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

$8k more than what? The Jetta doesn't cost $8k less than a Prius and aything else that does cost $8k less is not in the same class as the Prius so there really is nothing to compare it to. Was this a real question or are you trolling?

 

It's another TDI troll..."blind loyalty to the battery operated cars amazes me" is a classic.. Add to that the malarky about an extra $8K and "worse mileage" and it's three strikes, he's out. Also liked the location of "East Costs" but based on the post and nickname I'm not sure if it is an attempt at humor or just an indication of sloppiness.

 

Nup, you're right.
If I were you I'd head out and buy that 14,000 Jetta quick before they realise how good it is and decide to keep it.

But hang on, the cheapest Jetta is a petrol model at $17,515 and if you want a TDi you will pay about the same as a bigger, more reliable lower consumption Prius II, or about $22,270.
Actually the base Prius is $270 less than a TDi!

Don't walk, run to that VW dealer before they realise they put the wrong sticker on the TDi.

 

Wow, a tough crowd. I struck out finding a 2009 TDI in a manual with the color I wanted, so I’m still shopping. What I really like about the TDI is that it drives like a sports car and you don’t have to look like a dork driving like the dork-mobile Prius. Say what you want Prius owners, but it is definitely a dork statement. The bottom line on a 2010 TDI is about $22k (manual trans, sunroof, and the dealers volume discount). The clunker program is good for $4500, and since the TDI is the green car of the year with a $1300 tax credit, that makes this about $16k off the lot. Not bad. Don’t much like lugging around all the weight of batteries, but I do like the Prius city mileage. I am actually still on the fence. Just wish the Prius owners wouldn’t be so cult-like.

The 2010 TDI's will be at my dealer next week, so we’ll have a decision to make.

-North

 

To each their own. From your attitude I'd assume you need a car to get people to like you so if that is the case maybe you should look into a real sports car or a truck like the rest of the people who lack self esteem.

 

You might want to take Saturday and try a Honda Civic hybrid. It wasn't for our family but I understand it is a sporty car. Better still, it gets mileage similar to the TDI.

Bob Wilson

 

How do you explain the Jetta TDI weighting 200 lbs more than the Prius? Prius is a mid-size and Jetta is a compact.

 

i think any non-prius is a good choice for you. with a prius, you would end up really hating yourself and your dork-mobile. you would have to go around the internet insulting yourself in really immature ways.

i think a vette or maybe the new camaro is right for you. perhaps you should go around and ask a bunch of people which car would make them think the most of you and buy that car. You know, for the statement.

 

Cult - a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

Yea, the cult that is bounded by the ownership satisfication in harmony. Happiness is universal human attribute. We just can't help it!

 

Did anyone notice he's from the East Costs?

 

Max says ... 'The Jetta TDI clean diesel set a world record 58 MPG highway ....'

Yeah, right, going downhill with a stiff tailwind.

See Edmunds fuel sipper smackdown 2 for reality.

And nevermind the 2009 Pri comparison, that's old school. I'll bet the '10 Prius V could give the TDI a good run in the twisties.

 

It's those stupid "feel-good" commercials that we see on TV all the time; they do indeed make the Prius seem like it's a car that only a dork could love.

Try to get past this and judge the car on its own merits:
1. No vibration or noise at idle since the engine nearly always turns off when you're stopped. I haven't heard the VW TDI, but most diesels I have heard tend to clatter at idle.
2. Easy access to gasoline fuel; not so easy access to diesel fuel.
3. Big comfortable back seat area in the Prius. Not so big in the VW.
4. Based on past history, Prius reliability is expected to be good to excellent. Based on past history, VW reliability is expected to range from fair to good.
5. Great city gas mileage; not so good for the VW.

 

Here's Edmund's 2009 Smackdown results... 2010 Prius - 2009 Jetta TDI

City: 48.7 - 31.6

Highway: 47.4 - 40.6

Back Roads: 47.2 - 41.2

Overall: 47.6 - 38.1

Needless to say, the 2010 Prius kicked some serious gas!
.

 

It will be nice as more people realize it's really cool to drive a car that's quiet not only at idle, but also when it slips into stealth mode up to 42 MPH (Gen2).

Call me old, but I couldn't care less about cars with headers or obnoxious aftermarket, loud tailpipes ... you'd just have to turn up the stereo louder to enjoy the music anyway.

