The Prius is a gas mileage champ with a combined 50 mpg and 51/48 mpg city/highway ratings. If you just want the more fuel efficient of the two, then you’ve got your pick. The Jetta TDI SportWagen is a much more usable car, however, with more cargo room because it’s a wagon. It also drives like a normal car and doesn’t sacrifice a acceleration or brake-pedal feel like the Prius does. The Jetta is rated at 30/41 mpg with the manual and 29/40 mpg with the optional automatic.
In our experience we’ve found the Jetta TDI to be a livelier car with a sportier demeanor, especially with the manual transmission. The Prius doesn’t have that sporty feel even with the optional 17-inch wheels with low-profile tires; it also doesn’t offer a manual transmission.
A few important factors to consider between these two include the accessibility of diesel in your area and the availability of these cars. Both cars are hot commodities at the moment and might be hard to find in some areas. Even though the TDI is a modern diesel vehicle, you still have to fill up at the same pump as tractor-trailers. If your town doesn’t have a gas station with a diesel pump then buying a diesel car doesn’t make much sense. The Prius can fill up at any station because it runs on regular gasoline.
As far as fuel prices, Vermont’s average price for diesel is $2.68 per gallon while regular gasoline is $2.58 per gallon, according to AAA. Gas prices for the next few years are impossible to predict, however. Cost of ownership is another factor to consider. As an automaker, Toyota has higher dependability rankings than Volkswagen. The Prius is all-new for 2010 and reliability ratings aren’t available, but the previous-generation Prius had very high ratings.
Also take note that the TDI has a $1,300 tax credit available that takes some coin off the $23,870 base price. The Prius, priced at $22,000 for the base model, no longer has a hybrid tax credit.
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Diesel is available at many gas stations, you said "you still have to fill up at the same pump as tractor-trailers" which is just not true anymore. In my area about half the stations have diesel. The popularity of large diesel pickups has increased the number of stations that have diesel. So stop repeating these old myths.
Keep in mind that VW has produced diesel engines since the mid 70's and they have always been very reliable engines. Hybrids are still a new technology and nobody can say for certain how reliable they will be over the long term. And have you priced a replacement battery pack?
I was in your shoes a few months ago. I went with the Prius and am very happy with my decision. So it does not ride 100% like a car, but that is what sets you apart from ordinary ICE (internal combustion engine) folks. Also, since you live in Vermont, have you considered how the frigid cold can affect a diesel engine/oil when starting up in the morning? Think about that.
I had a 2006 Jetta TDI. It was one of the 2 best cars I have ever owned. I am considering buying another, though I don't need another car. The Jetta TDI is a sporty car with excellent handling and breaking. The acceleration is much better than you will expect, when one mentions diesel. The high fuel economy is an added bonus, not the only reason to buy. The TDI holds its value very well and the batteries will not need to be replaced as with a hybrid. I have heard rumors of past vw maintenance trouble, but havn't experienced it at all. Good luck on your shopping.
If you test drive a diesel (at least a modern diesel) and take it out on a whinding road, then you'll see why alot of people who own diesels will never again own a gas powered car. The driving dynamics are absolutely fabulous, because the torque is down on the low end, which gives you the power where you need it. You can find gas 4 cylinders with almost as much low-end torque as the Jetta TDI, but they'll be direct-injection (requiring premium unleaded); they'll get 10 mpg less; and they'll cost more.
You don't have to drive them around like an old granny to get great fuel economy; just keep the RPM below 2500; and don't put the accelerator all the way to the floor. The diesel will motivate along well and you'll get fantastic fuel economy without even trying. Try driving a hybrid normally and you'll be disapointed in the fuel economy. Not so with a diesel.
One thing that many car enthusiasts don't understand is that diesels will continually keep getting better and better fuel economy until they peak at about 60K miles because they take a while to reach peak compression, so the EPA rating will be blown away after just a few months. My '06 Jetta TDI started out getting me around 41 mpg in mostly highway driving, but now, at 64K, I'm averaging 47 mpg and I haven't changed my driving style one bit.
In my opinion, owning a very fuel frugal car (like a hybrid or diesel) is important only if you do quite a bit of driving, so unless you are buying a car to use for a taxi in town, then a high city mpg rating should not be that important for most people who really need great fuel economy. Hybrids excel in city driving but most don't do much better on the highway than their all-gas comptitors. Diesels, however, do about 30-40 percent better in city and highway driving, but its the highway mileage that will save you money on fuel.
Ken is spreading another old myth about diesels that is no longer true. VW has test started their new TDI in -30 degrees and has put this on www.dieseldebunk.com. The wait time for the glow plugs was about 6 seconds. If a six second wait on the coldest day in Vermont history is too much, then choose the Prius. If, however, you want a great car, that also doesn't use a regular ICE, then choose the Jetta SportWagen TDI.
The myth about availability of diesel fuel is laughable. I can get diesel everywhere, and, at 95% of these retailers, I can fill up with diesel at the auto island; not the truck island, although filling up at the truck island is kind of cool too!
