Comparison Test: 2009 Toyota Prius vs. 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

so my quick search of 2004 model year (at least current gen of the prius) had 13,910 for the prius and 13505 for the jetta. Of course i dont know if that is the current model for the jetta

 

Prius 4 tons of CO2 annually.
Jetta 6.4 tons of Co2 annually.

Enough said.

 

Fair enough, I'm curious myself.

2004: The 2nd to last year for the MKIV Jetta and 1st year for the 2G Prius:
Jetta TDI GL Sedan - $14,680 2004 Volkswagen Jetta - Suggested Retail Value - Official Kelley Blue Book Site
Prius Hatchback - $15,085 2004 Toyota Prius - Suggested Retail Value - Official Kelley Blue Book Site
--------------------------- Jetta -------- Prius
KBB Retail ------------ $14,680 ----- $15,085
Original MSRP -------- $18,670 ----- $20,295
Retained Value --------- 78.6% ------ 74.3%

2005: last year for the MKIV Jetta and 2nd year for the 2G Prius:
(VW dropped the GL TDI Sedan and this the early 2005 because VW switched to the MKV mid-year)
Jetta GLS TDI Sedan - $16,915 2005 Volkswagen Jetta - Suggested Retail Value - Official Kelley Blue Book Site
Prius Hatchback - $16,820 2005 Toyota Prius - Suggested Retail Value - Official Kelley Blue Book Site

--------------------------- Jetta -------- Prius
KBB Retail ------------ $16,915 ----- $16,820
Original MSRP -------- $20,740 ----- $21,275
Retained Value --------- 81.5% ------ 79.1%


2006: The last year of the TDI-PD and 3rd year of the 2G Prius:
Jetta TDI Sedan - $21,505 2006 Volkswagen Jetta - Suggested Retail Value - Official Kelley Blue Book Site
Prius Hatchback - $18,880 2006 Toyota Prius - Suggested Retail Value - Official Kelley Blue Book Site

--------------------------- Jetta -------- Prius
KBB Retail ------------ $21,505 ----- $18,880
Original MSRP -------- $21,605 ----- $21,725
Retained Value --------- 99.5% ------ 87.0%

What does this all mean? Both TDIs and Prius Hybrids hold their value much better than a regular gasoline car. Looking at the numbers is seems that the TDI holds value a little better than a Prius but the difference is nothing to get excited about.

EDIT: All KBB searches done for Zip Code 35080 with only standard features.
2004 = 75K miles
2005 = 60K miles
2006 = 45K miles

 

If all one cares about is CO2 then the Prius wins without a doubt. Same if fuel economy is your only concern as fuel economy and CO2 are directly linked.

Most people consider other factors when buying a car.

 

Every Prius review I have seen include some information about the low emission. Even their own Prius review mentioned about the Prius low emission. For Edmunds to ignore the emission and heavily leaned toward the handling in the comparison just show their bias.

Prius alone is out-selling the whole VW brand of cars. Prius drivers are aware of the low emission and it is one of the reasons why they choose to buy Prius. Emission can no longer be ignored in the 21st century.

 

Are Prius buyers the average American? Personally I don't think so. The Pew Foundation did a poll of Americans on what should be top priorities for 2009. Out of 20 options "The Environment ranked 16th and "Global Warming" ranked last at 20th.

Overview: Economy, Jobs Trump All Other Policy Priorities In 2009

It is not specific to car sales but it shows that Americans rank the environment as a rather low priority. I personally disagree with this attitude but that doesn't change reality.


EDIT: Let me point out something. The review in question was published in Edmund's Inside Line; "The Latest Auto-Enthusiast News". What cars are they reviewing for long-term tests? "Evo, STI, R8, GT-R, 135i, M3, A4, Flex, X5, Fit, Jetta TDI, Mazda 6, G8 and more" These are all sports cars or sporty cars. What is their main story as I type this? Fast and the Furious 4. You should expect that the editors writing for this section of the website to be performance oriented.

If you want to look at the mainstream area of Edmund's you can compare the Prius Touring to the Jetta TDI's "True Cost to Own" Here you will find Edmund's reporting that the Prius Touring costs 8% less to operate per mile than the Jetta TDI.

 

As long as it has those rear seat AC vents and the Prius only has computer controlled climate control I'm getting the Jetta for my next car!!

Yeah right.

The Jetta is likely to be a great car, but that changes nothing, the comparison was the most biased piece of crap I am yet to read, no doubt and there is no argument will convince me otherwise.

 

I have to side with JSH on the depreciation question. The numbers I have checked put the Prius and TDI at almost exactly the same value and depreciation cost over time. You could argue size, features etc, but at least at the simplest level they are similar in this regard. However, that ignores cost to own/operate, which was the original point of discussion. The original Edmunds article I found to be objectionable because it claimed the Prius was cheaper to fuel, but that didn't matter since it cost $6k more upfront. IMHO that claim was bogus based on an inflated price. If we agree that the Prius and TDI cost about the same upfront, cost about the same to finance and insure, have about the same tax and fees, and same rate of depreciation, then we are left with the Prius being cheaper to fuel, maintain, and repair and thus cheaper overall.

