Support NeoGAF

[loosus]

Does anyone have any real-world experience with these two cars in terms of gas mileage?

I know the EPA says that the Prius has the Jetta handedly beat in terms of fuel economy, but I have read reports that people are getting real-world performance that is equal to a Prius -- particularly on the highway, which is where probably 60% of my miles are driven.

The two cars are about the same price, but -- all other things being equal -- I would prefer a Jetta for two reasons: a.) it's a much nicer-looking car and b.) it doesn't contain hybrid technology, which means that I might be able to fix some minor things on my own or without high-priced Toyota labor.

Anybody have any thoughts?

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Does anyone have any real-world experience with these two cars in terms of gas mileage?

I know the EPA says that the Prius has the Jetta handedly beat in terms of fuel economy, but I have read reports that people are getting real-world performance that is equal to a Prius -- particularly on the highway, which is where probably 60% of my miles are driven.

The two cars are about the same price, but -- all other things being equal -- I would prefer a Jetta for two reasons: a.) it's a much nicer-looking car and b.) it doesn't contain hybrid technology, which means that I might be able to fix some minor things on my own or without high-priced Toyota labor.

Anybody have any thoughts?

cost of diesel is lower than gasoline too so if you can get similar mileage you can at least count on cheaper diesel as gas will probably go into the post-$3 range this summer.

Reliability wise? I dunno I've not seen much improvement in terns of Volkswagen reliability compared to the rest of car manufacturers.

Driving wise I hear the Jetta is fun to drive, Prius is obviously a bore.

Personally I'd probably go with the Prius for reliability sake since thats a type of car I'd drive to the ground.

 

[pj]

diesel is definitely not cheaper than gas around here ( upstate ny )

 

[Gallbaro]

Diesel is great just remember sometimes it is hard to find.

 

[NomarTyme]

TDI VROOOM! Pruis SHHHHHHH!

 

[Acid08]

My last experience with a VW was terrible. Car broke down a lot, windows stopped working, in general a very unreliable car. That was about 6 years ago though so I'm not sure how much they've improved. I drive a Prius regularly and it's a great car. I mean it's not very exciting to drive but it's good and reliable. Has some nice features as well.

 

[elostyle]

TDI's have excellent fuel economy particularly on highway or just out-of-city driving. They also have awesome torque. My TDI's were very fun to drive.

If you live in a city where you have to stop all the time, the Prius will likely get better fuel economy.

You should definitely test drive them though.

 

[Raistlin]

diesel is definitely not cheaper than gas around here ( upstate ny )

Matters what gas rates are. Diesel stays relatively stable, while regular gas seems to fluctuate a lot.

There have definitely been times were diesel was comparable or cheaper than standard gas in upstate NY.



I'm considering a diesel car as my next vehicle (or a hybrid), but I'm hoping more car companies start offering them. I like VW ... but they seem to be pretty unreliable.

 

[loosus]

Yeah, I know a few people who had VW's in the 2001 to 2003 range, and they ALL ended up selling them because of reliability issues. Right now, aside from possible fuel-economy issues (which I don't know about), reliability is what is holding me back from the Jetta.

I know I guy who has a Prius, and he said he can realistically get about 55 MPG. VW claims that they can realistically get about 58 MPG. So, I'm just wondering if anybody who actually owns one has seen similar rates.

By the way, diesel is actually cheaper where I live now. However, last year and for the past couple of years, diesel had been 20+ cents higher than gasoline. Traditionally, however, diesel has been slightly cheaper than gasoline. The last few years were freak years in my area.

 

[demon]

Yeah, I know a few people who had VW's in the 2001 to 2003 range, and they ALL ended up selling them because of reliability issues.

My parents have a '02 (or so) Jetta, and I can attest to this. Problems up the ass. Seems they're taking it in 4-5 times a year for something seemingly minor that needs to be fixed (windows, seat heater not turning off, etc) and ends up costing them an arm and a leg. It's just one car, but it's really turned me off of the idea from ever owning a VW, or at least a Jetta.

