than 440 miles and the extra 5 minutes to fill up is a major inconvenience? You could strap a 100 gallon tank to a truck and it will go 1000 miles. Is that more important than burning fuel efficiently? This is the trap that GM has played into for years. They rarely advertised MPGs on their SUVs, they advertised miles per tank. Completely pointless, but it makes a good number.

3) You just don't understand it. Read the manual. It is the same in all Toyota's and Lexus'. It is also the same in almost every Japanese vehicle. When you turn off Auto, the temperature means nothing (and will actually disappear from the display). Then you can select the air flow speed, which vents, etc like any other vehicle. Blaming the vehicle because you can't understand the UI is silly. Perhaps your dealership should have walked you through this.

4) I agree that the lack of a sunroof is stupid. Other than my DeLorean, every other car I have, or have had, has a sunroof. I like to see the sky, but in the GenII it wasn't even an option. And in the DeLorean the gullwings eat up the roofline. You bake in the car so a sunroof would just add to the pain.

5) Leave the parking lights on... Or install a DRL kit. Or buy the Canadian version which has the kit standard. Or just drive with your lights on. It is safer overall. My headlight stalk never leaves full on.

6) You sure about blaming the display unit? Toyota still uses XM in the Prius, not Sirius. XM has a 25 character limit with satellite radio. Our older Lexus RX was capable of using XM or Sirius. It had XM installed when we bought it and it also had the 25 character limit that would chop off artists/songs. The dealership replaced it with a Sirius unit and everything worked perfectly with unlimited characters. This was shortly after the merger, but even today XM subscriptions are completely separate from Sirius. But this seems to be a limitation of XM, not Toyota. Or at most, the Denso decoder for the XM radio.

Enjoy your smoke puffer.

 

My wife and I have had two VW NewBeetle diesels (new 1999 model until we purchased a new 2006 which we still have). Had a lot of CEL and starting issues on the 1999. 2006 has been problem free but gets 30% LESS fuel mileage than the 1999. Diesel fuel cost have been higher than premium unleaded for the past three to four years. All fuel is expensive, but regular unleaded is the cheapest. I'm tired of diesel.

 

As someone already said, most of those complaints have been addressed in the 2012+ models. The major one is the HVAC controls and it's still the same. I dislike it as well. But it's tolerable for me. Even if you do get slightly better fuel economy, diesel costs more than regular gas so you'd save no money. FWIW, I'd choose the Jetta TDI for the better driving dynamics over a Prius if those were my two choices although I'm not fond of VW reliability. Good luck, I think you're making a great choice either way.

 

Nope.

All 4 generations have shown a clear advantage over the traditional cars.

You still see gains in the winter, they just aren't as large as in the summer.

 

The window-sticker has detail on it. Don't rely solely on the large numbers or what a dealer claims. As for the inconsistency, my 2010 certainly didn't exhibit swings like that.

For that matter, don't trust Jetta MPG info without detail. It's likely outdated. The new models, changed to meet emissions standards, aren't as efficient as the older ones. Search for recent data.

With respect to winter, there's a drop with *all* vehicles. Factors like increased air resistance and decrease combustion combined with seasonal fuel changes simply cannot be avoided. Warm-up takes longer too.

 

Your cash, your choice.

But before buying, I'd go to fuelly.com and see what real world owners are reporting for fuel MPG for the most recent model year on the two cars and then factor that against the differing costs of fuel (regular, premium, diesel all cost differently and it is miles per dollar I care about). I did and the difference was startling between a Prius v and the Passat TDI I was comparing it with. The actual for the Passat was 33.5, the Prius v was 42.4 and the comparison gets worse when the cost of fuel is factored in. (I had to do the Passat because the Jetta is so much smaller than the v.) Your Diesel Jetta Sedan for 2013 is a respectable 38.8 which is equivalent to about 35 when cost is factored in. My son gets 50 to 55+ in his Prius Hatchback.

Also calculate the range of both cars you are comparing based on the size of the fuel tank and the actual MPG. Modern fuel tanks often depend on you not running them almost dry as they use the fuel to cool the fuel pump which can be enclosed within the tank itself. Not sure if this is true on the TDI or Prius.

