Thinking of going from VW TDI to Prius

The TDI is about a full second faster in the 1/4mile than the GenIII Prius so I'm sure you'll miss that low end torque but the Prius wasn't designed for that so what you lose in max thrust you will make up for in smooth high MPG performance.

If you drive fast in hilly terrain I would expect you to average somewhere in the mid 40mpg range or maybe a bit higher once you learn how to manage the hills efficiently. If you slow down then 50+mpg is totally achievable in the GenIII. Keep in mind I am talking about average combined economy, not highway only which is what most people talk about.

The Prius has a magically ability that causes people to slow down and relax. I used to drive like a maniac in my high performance cars/trucks but when I drive the Prius I tend to drive slower (speed limit and not holding people up) and am more relaxed when I get to my destination as opposed to stressed out because of all the "idiots" on the road that were in my way.

Good luck with your purchase. The GenIII model III is a good economical choice. You'll love the smartkey system. I just wish it was 4-door standard on all models instead of the model IV or V.

 

You'll average more than 34 MPG for sure. Are you sure your average speed is 75 mph? Average speed is tricky if you are not careful.

Prius's emission system and HV battery is maintenance free. The emission was lowered during the combustion with Atkinson cycle. So there is no filters (to maintain) before exhausting out.

Here is Bob's speed vs. MPG graph under ideal condition:

 

usbseawolf2000 brings up a good point. Average speed is usually much less than what you think it is unless you spend 98% of your time on a highway at 75mph and floor it to get up to that speed. Average speed includes slowing down for lights or stop signs, initial take off and stopping etc.. Even with my 95% freeway driving at 65mph, my average speed is closer to 45-50mph because I eventually hit traffic or city streets.

 

I told a co-worker that the cats on those cars will be expensive....looks like I was right.

Sorry to hear of the bad luck with the VW.
I've got a 06 Prius with 200,000 kms on it now and I have done nothing to the car.

While I think you may miss the power that the diesel has, you'll be much happier with the savings in fuel and maintenance.
Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

Funny on how VW fanboys were quoting that TCO of the Jetta TDI as being better than the G2 or the G3 Prius.

VW & Audis are notoriously expensive to repair.

Do us all a favor and post the exact same thing in the VW Jetta forums. I'm sure we've had trolls from their side, let's send a non-troll to them.

 

Yesterday I filled the tank at 5000', and drove 50 miles straight home to 7000'. I had the cruise set to 80 MPH, cabin A/C set to 70F, outside temps averaged 95F, wife and two kids in the car. 48 of the 50 miles were I-25. Consumption read 39 mpg at the end and my meter is accurate.

That is in a 2005. A 2011 would be better in light of the higher efficiency engine.

If anyone here comes in and says they have a mechanical repair estimate for $7500, we tell them to take the car somewhere else. I know it is an awful feeling now to spend that much on the TDI, but you'll never have to worry about that with the Prius.

 

Aren't emissions components, like the cat, warranted for 8 years / 80K miles per federal mandate? My son's Chevy S-10 had a bad O2 sensor which caused the cat to foul and it was covered under emissions warranty even though the truck was out of the normal 3/36 warranty period.

Also, being only 8K over the powertrain warranty period, one would think the dealer could work some type of compensation with VWOA to at least pay for 1/2 of the repair.

I considered the TDI wagon before ordering my Prius due to the added cargo space in the VW. However, I decided I would rather have higher anticipated reliability than more cargo room.

 

Now they have the Prius v coming out and you don't have to compromise cargo volume. You'll get better fuel economy and have 67+cu.ft. of cargo room.

 

That is a tough call. Buying a new car makes it hard to really save money. If you were going from a gas guzzler it would make economic sense to ditch it for a Prius but your car gets pretty good gas mileage so the savings in fuel will potentially be small. If you were to get a used Prius it may pencil out better but the used ones are almost as much as new.

I guess you have to decide whether you think this trend of broken parts will continue. If so then the Prius makes more sense since most of us rarely have major repair issues.

 

Prius Cat. Conv. is not cheap either but it it reliable and it doesn't die at 68k.

There is a fuel pump recall. I wonder if it is related or caused your car to fail.

http://www.torquenews.com/106/volkswagen-diesels-facing-fuel-pump-recall

 

OP - I did not have a TDI, but did go from a VW Passat wagon with the 1.8T to my Prius. After that car I will always say that VW's (and I suppose Audi's too) are great cars to drive and lousy cars to own. My Passat was a very comfortable car and drove great, especially on the highway. Like you, I had a lead foot - the feedback to keep speed in check with the Prius has been a good thing - I drive more to try and keep mpg's up. I can still get good mileage when driving fast (relatively speaking). I drive from Philly to Cape Cod a bit and have been taking the Merrit from New Haven to the NY line - driving 65 to 70 on the sort of hills that you might be looking at I'm still getting over 45mpg - not great for a Prius, but far better than anything else on the road. Even if you drive fast you will get better mileage than anything else.