Not to mention it's ungodly uncomfortable. Fuck the Jetta. Funny how my mom (who should never be in charge of picking out a car) got it because she wanted a cheap German-made "luxury car". I guess the fact that it has leather seats makes it a luxury car?

 

[Aaron]

I have a 2002 Jetta. Had about six recall issues, all taken care of by dealership at no cost. Had to replace the breaks because I ruined the pads being an idiot, and the struts mainly because I don't drive that much. It's a 1.8 turbo, and never been in a car more fun to drive. Of course, then they remodeled the whole Jetta line to look like shit.

 

[akachan ningen]

Gas here is $3 while diesel is $2.50. So it'll definitely be cheaper to run.

I haven't driven a TDI or Prius, but I have driven a normal Jetta and interior is way nice. Probably the best in any car under $20K. I'm sure it'll be around 10 times more fun to drive than the Prius too.

 

[Freestyler]

I really struggle to understand all the VW 'reliability' issues that Americans seem to harp on about (assuming those talking about reliability in this thread are in the US) - is it to do with the style of driving in the US, or are your VW's built somewhere different?

I've owned two VW's and neither of them have failed me, not ever. VW also has a great reputation here for quality and reliability. Both my VW's have been GTI's so built in Germany not Brazil/Mexico/wherever the cheaper ones are built - maybe that has something to do with it?

ANYHOO, long story short I would definitely go with the Jetta. It's sexier, safer and more fun than a Jap-crap Prius. Also, hybrids scare me as they're silent in carparks.

 

[akachan ningen]

Jap-crap

Why would you say something as asinine as that?

 

[Freestyler]

Why would you say something as asinine as that?

Sorry if you were offended by it bud; I have a strong dislike for Japanese cars and that's a common expression when hating on them.

 

[permutated]

I love Toyota's, absolutely my favorite car company, but the PRIUS is a piece of shit.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I've known people who have had the Jetta around 2002-2004 models and there was always something wrong with them. However, things might have changed in the past 3 years. I do remember when Audi made some of the most unreliable cars and now I find them to be one of the most reliable.

I'd personally go with the next Prius model (2011?). I'd be kind of sour at having to drive it everyday because it really is a boring car to drive, something I hate in those stiff cars.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

Diesel creates way more pollution that's for sure. But I guess that's externalities

 

[akachan ningen]

Diesel creates way more pollution that's for sure. But I guess that's externalities

:lol Is that why the TDI won the Green Car of the Year award?

 

[Jefklak]

Gas here is $3 while diesel is $2.50. So it'll definitely be cheaper to run.

Holy shit that's high (both of 'em!)
Where do you live?
They're like €1.50 / €0.95 here (West-Eur) that's +/- $2.12 / $1.34 currently.

Belgium is a Diesel country, almost all company cars run on TDI and more than 50% others too. particle filters are required on new cars, but I don't think diesel engines are that env-friendly eighter.

 

[akachan ningen]

Holy shit that's high (both of 'em!)
Where do you live?
They're like €1.50 / €0.95 here (West-Eur) that's +/- $2.12 / $1.34 currently.

Belgium is a Diesel country, almost all company cars run on TDI and more than 50% others too. particle filters are required on new cars, but I don't think diesel engines are that env-friendly eighter.

Is that per liter or per gallon? because it's gallon here, USA.

 

[Zapages]

Just know that you need to warm the engine up before taking the car out for anything with Diesel in cold weathers... I don't know if this is still true with current diesel car models...

 

[_RT_]

Just know that you need to warm the engine up before taking the car out for anything with Diesel in cold weathers... I don't know if this is still true with current diesel car models...

It still holds true. But it's 1 second on warm days and *maybe* ten seconds on a cold (0 degree) morning.
Gotta love the glow plug.

 

[loosus]

After hearing both sides, I think I have come to a preliminary decision: the Toyota Corolla. :lol

 

[Amon37]

Ugh, VW's are notorious for electrical problems. Personal and anecdotal experience.

