My wife usually drives our '10 Prius, I generally drive an '10 A3 tdi. If we need a little more space we take the Prius. If we want a little fun, we take the A3. No trouble with either German product yet - fit and finish is equal to the Toyota. Not sure where everyone shops for Audi's and VW's, but I got a helluva deal on the A3/trade in for my previous car and my son bought his '10 Jetta tdi for $3500 off MSRP, a very decent trade in on his Taurus and 0% financing.
I don't think you can go wrong with either. Both get great mileage and are historically reliable mechanically. The TDI will have a nicer fit and finish, is available with a 6-speed, and the wagon has more cargo room than the Prius. The Prius gets better mileage and from my calculations has a lower overall cost of ownership. Plus I love the unique nature of the Prius. It doesn't really look like any other car on the road (except the new Insight, which copied it). If I could have purchased a TDI wagon for the same as my Prius level II, I might have gone with one. I love the Prius, but when we need a new second car in the future, I will strongly consider the TDI wagon.
As someone who in 2008 was on a TDI waiting list for 6 months, I can tell you this has nothing to do with the car itself. It is because of VW not producing and sending enough of the TDI's over here. They built up a small amount of supply and made people wait for a long time. I gave up and bought a GTI, which I no longer own. It was a blast to drive, but it is expensive to maintain.
I don't want drive diesels unless the PM2.5 health issue was solved. Frequent Questions | Fine Particle (PM2.5) Designations | US EPA Environmental Health - Air Quality Current Issues: PM2.5 Information Ken@Japan
I will echo what others have already said ... get the car that you enjoy driving the most. If possible, rent each for a day or more. If not take as many test drives as you need to give you a sense of each car. The CVT transmission of the Prius is different in every way from the gearing (automatic or manual) of the VW. If you enjoy the sensation of shifting gears you may not like the Prius. I owned various air- and water-cooled VW's "back in the day" ... but that was over 20 years ago. The VWs were indeed fun to drive, but the repair cost seemed high and frequent. This is one of the reasons I stopped buying them. But that was then and this now ... things may have changed. But if others claim that the total cost of VW ownership is high, I for one would believe them. Gasoline will always be more readily available than diesel in the US. So think about where you tend to (or want to) drive and investigate the availability of diesel. Of course you could always get a gas VW ...
Is it my paranoid imagination, but does the OP seem to smack of a hit and run tr@ll post? Poster has a single post to his credit, and in one long initial and only post, manages to: 1. Insult his current Toyota vehicle 2. Imply that the Prius is a "status symbol" car 3. Imply that the Prius is the vehicle of choice for greenies and gays 4. Compare the Prius against the Jetta TDI and heaps praise on the TDI 5. Heaps praise on the TDI's fuel efficiency 6. Says the Prius is boring Again, maybe its just my paranoia, but I've seen lots of trolls posting in the Yahoo Answers area for Toyota with lots of insults for the Toyotas and Prius. Wouldn't be surprised if they infiltrate this forum too. Vic
How we respond to the reality challenged says more about us than about them. Nothing we can say can make them seem more informed, but the way we respond can make us look kinder. It is hard to return hate with kindness, but easier to return clueless with kindness, and that is a start.
Owned one VW, and that was one too many. I have owned around 25 new cars in my life, and my 96 Jetta Trek was the worst. Atleast it came with a bike so I could get around while it was in the shop. (I still have the bike. I am sure the Jetta is long dead!) If I had to drive a VW it would be a TDI as they are much more reliable than their gas counterparts. I read somewhere that the 1.8T is one of the most unreliable engines ever. My neighbor bought a TDI Jetta and parked his Expedition. The money he saved in fuel made the payment on the Jetta. Its only a few years old and is pushing 200k problem free miles. I keep telling him hes lucky.
I personally chose a Prius over a diesel VW because of going green / fuel economy and diesel has 4X the smog forming/harmful air pollutants. I also opted to recycle my old '84 Toyota with 200,000 miles that ran well but leaked tons of oil, even though I could have sold it for a good $1000+. Planet>wallet.
This graphic table of the fuel efficiency of the Prius vs Jetta TDI is very informative. So much for the "fantastic" mpg of the Jetta. Good compared to the average mid-size American car, maybe. Vic
Yes, it seems like he's a troll who "threw a grenade" and ran away. One will notice that the OP's last activity at PriusChat Forums - View Profile: mokulea was on 10-11-2010.
