Talk me in to a Prius

Good mileage. Seats four. That's why I bought mine.


I'm not a tree-hugger by any means.

 

Why should we try and talk you into buying one when there are thousands of people waiting eagerly to have one? If you can't figure it out by reading through this web site, go buy something else.

 

Let's see, nice leg room, seats 5 comfortably, good fuel economy, helps reduce foreign dependence on oil and nice trunk / hatchback . And like some one else said, a lot of people want one.

Not a huger either but like my car. Rent one and compare.

 

There's a few that are very quick to attack here. Just ignore him.

Anyway, the Prius has more legroom in the rear than my Lincoln Navigator. It's actually a very good mid-size car even though it looks small on the outside. I believe the VW TDI is a bit smaller in the back. At least my friends was smaller but his is at least 5 years old so I don't know how the new ones compare.

The Prius has tons of gadgets and is a fun car to drive. I know the TDI is more of a sporty car, but the Prius is still very entertaining and has it beats hands down gadget wise. In addition the Prius has proven to be one of themost reliable vehicles on the road... the VW has always been plagued with problems. Even the VW guys admit this... they consider these personality traits.

In real life numbers the TDI will get considerably less MPG than the Prius. The TDI will about equal it on the highway... but mixed driving the prius easily beats it. To top things off, regular unleaded fuel for the Prius is considerably cheaper than diesel fuel (by 50 cents or more).

Mike

 

VW TDI:
- Less room
- Less mileage
- Burns more expensive diesel fuel
- More pollution
- Higher maintenance costs
- Bad reliability

Toyota Prius:
+ Large interior room
+ Best mileage of any currently available automobile
+ Gasoline powered
+ Cleanest petroleum burning automobile
+ Lowest overall cost of ownership
+ Highest reliability
+ Cool features: MFD, NAV, SKS, VSC...
- Hard to get

 

The key reasons for the success of the Prius vs the Jetta TDI are...

The Prius costs less upfront.
The Prius is far more flexible as a hatch...unless you choose the SportWagon then the TDI price is higher yet.
As of now the TDI only comes with a 6 spd Manual tranny. ( a deal killer for some, a plus for others ).
Leatherette is a plus for some and a negative for the other 50% of the buying population
The Prius is FAR, FAR more reliable. VW's reputation precedes it unfortunately. The new TDI has to overcome a lot in the minds of the public because unfortunately it has a VW body wrapped around the engine.
The two get similar fuel economy on the Hwy but the Prius gets much much better fuel economy in the city.
The price of diesel fuel is 15-20% higher than RUG. This may be THE killer because the Jetta will always cost more to operate day after day and month after month than the Prius.

Now if one wants leatherette, a 6 spd manual, a sportier drive, is willing to face the risk of VW's reputation and the extra cost of operation of the TDI then the Jetta may just fit the bill. That's just a personal choice.

 

I have considered both. Here are the pluses for both:

VW:
Better suspension (if you like sport suspension)
More power
More cargo capacity (Sport wagon version only)
Starting price is slightly less

Prius:
It uses cheaper fuel
Better fuel economy
Better reliability
Less maintenance items and cost of maintenance is less
More cargo capacity (compared to the sedan VW)
More gadgets
Some states still have tax rebates when you purchase it.
Better resale value

Another thing to keep in mind is the 2010 Prius will be out in 6 months or so with better fuel economy and more power.

 

Be aware that the newer version of the Jetta does not have the same engine as the 06 and older models. The new emission controls have taken a tole on the fuel economy.

 

There is leprechaun gold in the secret drawer under the cupholders.

Here, let me loan you one of these: "?"

Seriously, both options are great. The reliability issue is a no brainer, but the user experience is personal preference. Have you test driven them both?

The Prius is an economical car, but it's not an economy car. If you want an economy car you should be comparing the gas-powered Rabbit to the Corolla.

 

Here are the salient facts..

EPA ( C / H / Comb )

Prius... ( 48 / 45 / 46 )
J-TDI.. ( 30 / 41 / 36 )

However all drivers should exceed these new EPA numbers by 5-10% in real life driving. There is a HUGE penalty for driving the TDI in the city. It's very good on the Highway, about equal to the Prius.

The TDI is actually more similar to the Corolla than to the Prius, but it costs a LOT more than a Corolla....then there's the price of diesel vs RUG. On top of that there is simply no comparison to the Corolla in reliability. The difference is off the charts.

 

Something tells me this thread will turn nasty and be deleted. But in the meantime, I'll play along

Your friend's claim of fuel economy sounds like outright bulls***. They're not even rated that high. I have a co-worker with a 2005 VW Golf TDI 5 speed. In winter city driving, he is lucky to get 24 mpg, and that's Imperial gallon. Summer city driving, around 30 mpg

On the highway, summer, he gets around 44 mpg. Like the States, diesel fuel up here costs more than regular unleaded

At -40, I have had winter city fuel economy ranging from 28 mpg (No winter front) to 38 mpg, again Imperial gallon. Summer city fuel economy is usually 48

On the highway, my Prius will return around 58 mpg.