I'd go with the prius.

 

[Vox-Pop]

After hearing both sides, I think I have come to a preliminary decision: the Toyota Corolla. :lol

What about a Civic?

 

[donkey show]

What about a Civic?

Or even the Fit or Insight (hybrid)?

Corollas are lame sauce.

 

[1-D_FTW]

TDI VROOOM! Pruis SHHHHHHH!

That's one of the all time great commercial IMO. I chuckle every time I see.

 

[Deleted member 1159]

Eh, I think even if the gas mileage is slightly worse, I think the performance of a turbo diesel over a hybrid would be enough to push me toward that. Also no expensive batteries to replace or whatever. (Could be speaking out of my ass, I own a fucking gas guzzling SUV)

 

[captive]

diesel is definitely not cheaper than gas around here ( upstate ny )

It is here in TX.


I own a 2007 Jetta TDI. My last tank was about 580 miles on 14 gallons, and thats with the AC cranked because its a freaking sauna here right now. City and highway driving.
My own anecdotal evidence. Between myself and friends and family i know 7 or 8 people with VW's and not a single reliability issue. Just to counteract the anecdotal evidence present by others.

 

[Phobophile]

Holy shit that's high (both of 'em!)
Where do you live?
They're like €1.50 / €0.95 here (West-Eur) that's +/- $2.12 / $1.34 currently.

Belgium is a Diesel country, almost all company cars run on TDI and more than 50% others too. particle filters are required on new cars, but I don't think diesel engines are that env-friendly eighter.

Multiply your prices by 3.8.

 

[flsh]

Why not a Golf? It's the same car as the Jetta, only it is a hatchback which is a million times nicer to look at than a sedan car.
If you drive mostly on the motorway and not in a city, a diesel is so much better than petrol in regular cars. Better gas millage, more torque. The only annoying thing is that it doesn't like to rev so you have to shift up a lot when accelerating and it hinders the 0-60mph time. Though don't let that fool you, once you are in gear it will accelerate quite a bit faster than an equivalent petrol.
Just don't but a Prius. It is ugly, shitty interior and if you do care at all about how green it is, the battery is not exactly eco friendly. Diesel cars have a filter that catches a lot of the pollution (petrol cars have them too, but more of the pollution is particles that the filter can't catch so the end pollution is bigger).

Either way, a VW badge is still better than a Toyota badge.

Edit: American petrol is cheaper because it isn't the same mix as the European juice. In western Europe you wont find anything below octane 95 unleaded, which is expensive.

 

[Phobophile]

Why not a Golf? It's the same car as the Jetta, only it is a hatchback which is a million times nicer to look at than a sedan car.
If you drive mostly on the motorway and not in a city, a diesel is so much better than petrol in regular cars. Better gas millage, more torque. The only annoying thing is that it doesn't like to rev so you have to shift up a lot when accelerating and it hinders the 0-60mph time. Though don't let that fool you, once you are in gear it will accelerate quite a bit faster than an equivalent petrol.
Just don't but a Prius. It is ugly, shitty interior and if you do care at all about how green it is, the battery is not exactly eco friendly. Diesel cars have a filter that catches a lot of the pollution (petrol cars have them too, but more of the pollution is particles that the filter can't catch so the end pollution is bigger).

Either way, a VW badge is still better than a Toyota badge.

Edit: American petrol is cheaper because it isn't the same mix as the European juice. In western Europe you wont find anything below octane 95 unleaded, which is expensive.

Hatchbacks are fucking hideous. I'm not 16.

 

[flsh]

A Prius is closer to a hatchback than to a sedan, obviously the OP is willing to look into the wonderful world of better car design. Sedans are ghastly. One look at a BMW 5 series' behinds and you are scarred for life.

 

[Flo_Evans]

A Prius is closer to a hatchback than to a sedan, obviously the OP is willing to look into the wonderful world of better car design. Sedans are ghastly. One look at a BMW 5 series' behinds and you are scarred for life.

what? :lol

My brother had a TDI golf. It was like driving a work truck in a small car body. No fun. It had tons of torque but no HP to back it up. 4000rpm redline yippie!!! Hope you enjoying shifting if you go that route. Still probably more fun to drive than a pruis though...