All that being said - the car does not drive nearly as well as my Passat did and it is not nearly as comfortable. I'm sure that you realize this but at least for me knowing and understanding were different. The one thing that really bugs me that I did not really realize was the stereo, and not in the way that you might think. I listen to tons of podcasts - probably 30 a week - and between the less than stellar stereo and the added noise of the cabin it can be hard to be able to understand what is being said - I need to turn up the volume just to be able to make out the words - not a deal-breaker but a pet peeve.

Lastly - I do not know what to tell you about hanging on for a 2012 - remember that Toyota is very tight lipped when it comes to changes. This is the same company that will have its completely new Camry on sale in a couple of months and they have not shown what it looks like (as far as I know other than a few teasers and one spy shot of the hybrid). I think that there have been some rumblings of changes for the Prius but that might not be until 2013.

 

I'd say the Prius Cat to live as least as long, or more, than the front brakes.

Often people don't consider in TCO the brake maintenance & repairs, thinking a hybrid will have the exact same maintenance, if not more.

Fistman, no car will help you recoup the lost cost. Your time however, is another story.
A Prius, CT200h or Camry H are the 3 best cars for all-out constant fast highway speeds, for reliability.
I'd consider the Ford Escape H if you need/want 4-wheel in winter conditions. However, not for 75 MPH speeds with the Escape, it's not aerodynamic enough and too high off the ground.

Would be unsafe in snow/rain because of it's high ground clearance at 75 MPH speeds.
Less dangerous with low ground clearance cars, the Camry H being the safest.

If I were you, I would pick one of the above hybrids, asap. Don't get the Jetta repaired; try a trade & buy with Toyota directly. Just drive the Jetta to the nearest Toyota dealer and let them inspect it and make you an offer.

You'd be lucky if a used Camry H / Prius was in stock; jump on that, pay X$ per month for 6 years and forget about the past.

FYI, and 120KPH and a Thule roof rack, starting cold and doing over 100 miles, 99% at highway speed and above, my MPG (converted from 5.3l/100km) is above 40 MPG. Getting rid of the roof rack I'm sure my MPG would jump 2 MPG higher.

 

VW = Engaging, fun to drive

Prius = Smooth relaxed to drive


You should easily get good mpg's with the Prius and it will be much quieter than the VW.

 

Sorry to hear about the WV. I had a 1982 Scirocco that lasted me 15 years and 150000 miles with almost no repairs. Unfortunately modern Volkswagens don't seem to be nearly as reliable.

As far as whether or not to wait until 2012 I think the only thing to consider is model type. If you want the standard GenIII Prius I don't think there are any big changes between 2011 and 2012. I read somewhere that there may be some changes in headlights/tail lights, but it sounds like just minor cosmetics. No changes to the battery or any major systems are expected.

If you think you need more cargo space then you might want to wait and see what the Prius v is like. it's due out sometime this fall. If you want to wait even longer the Plug-in Prius is due out in the spring of 2012. From what I've read it's going to have pretty limited availability initially. These two options will obviously be more expensive than a 2011 GenIII prius.

 

In Europe, you can get whole engine for €1,5k :

EOS JETTA TOURAN GOLF 2.0 tdi SILNIK IGLA !!!! BMM (1717016450) - Aukcje internetowe Allegro

Catalytic converter: €0.3k :

KATALIZATOR GOLF JETTA 5N0131690H (1739674790) - Aukcje internetowe Allegro

I am not 100% sure whether these are the 100% exact parts, I am suggesting looking closer to the factory source (Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland etc) for s/hand parts, perform transplant, & then sell the car...

Don't take too serious, just suggestion.

Your quote is a rip off.

If you decide go this route, PM me, I may help you to source european s/hand parts if you give a part number.

I am happy with my '05 Prius, currently my Pri has about 137k km's displayed on the odometer and goes strong, no noises, rattles. Relaxed driving, fuel consumption at 5/l 100km (16'' inch wheels) without slowing down others (40% heavy city & hills - 60% highway)

 

get CTh .

but yes, unfortunately, turbo diesels overall add a lot of complexity and are generally much less reliable than Prius, which is one of the most reliable cars worldwide.

 

The HPFP is taking out the fuel system to the tune of $8000 when it goes. There's no recall of as yet, but so far, VW is paying for the replacement of the system. The turbos are failing on their own.

 

Do you have a thread going over on Fred's?