I'm not a fan of having to interrupt conversation when a loud Harley takes off either. Happens often here in the Bay Area.

 

It actually did set a record, visiting the 48 states last August and September, and getting 58 mpg for the whole tour.

That prompted Wayne, Jenny & Jud from CleanMPG to take their own 48 state tour in November & December. With a heavier load, and poorer weather including some snow, they got 68 mpg in a Civic Hybrid.

For the 2009 models (Prius / Civic / TDI), Wayne still prefers the Civic for best highway mileage, but likes the TDI too. The hardcore hypermilers haven't yet figured out where to rank the 2010 Prius. The 5 mpg boost that regular Prius drivers are getting doesn't necessarily extend to extreme hypermilers, because part of the 2010 EPA improvement seems to come from Toyota's ability to automate and capture some of the stuff hypermilers were already doing.

Don't feel bad. These are the same folks who can get well over 100 mpg from a Prius on city streets, just not on the highway.

 

Last year's Smackdown results... 2009 Prius - 2009 Jetta TDI

City: 52.4 - 32.6

Highway: 47.7 - 48.9

Back Roads: 46.0 - 47.3

Overall: 47.7 - 43.81
.

 

Correction -- last year's test had a 2008 Prius, and a 2005 1.9-liter Jetta, which produced significantly better fuel economy than the cleaner 2009 Jetta.

 

Well, I'm sure you are accustomed to striking out since you view your car as some sort of corrective device for your inadequacies. Do us all a favor, buy the TDI, any color will do. Perhaps the other TDI owners will appreciate your sense of fashion more than those of us here.

 

I just stumbled on this thread and it is a bit funny. I did see the "east costs" and did not know if it was a play on words or a typo. The way that Northernliving talks about the Prius being a "dork car", and his need for a sporty handling car that is a manual trans, tells me a lot about his age and mindset. You are treating the young lad properly here; trying to educate without slamming him for his lack of knowledge and wisdom. Keep up the good work.

 

I have a co-worker who drives a performance tuned Mustang. He has rebuilt the engine, manual transmission, upgraded the suspension and drives performance street tires. His Mustang is quite a bit different from the vast majority of stock Mustangs and that is as it should be. So I would expect hypermilers to seek vehicles that allow them to practice their art.

I was never so happy with our 2010 Prius performance as when I saw my wife drive to Nashville. On a hot day with air conditioner, hills and speeds that reached over 90 mph, the tank mileage came in at 48 MPG for 475 miles. Mileage is built-in to the 2010 Prius and the Japanese engineering team did a superb job and deserve the credit. So I object to the term "capture" as Toyota protected their work with about 2,000 patents. I know for a fact that Toyota, like every other manufacturer, protects their intellectual property rights by establishing a firewall from 'ad hoc' user suggestions.

I am sure hypermilers are pleased to rediscover what has been known since the earliest days of the automobile. But these techniques are neither unique nor original. For example, putting a vehicle in "neutral" on a downgrade has been listed as a violation in state vehicle codes since the earliest days. Worse, the safety aspects scare a lot of journalists as reflected in their articles.

The May, June and July sales of at least 30,000, ZVW30 Prius have multiplied the effect of that minimum 5 MPG increase compared to just the NHW20 and even much more compared to ordinary cars. We can estimate the savings by:

fuel = (miles * ZVW30_units) / (MPG_old - MPG_new)

miles =~ 15,000/12 = 1,250 miles per month ZVW30 MPG = ~52 MPG
NHW20 MPG = ~48 MPG (~2% of fleet)
USA_fleet MPG = ~27 MPG (~98% of fleet)

MPG_old = (.02 * 48) + (.98 * 27) = ~27 MPG

Estimated August fuel savings:

(1250 * 3000) / (27 - 52) = ~1,500,000 gallons, August
​

ZVW30 sales alone are delivering tremendous fuel savings and that is the beauty of building-in the mileage. Best of all, it works for every ZVW30 driver, including my wife.

My Mustang owning co-worker is not Parnelli Jones and my retired wife has no interest in becoming a hypermiler. But I can put her in a car that regardless of how she drives can't get much less than 40-45 MPG. That is the victory, the success, and trying to borrow credit from Toyota's accomplishment . . . well there is the old saying, "Success has many fathers."

Bob Wilson