I’m not sure if waiting on the single diesel gas pump while “Bubba” is filling his 100+ gallon for his 18 wheeler semi would be considered “kind of cool”; you’d be the odd person out while waiting for gas with the rest of the semis in line when you could have chosen any one of 6+ other regular gas pumps. Other thoughts to consider with a diesel are the increased low end torque. Now, on most days, they’re wonderful; but on a slippery, icy road, I wouldn’t want to be piloting a vehicle with that much low end torque while making turns. Fun to drive is one factor in purchasing a vehicle, but most of us do not drive like Jeff Gordon, and if we did, the Jetta nor the Prius would be on anyone’s short list. I’d rather carve through the slopes at Killington, VT if I were seeking thrills. I’m simply trying to help you see what owning a diesel compact car would be like in the state of Vermont. The current Prius is classified as a mid-size car, whereas the Jetta is still in the compact class. Perhaps that and the many other positive attributes could be the reason why the Prius sold well over 19,000 units last month??? In any case, we would love to hear what your final decision is. Again, I too once strongly considered the Jetta TDI Wagen, and would have purchased one if the 2010 Prius did not exist. I hope that helps.
I am a Toyota owner and I do like and admire their reliability. It was a very difficult decision for me to even consider purchasing another car. My major consideration was space. The Prius is a not a car that has a lot of space. The only option would be to purchase a Highlander and for that kind of money the choice was a Volkswagen Jetta Wagon. That being said, if Toyota manufactured a diesel/hybrid they would have long lines for people wanting to buy that kind of car.
These comments about limited availability of diesel are not based in reality. I live in a mid-sized town in SC, and there are at LEAST ten stations in town that offer the newest low-sulfur diesel - and none of the ones I've seen cater to farm or semi traffic. I've never had any trouble at all finding gas, either at home or on the road.
What you failed to mention is the cost of the replacement of batteries for the Toyota is through the roof---BIG surprise to the Toyota customer when the time comes. To me the article is very bias and doesn't present all of the facts.
Hybrid batteries have been proven to be extremely reliable in Toyota vehicles, and most other hybrids as well. Consumer Reports rated previous Prius model years with much better than average reliability ratings, and JD Power gives the 2010 Prius a predicted 5/5 reliability rating rating.
Plus, Toyota warranties their batteries for 8 years or 100,000 miles, and in some states (including the original reader's state) 10 years and 150,000 miles for the battery and 15 years and 150,000 miles for other hybrid components.
I think Ken still doesn't get it.
As for waiting in line for the trucker to fill up, that never has to happen. No one would purposely pull over to that end of the service station just to wait in line to be cool when there is already a diesel pump in the auto section, but my statement obviously needs further explanation. For one thing, the Jetta SportWagen TDI cannot even fill up using one of those high-velocity nozzles used by truckers. At one of the few retailers that would have diesel fuel at only the truckers island, there would be a small nozzle pump just for autos and pickup trucks but these places are rare. However, I have pulled into one of those places(during low traffic; not to wait in line) just to see how everyone stares at me thinking I'm filling up with the wrong fuel. Additionally, the whole issue of filling up a diesel is somewhat negated by the fact that one can go almost 700 miles in a Jetta TDI and almost 800 miles in some of the luxury models by Mercedes-Benz.
As for spinning tires with all the torque, understand, it's not an on/off switch. Diesel cars also have a gadget called a gas pedal in which drivers can control the amount of torque and horsepower applied to the wheels.
Anyway...talk is talk. I can't explain what is so great about driving a modern diesel. One has to go drive one to understand. It's not about speed. They're not super sporty. It's more like you can drive normally and feel good, strong response, yet it seems like a diesel never sweats it. You don't get these sudden downshifts trying to maintain a speed going up hill. And in a straight shift, you don't have to downshift for hardly anything as long as you are at the right speed. The diesels just cruise all terrain like it's the same.
Be careful if you buy a VW unless you want to spend a lot of time and money in the shop.. I have had nothing but issues with mine. I have 2006 TDI Golf, the TDI has already had to be replaced, along with leaks in the fluid resoviors, oil leak, hood latch(twice) and various other items. It even started with the salesman lying to us, I should of walked away at that point. Yes I get get good mileage and a zippy car for passing, but the hassle is not worth it. And no, the customer care centre is a bit useless, nice people who would love to help, but in the end they back the dealer. Based on this I would never buy another one. I have owned Fords, Mazda, Dodge and 1 Chevy and have not had these type of issues.
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I have a VW and one thing you need to take into consideration is cost of parts. Do some investigation on this also. A new transmission for a VW jetta cost me 3,000 dollars. Someone I work with also had to replace her transmission and she had to take out a loan just to do so. It is a pretty car but you have to have the money to fix it. Some cars would only cost 8-900 dollars. Also, a new key is 300.00. I will never buy another volkswagon as it has spent more time in the shop than any other car I have owned.
I have heard that some more recent year's VW's are build in Mexico and aren't as good as the originals built in Germany years ago but I don't know about this for sure.