I need to replace my 2004 Jetta TDI with 230,000 miles. I would like a car with high mpg, good handling like a Jetta, but with all-wheel drive. I don't have any other requirements. What do you suggest?
The most gas-friendly all-wheel-drive cars similar to the Jetta’s size are the 2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i and 2010 Suzuki SX4. The Subaru’s mileage ratings are 20/27 mpg city/highway with manual transmission and 20/26 mpg for the automatic. The Suzuki’s ratings are 22/30 mpg for the manual and 23/29 mpg for the automatic.
Fuel efficiency and all-wheel drive don’t go hand-in-hand, so you’re not going to match the gas mileage of your TDI in an all-wheel-drive car. The 2004 TDI’s fuel economy ratings are 32/42 mpg city/highway for the manual and 28/39 mpg for the automatic.
The 2010 Jetta TDI would be a familiar replacement. It’s not all-wheel drive but you can always invest in a set of winter tires for the snowy seasons. For more information about winter tires, see our Tires and Tread Advice section, here.
Learn more
See if your question has already been asked and answered
Your question has been successfully submitted to Ask.cars.com. It will now be reviewed by our editors and we'll answer it soon if we think it's a useful question. You will be notified via e-mail when the answer is posted. Ask.cars.com tackles your questions about new cars and the car-buying process. Unfortunately we can't answer questions regarding:
Have our experts answer any of your questions about new cars.
Don't worry — we won't publish your last name or email.
If you can hold off, wait 1-2 yrs until Subaru has brought a diesel outback/forester to the US market like they have in other parts of the world. You'll see 35 MPG AWD vehicles, no problem.