 

[elostyle]

From my experience you actually need to shift less in normal driving situations because of all the torque. You can even skip gears no problem. It only matters when taking 0-60 times, seriously.

A 140HP TDI is plenty of fun, more every day fun than a gas engine that you need to rev anyways since you have all the power early.

Just test drive it.

 

[flsh]

I already said that on small diesel engines. Diesel doesn't like to rev at all, which is a shame.
The added turbo does give the car a nice boost to performance, though. Once you are at 3rd or 4th gear the car WILL accelerate faster than an equivalent petrol engine. The torque and BHP are much more accessible with diesel.

Just make sure you don't buy an automatic if the point is to save money on petrol\diesel though, as that will miss the point entirely.

 

[ConsumerSquare]

A Prius is closer to a hatchback than to a sedan, obviously the OP is willing to look into the wonderful world of better car design. Sedans are ghastly. One look at a BMW 5 series' behinds and you are scarred for life.

I'm with you. Sedans age about as well as washing machines or refrigerators or any other appliance. I've always thought hatchbacks and wagons develop character as they age while sedans just look out of date. The BMW 318ti, that Mercedes hatch that was briefly sold in the US, old Volvo wagons, VWs, and Saabs all look better than their sedan counterparts of the same model years.

When I win the lottery I'm buying an S4 Avant.

 

[Freestyler]

Why not a Golf? It's the same car as the Jetta, only it is a hatchback which is a million times nicer to look at than a sedan car.

Just don't but a Prius. It is ugly, shitty interior…

Either way, a VW badge is still better than a Toyota badge.

Yes, yes and yes.

Why not a Golf GT? It's very similar to a GTI but uses Diesel instead (so obviously not as quick but a great car nonetheless).

 

[Fatghost]

Diesel >>>>>> Hybrid

More power, better milage, can get it in a manual transmission.

 

[Ptaaty]

the engine in a TDI will last forever, but their are quality issues galore over the years....

I drove a Prius and it was basically the worst driving experience I can think of. It was quite laggy, very heavy feeling and just unresponsive in general. The whirr of the CVT when I was running it fairly hard was awful.

That said, I still liked the great mileage I was getting, and I think the new ones have some changes to the interior. The controls for music and climate were terrible and unintuitive.

Prius's just get over 45 so incredibly easy, there is no special way to drive. Outside of very cold temps with only highway miles, a Prius is going to get the better mileage.

Not sure what the current battery replacement cost is on a prius, but that would be a question I would ask if I planned to keep the car over 5 years.

 

[captive]

As someone who's driven a volvo wagon for the majority of his driving years, wagons age just as shitty as any sedan.

A cars style of being "in" or "looking good" has little to do with it being a sedan or wagon and more so with the body design.

I like the rear end of my jetta TDI, but some of the newer BMW's rear ends i find ugly.

And what do you care anyway, its not something you have to look at while driving.

All that said the prius is u.g.l.y. ugly. The rear end reminds me of the Aztec, which is not a good thing.

 

[jamesinclair]

Holy shit that's high (both of 'em!)
Where do you live?
They're like €1.50 / €0.95 here (West-Eur) that's +/- $2.12 / $1.34 currently.

Belgium is a Diesel country, almost all company cars run on TDI and more than 50% others too. particle filters are required on new cars, but I don't think diesel engines are that env-friendly eighter.

:lol :lol :lol

Its like comparing water to orange juice.

Youre paying $8 a gallon.


Anyway, as for the US diesel price...

Because of fucked up politics, diesel gets taxed at a higher state and federal rate than gas, so its usually higher. Of course, based on the moon prices go up and down, so your low price one week might be a high price the next,

 

[Zyzyxxz]

As someone who's driven a volvo wagon for the majority of his driving years, wagons age just as shitty as any sedan.