Fuel economy in Canada and the EU is quoted in litres per 100km. Keep one thing in mind if somebody quotes fuel economy of a EU-spec VW diesel, and directly compares it to a US market Prius: when fuel economy in the EU is quoted in MPG, it is *always* in miles per Imperial gallon.

Imperial gallon: 4.54 litres
US gallon: 3.78 litres

I'm not going to try to "convice" you to buy a Prius - or any other vehicle for that matter. We're all adults here, we have personal responsibility to ask many questions, take a test drive, etc. I do have a question though: I thought the tdi wasn't approved for CA yet? Official EPA for the Jetta tdi is 29/40

The VW Jetta appears to have better handling, nicer front seats, but a much smaller rear seat area. You would have to have them side-by-side to compare. Eg: test drive a new Jetta, swing by a Toyota dealership and eyeball them side-by-side

To dispel some popular Internet myths about the Prius:

1. The Prius is *not* responsible for the "moonscape" around Sudbury, Ontario. That was caused by over a century of nickel mining to primarily support American steel demand. It had been cleaned up by the time the Prius came along. The wildly popular story was retracted by the british sensationalist newspaper that originally published it

2. The Prius is *not* "deadly" to fire rescue, EMT, and police after an accident. The NiMH electrolyte is KOH or potassium hydroxide. Reasonable precautions are required after an accident, same as for a lead acid 12 vdc battery filled with sulferic acid. The Prius battery automatically disconnects after a crash, and an internal fuse will open upon a dead short. Airbags are a much bigger threat to rescue workers

3. The Prius NiMH battery does *not* need to be replaced every 3-5 years (At least an 8 year factory warranty on the battery, 10 year in CA). There are taxi fleets upping 200,000 miles with no issues. According to my dealership, if my battery did need replacing, it would cost me $2,800, same as what you would pay for a modern front wheel drive transaxle.

Hope this helps.

 

My commute is 21 miles one way. About 60% of the commute is on the highway. I consistently get low 50's combined. I filled up my tank yesterday and was at 51.4mpg (according to the MFD). I'm also a relatively fast/aggressive driver. Mileage varies based on the route... but for a given mixed driving route there's no question in my mind that the Prius will get considerably better fuel economy than the TDI. ...and doing so on much cheaper fuel.

BTW, where in Southern Cali are you?

 

It's pretty difficult to provide a meaningful answer without making assumptions. I don't know what you drive, what you have driven, what your experiences have been with cars, how you like to drive, whether you are looking for a commuter car or for a "good time" vehicle, etc. etc. As you may have noticed, most of us are happy with the cars we bought, for many different reasons and/or combinations of reasons.

I'm not exactly sure even what model of VW you are considering/ planning to buy.

 

I think many of you have great points and after all this is a prius + site. I don't really want to talk anyone into buying a car. If I did I would sell them. Drive both. Consider the cost. Purchase what you would be happy with. Most people here are not stuck-up, or big huge tree huggers. Most folks just like their car. Some like the technical aspect. Some just like the fact that they get a generally comfortable vehicle for a reasonable price, and when driven appropriatelely get very good gas mileage.

 

Not that I don't think you might feel differently down the road, but I'm guessing you're going to be happier with the TDI. The sportiness does exceed that of the Prius, it gets a lot better than mileage than what you're driving, and looks- well let's just say the Prius is often described as "controversial" or "divisive." I'm learning to love it's looks, but it's the 55 mpg on the MFD this morning after 410 miles of about half city and half country driving that is undeniably beautiful. I'm hoping when I get it paid off in 2014, I will have a lot of choices that are even better!

 

The ONLY way your friend can boast such great MPG numbers, is that he's using a diesel & manual transmission with a 4 cylinder.

The Prius is a 4 cyl + 2 electric motors + full automatic, fully equipped.

Comparing Apples to Apples here? Allow me...

FWIW :: I get avg 50+MPG using regular gas summer and a little lower winter. So the MPG comparison is very similar. Now lets talk $$$ comparison. I'd say both are quite close.

Now look at TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), say over 3 or 5 years

• - Purchase cost
  (Prius base = 21k$ Touring & extra airbag curtains & extra gizmos 25k$)
  (Jetta base = 23k$ The Next TDI: VW Reveals 2008 Jetta Bluetec Diesel 25k$ better equipped - automatic)
• - Maintenance cost (TDI is higher than Prius)
• - fuel cost (diesel is more expensive if MPG is the same)
• - yearly insurance (Prius cost less than the TDI)
• + resell value
• + tax credit(s) for a hybrid

The Jetta TDI diesel has a high resell value, much like the Prius currently does.

In my $$$ value view, if both cars are the same....
- Prius is a cleaner car for the environment
- Prius is fully equipped and a zippy (fast) automatic transmission
- Prius can be upgraded to a NEV in the future

The fact that taxi drivers in Canada and Australia are using the Prius, have clocked over 300K miles with no maintenance other than oil/filters, speaks volumes.

The Jetta Diesel TDI with Bluetec certification w/Tier II bin 5 exhaust, is a great car.

For a little less $$$, you can have a Prius, that will be cheaper to drive and upkeep.

No brainer to me.