Comparison Test: 2009 Toyota Prius vs. 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

<AHEM!>For a good laugh, check out the "ps." in:

2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid vs. 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Comparison Test

". . . (By the way, there are ways to game the display to trick your friends into believing you are a god of efficiency.) . . ."
​

Bob Wilson

ps. I will now retire as my 'god of efficiency' head explodes.

 

What a shocker! Anything Edmunds compare to the Prius will win!

 

Full house Prius right down to the "Prius" decal on the rear bumper, even a touring model most likely package #6 versus a base model which is well equipped because it has vents to the back seats, it hasn't got climate control but if you have vents to the back seat that is much better, and when I was a kid "leatherette" was a fancy name for vinyl, is that still the case? Then compare the price and make a song and dance about the payback period?

They even mentioned how steering wheel mounted controls will one day be on all cars, like the smart key system, the Golf has neither but no mention of that.

It's good to see an unbiased report for a change, yeah right!

I was expecting to read about the battery only lasting 100,000 miles or less, what a letdown.

 

Pretty standard fare for automotive "journalists." I could put shit-on-a-stick on wheels and they would do everything they could to portray it favorably for a few months...until someone produced something new. Then the focus would shift to pumping that up vs. shit-on-a-stick.

Even with a $1300 credit they have to find an overly expensive Prius to test against...which served no purpose since they didn't favor any of the Touring's strengths (relative to a standard Prius) over the TDI, making the whole exercise beyond pointless. But, hey, pretty typical for the underendowed TDI crowd.

 

Wow. Just wow. That's just pure misinformation at its best... It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, its a published article and so probably thousands will buy into the false pretension that the prius is an overpriced bloated under performing hybrid.

 

I'm sorry but I drove the TDI when the local dealer got one for test drives and pre-orders. The dash feels cheap, all hard plastic. The leatherette I will admit is a step above the vinyl seats in our 1986 Sentra Coupe. The bloated price tag of the Prius is a joke, of course they dont get the fully loaded TDI.
"While they might lack space, the Jetta's rear-seat passengers will enjoy HVAC vents, comfortable sculpted seats and a two-prong AC electrical outlet to power/charge personal electronics."

Too bad they wont be able to feel their feet and legs but HEY! They'll be cool!!

 

The Greek "Spartan" slant to the story made this ponderous to read, and I gave up. This is probably the worst-written automotive story, content-aside, I've ever read, and I have read a lot.
It is an interesting apples-to-oranges comparison, and thanks for including it here, though.

 

lol... was going to comment on article in their feedback and got confused for a sec... thought i was on PC!! everyone there is from HERE~!!

 

I DO like that it can be converted to bio fuel ... though there'll simply never be enough old french fry grease to go around, should too many folks convert (or other sources). I must have gone soft, too, when it comes to the 'drive' thingie ... you know ... hard cornering, etc. Back in the Porsche days, I appreciated it, and now that i'm in geezer-hood (53) I actually like the mush ride factor more akin the Prius. So my ride in the TDI felt too much like I was back in the go kart, as a kid ... rumbly, bumpy ... but I know, I know, that's called 'feeling the road' ... and such. I'm just not there any more.

 

ok, read half of it and realized that i was laughing so hard i could no longer comprehend what i was reading...

its too bad that it would take 8½ years to recoup purchase price in gas savings when we dont know what the price of gas will be (i am willing to bet it will be much much much higher than they predicted) but what i do know is that most people will keep their car MUCH longer than 8 years (latest stat was like 42% i think keep their car longer than 6 years, 32% longer than 10 years. but if looking at BRANDS alone, the numbers tell a much much different story with Toyota owners averaging 9 years of ownership overall compared to 5.5 years for the industry average)

obtw, gas just went up another 3 cents in my area. that makes 18 cents in the past 6 weeks... guess its about to stop going up now right??... right?

 

well just out is greenest cars and the CNG Civic won first, our poor ole downtrodden Pri came in a miserable 2nd...

yep, its on its way out for sure... guess the 2010 is arriving just in time... i still predict the 2010 intro to do a repeat as COTY for Motortrend

 

It's going to be funny watching reactions to a 2010 Prius ....

'that's a Prius? No way ... OMG ... I want one!'

I will have to reserve a little judgement until sitting in one to see how the center console works for or against legroom.

 

there is a mentally less gifted "Car-Testing-Company" in every country claiming the diesel is the better choice.

I´m sick of that crap.

kr
w.

 

I am going to embark on an email campaign.
I am going to email every car testing magazine or site and ask for a simple change to their test procedure.
Pay the testers $0.XX per mile driven as a fuel allowance and have the tester pay for all fuel used on the test. If there is money left after the tank is refilled at the end of the test, the tester keeps the change, if he has to pay more than the allowance then that's his tough luck, he will have to tighen the purse strings that week. Lets see how much fun a Lamborghini is when the gas is coming out of the tester's pocket? This will help simulate a real world situation that all car owners must carry, the cost of driving.

I bet that will make the MFD or consumption screen a lot more meaningful and useful. I'd say comparison tests might even become more fun for testers when there is actual money in it for them to drive economically.

 

I drove a rented VW Golf 2.0 TDI in France a few years for two weeks, and was overall impressed. I didn't have the Prius then, and might have gone for the Golf, if it was available in California. It didn't stink too much, or smoke, and the engine seemed as quiet and responsive as a "real" (gas) one. I think back about our last VW's (lack of) reliability (not a diesel), and how good the Prius has been, and there is no contest. Car testers don't have to live with the cars they test for any length of time. I'll take ANY Toyota over ANY VW, any time.