A cars style of being "in" or "looking good" has little to do with it being a sedan or wagon and more so with the body design.

I like the rear end of my jetta TDI, but some of the newer BMW's rear ends i find ugly.

And what do you care anyway, its not something you have to look at while driving.

All that said the prius is u.g.l.y. ugly. The rear end reminds me of the Aztec, which is not a good thing.

I always make this point about cars on this forum, you spend like 90-95% of your time with your car inside it so having interior you like should be a priority since most people get tired with the interior of their cars before the outside.

 

[Raistlin]

Why not a Golf? It's the same car as the Jetta, only it is a hatchback which is a million times nicer to look at than a sedan car.

Well, that's subjective.

What isn't arguable however, is how much more utilitarian a hatchback is. It sickens me how few options are available in the US.

 

[flsh]

I always make this point about cars on this forum, you spend like 90-95% of your time with your car inside it so having interior you like should be a priority since most people get tired with the interior of their cars before the outside.

Erm.. the idea here was a Jetta VS a Golf, which are the same car in every way other than the exterior.
Some advantages to a hatchback, though, are:
It is easier to park (no tail, what you see in the mirror is what you get).
Easier access to the boot, and many times bigger boot with arrangeable seats.
Sedans are far more common, so easier to recognize if you park in a place crowded with cars.

Also, if you honestly believe car looks have nothing to do with it you are vastly mistaken. Car perception can affect the way people treat you in traffic, make you feel better about your purchase (The Hyundai Coupe is nothing but a cool look, and it's still quite popular), affect the way people look at you as it does say something about your personality and so on. And just to make it hit harder, sit in a Golf and than a Prius. Being stuck in traffic in a Prius will make you want to put a gun barrel in you mouth, while a Golf is quite nice to sit in.

The Prius is a shit car, don't buy it. The most annoying this about it is that, ecologically, instead of "payments" you drop a bomb of pollution once every few years. Makes it sell better, but it is a lie in order to sell a car that is basically a scam. The Jetta is far nicer in every regard.

 

[akachan ningen]

Oh yeah, we should add that if you wait a few months, the new Golf will be available with the same TDI engine from the Jetta, at basically the same price.

And the new Golf looks waaaaay better than the old one, inside and outside.

 

[Jefklak]

Is that per liter or per gallon? because it's gallon here, USA.

Oh right, I forgot about that, liter of course.
A gallon is 3.78 liter so let me rephrase my reply:
Holy shit that's low!

Edit: isn't the 1.9TDI Volkswagen engine a noisy bitch, from what I've heard?
Better off getting the 2.0 one then.

 

[flsh]

Oh right, I forgot about that, liter of course.
A gallon is 3.78 liter so let me rephrase my reply:
Holy shit that's low!

Edit: isn't the 1.9TDI Volkswagen engine a noisy bitch, from what I've heard?
Better off getting the 2.0 one then.

It's not cheap, since it isn't the same product. In (western) Europe 95 unleaded is the lowest octane you can get, going up to 99 in some countries. In America, you can find octane 83-87 mostly as the equivalent to our octane 95. As you can see the big difference between 95 and 97\98\99 (depending on country), matching 95 to 83-87 is going to be quite a big difference too. The "premium" petrol in America is 91-93, and even than it will surely be quite a bit cheaper than 95.

 

[akachan ningen]

Oh right, I forgot about that, liter of course.
A gallon is 3.78 liter so let me rephrase my reply:
Holy shit that's low!

Edit: isn't the 1.9TDI Volkswagen engine a noisy bitch, from what I've heard?
Better off getting the 2.0 one then.

they haven't put the 1.9 in their new cars for at least 4 years now. The new one is 2.0 and way smoother. Another great thing about it is that it's not like other diesels like BMW's where you have to inject urea into the exhaust every few months. What a pain in the ass.

The "premium" petrol in America is 91-93, and even than it will surely be quite a bit cheaper than 95

yeah, that's the main point. Even if you look at comparable fuel, it's still cheaper in america.