Prius vs Jetta TDI

[mattp]

Anybody here driving these?

[olyclimber]

Get a Tesla!

[olyclimber]

Seriously though, with the Prius's...I'm sure there are more informed opinions here...but I would worry about the battery in them. With a economical diesel or gas car it you won't have to worry about getting the battery renewed in whatever the life is on them. I know that for a while you could get the first gen of the Prius for relatively cheap because they needed the battery restored or replaced.

 

I tend to buy a car based on driving it till it is dead...not on driving it for 10 years and then selling and upgrading. I know some people just buy new cars every 5 years or whatever. Doesn't make economic sense to me, but I'm sure its bling to drive around in the latest model all the time.

[Hugh Conway]

Whats the premium on VW Diesels now? Relative to their gas brethren they carried a steep charge once.

 

Why not a Civic or the like? Not as Seattle chic, but cheap, and not different inside.

[olyclimber]

this is the shiznit

 

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

[tvashtarkatena]

None a my bitches gonna be seen in a Natty Lite empty.

Edited March 24, 2009 by tvashtarkatena

[John Frieh]

My g/f has a 200x (3? 4? cant recall exact year) Jetta Wagon TDI. AWESOME gas mileage but not AWD and not a lot of clearance (though you can get AWD on the new ones).

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Get a Tesla!

 

[video:youtube]5D_rwir4D_I

[mkporwit]

Who cares which one you drive as long as it has one of these.

Edited March 24, 2009 by mkporwit

[tvashtarkatena]

'xcep dis little bitch, apparently.

[Stefan]

I have a friend who has a jetta diesel tdi...and is very happy with his mileage...around... 45mpg.

[Doug]

Reviews I've read point to the TDI being superior in performance, but give the edge to the Prius in reliability. I think VW has worked on their quality issues from the early part of the decade, but nothing is as reliable as a toyota. From a comfort and ruggedness standpoint I'd go with the TDI.

[erden]

Recently got a Prius, happy with it. Averaging 44 mpg in the first 150 miles or so in the city, and improving as I retrain myself in my driving to maximize the mileage. I can probably get over 50 mpg.

The Prius battery is under warranty, a non issue...

Owned a 1995 Toyota Camry before. Did not go near Detroit products.

Erden.

 

[olyclimber]

Erden, how long is the battery warranty? And what is the expected life for the battery? Also interested in if the battery is then replaced or refurbished. Just wondering how "eco" the cars really are... With a combustion engine the impact is well known.

[olyclimber]

Some answers since i know how to use the googlez:

 

http://www.hybridcars.com/faq.html#battery

[olyclimber]

http://blog.toyota.com/2008/12/prius-battery-change-is-no-big-deal.html

[mattp]

The Honda Civic (non-hybrid) was my first choice because I saw it as a good, cheap, reliable car. However, both the Prius and the Jetta are more comfortable and I find them easier to get in and out of with a stiff back and neck. While they cost more up front they will save 30% on fuel and, at say 15,000 miles a year, this means about $400.00 a year so eventually the extra initial costs is recovered and meanwhile it is at least as symbolic effort at driving green.

 

Like Porter, I tend to keep a car forever and while the VW's have had reliability issues the consumer reports are saying they have gotten much better. The Diesel engine in that Jetta is supposed to be really good, and the electronics and video screen interface in the Prius may prove entertaining but also useful (as Erden alludes) and not something to worry about (as I tend to fear).

 

I liked the way the Jetta drove better than the Prius, but the Prius actually rode better and was quieter. The Jetta has a real trunk and is more comfortable. The Prius is roomier.

 

Who around here thinks all wheel drive is really important? I see it as a nice feature but, to tell you the truth, I would have bought my Subaru outback with front drive only had it been an option.

 

How hard is it to find Diesel if I'm in some backwater place or in an unfamiliar city? Any thoughts on whether and how long it will be more expensive than regular gas? Anybody actually own one of the new VW TDI's? I know Prius owners love their cars.

[John Frieh]

I've never had a hard time finding diesel as backwater hicks drive diesel trucks That and when you get ~550 miles per tank as long as you plan/think ahead you shouldnt have any issues.

 

I personally think AWD is required but I trek to CAN, MT, WY a few times each winter. Kinda depends on your winter intent.

 

Diesel pricing is a funtion of some current federal and state regulations... I dont know about WA but you get a large tax write off in Oregon for buying Biodiesel. But yeah: who knows... write your congress person.

 

Semi related and some food for thought: I believe some local govenors are looking into ditching a portion of the gas tax and replacing it with a tax per mile... this might alter your ROI analysis

 

And suby is suppose to have a diesel offering soon (or is it already out?)

 

And... look for a diesel hybrid sometime soon from VW... 100+ mpg!

[John Frieh]

And check out the Toyota Matrix: 30+ mpg and AWD

[erden]

One of the reasons for buying the Prius a couple weeks ago was the WA State sales tax exemption. That savings right there paid for the battery replacement cost that I supposedly will to have way down the line.

 

Erden.

[klenke]

I guess I'll see you in the Prius lane. That's the slow lane, farthest to the right.

 

If I got a hundred dollars for every hypermiling Prius I've got caught behind whilst in the slow lane waiting for the next exit to hurry up and come, I'd have made enough money to buy your next set of batteries.

 

You've probably rowed your boat faster.

[AlpineK]

Hmm. Didn't Al Gore's son get busted for speeding in a Prius.

[pink]

i heard he was chasing the man/bear/pig........

[mattp]

I already drive like your grandma, klenke, so I don't think a prius will slow me down much. I'd say, however, that it is those folks on the cell phones who seem to be in my way at stop lights and actually less of them seem to be in a Prius than any number of "hipper" cars.

[JayB]

Car hipper than a Prius? Surely you jest.

 

Given that the compulsive embrace of irony as a signifier of hippness was extreme and entrenched enough to make large swaths of young-Portland embrace PBR as their beer of choice by 2002, it's possible that anything from Duster's to Firebirds might have displaced the Prius as the Hippest-of-All-Vehicles, but I suspect that there are limits to irono-chic, even for hipsters. Maybe if someone came out with a car that had only one (fixed) gear, the Prius's stature in the hierarchy-o-hipness might be in jeopardy, but until then...