I hate sunroofs, all they do is create a structurally weak point and cost me headroom. But that is my opinion.

Yes, I want DRLs for safety.

Sure I could list a dozen things I'm not fond of or would have done different/better in my Prius, but for each of those there is another set of things I love and the latter are the more important ones TO ME. We have to make choices, every car is a compromise, there is no perfect car.

After owning over 40 cars in my lifetime of driving for more than 55 years, I'd consider a purchase of a car a failure if I only owned it 3 years. My last 3 were sold off at 9+ years of ownership which meant no payments and a long time to save for the next car. Selling after the highest depreciation is taken is not my idea of financial prudence, I try to get some benefit of owning when the depreciation is costing you the least as long as the car is reliable and the vehicle serves the current needed purpose.

Good luck whatever your choice, I hope you see it as a good one several years from now.

 

Don't the newer diesel cars and pickup trucks have a tank that has to be filled with some kind of crap to mix with the fuel? I think that and the fact that diesel is quite a bit higher than even premium gasoline in this area might keep me from owning another one.

If I wanted a new VW I would probably buy one of the gasoline versions and enjoy the extra power, or better yet an Audi A3 or A4.

As it is I think my next car will be a Camry Hybrid or an Accord Hybrid, which will depend on the Accord (due out this fall).

Anyway, to the OP, good luck. My neighbor has had two TDIs and loves them so to each his own.

 

The newer, "clean" diesel fuel has been out for about three years and that's susposedly the reason for the year round high cost. Our NewBeetle diesel runs strong, so extra power isn't an issue.

 

"People about to trade their Prius in for a Jetta TDI",

NOT ME!

 

AFAIK the new Passat uses Adblue, the Jetta does not.

 

Buy what you want to buy.
I actually think Volkswagen Diesel TDI's are interesting products.

But even the "reality" as you present?

I think I'd rather have a reliable vehicle that gets 42-47 mpg combined, and runs on regular gas, than a Vehicle with the reputation for high maintenance issues, that get's 48-50 highway but runs on much more expensive Diesel.

But actually, a few years back when I was considering my next automobile purchase, I considered Volkswagen TDI's. I loved the fit and finish, they seemed very nice.

But the problem in 2010 was that the Volkswagen dealers were so unhelpful. Supply was scarce and they literally were telling me to go home and launch my own personal search, as they didn't have any on the lots. Since they seemed so reticent in selling me one? Guess what? I didn't buy one. But maybe that has changed.

Being tied to Diesel fuel and also tied to Volkswagen dealerships and service would be a killer to me.

 

Diesel in the Cleveland area runs about $0.70 higher than regular (87 oct) gas. So a fill up with the TDI will cost around 12 gal (14.5g capacity) X $4.30/gal = $51.60. At 42 mpg for the TDI you will get 504 miles. A Gen3 liftback averaging 45 mpg will easily yield 450 miles while using 10 gals (1 pips). 10g X $3.40 = $34.00. Save $17 per fill up.

So... by learning how to squeeze another 3-5 mpg (quite easy - I consistently get 500 mi tanks out of my Prius wagon) out of a Gen3 you would save $17 per fill up and a new car payment along with keeping a much more reliable car.

 

The "crap" that must be added on some is actually pee...err.. urea.

Yep, besides diesel costing more (http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/), besides EPA ratings and Fuelly reports, the VW Jettta TDI gets significantly lower mileage than the Prius on CR's mileage tests: The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars | Best Cars for Gas - Consumer Reports and Edmunds' test at Fuel Sipper Smackdown 2: Which Car Gets the Best Fuel Economy?.

In this test:
2010 Toyota Prius III vs. 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI DSG - Comparison - Motor Trend

where the Golf TDI involved gets the same EPA rating as the '13 Jetta TDI (Compare Side-by-Side), the Prius beat the Golf's mileage in every test.

But I guess it's all "worth it" to the OP: to get worse mileage, pay more for fuel and almost certainly be less reliable.