For example, from Edmunds:

5 Year Cost - '06 TDI Sedan - '06 Prius --- advantage
Upfront (OTD)-- $19,124 ------- $19,180 ----- wash
Depreciation --- $8,557 -------- $8,388 ----- wash
Financing ------ $3,565 -------- $3,575 ----- wash
Insurance ------ $7,359 -------- $7,877 ----- $518 TDI
Tax/fees ------- $2,389 -------- $2,397 ----- wash
Fuel ----------- $8,852 -------- $5,270 ----- $3,500 Prius
Maintenance ---- $5,725 -------- $4,819 ----- $906 Prius
Repair --------- $2,784 -------- $1,599 ----- $1,185 Prius
5 Year TCO ---- $39,231 ------- $33,925 ----- $5,306 Prius

So in this case the TDI would cost about 16% more to own and operate. Here's the '09 data from Edmunds:

5 Year Cost - '09 TDI Sedan - '09 Prius --- advantage
Upfront (OTD)-- $27,563 ------- $19,180 ----- wash
Depreciation -- $12,831 ------- $12,063 ----- $768 Prius
Financing ------ $4,925 -------- $4,891 ----- wash
Insurance ------ $7,300 -------- $8,379 ----- $1,079 TDI
Tax/fees ------- $3,437 -------- $3,507 ----- wash
Fuel ----------- $8,598 -------- $5,254 ----- $3,344 Prius
Maintenance ---- $3,209 -------- $4,290 ----- $1,081 TDI
Repair --------- $1,230 ---------- $732 ----- $498 Prius
5 Year TCO ---- $41,530 ------- $39,116 ----- $2,414 Prius

The advantage here appears less, with the TDI costing only 6% more to own and operate. There are several numbers here that seem fishy though. The insurance gap increases, with the '09 Prius costing ~$500 more than the '06 to insure over 5 years, while they predict the '09 TDI costing ~$60 less than the '06. Running a quick quote on my Progressive account shows the Prius costing $80 more a year, or ~$400 over 5 years. This agrees much better with the '06 data, but doesn't jive with the '09 data. The TDI makes up ground in maintenance, part of which is probably due to the free maintenance on the TDI. Still a $2000 swing here from the '06 to the '09 case seems excessive to me.

Lastly, here is the Consumer Reports estimate for the '09 (CR only does TCO on new)

5 Year Cost - '09 TDI Sedan - '09 Prius --- advantage
Depreciation -- $14,250 ------- $11,000 ----- $3,250 Prius
Interest ------- $4,000 -------- $4,000 ----- wash
Insurance ------ $4,500 -------- $4,250 ----- wash
Tax ------------ $1,200 -------- $1,200 ----- wash
Fuel ----------- $4,500 -------- $2,750 ----- $1,750 Prius
Maint/Repair --- $2,100 -------- $1,500 ----- $600 Prius
5 Year TCO ---- $30,750 ------- $24,500 ----- $6,250 Prius

This is a pretty significant advantage to the Prius, with the TDI costing about 26% more to own and operate. The fuel difference is downplayed somewhat as CR assumes less miles per year (12,000 vs. 15,000), but they give the Prius a signifigant depreciation advantage. Have to wait and see on that one I guess.

CR also does 8 year estimates:

8 Year Cost - '09 TDI Sedan - '09 Prius --- advantage
Depreciation -- $18,000 ------- $14,500 ----- $3,500 Prius
Interest ------- $4,000 -------- $4,000 ----- wash
Insurance ------ $7,250 -------- $6,750 ----- $500 Prius
Tax ------------ $1,200 -------- $1,200 ----- wash
Fuel ----------- $7,250 -------- $4,250 ----- $1,750 Prius
Maint/Repair --- $4,500 -------- $3,000 ----- $1,500 Prius
8 Year TCO ---- $42,250 ------- $33,750 ----- $8,500 Prius

The Prius gap widens, mostly due to continued gains in Fuel & Maint/Repairs. The TDI is still about 25% more expensive to own/operate at this point.

Rob

 

FYI, if you go to the Touring Prius you get:

CR '09 5 Year: $25,250 ('09 TDI 22% more)
CR '09 8 Year: $34,500 (09 TDI 22% more)
Ed '09 5 Year: $39,695 ('09 TDI 5% more, see comments above)
Ed '07 5 Year: $35,351 ('06 TDI 11% more, note this is '07 vs. '06 as no Touring in '06 and no TDI in '07)

Rob

 

Fair enough point. Doesn't change my displeasure with their bias, just confirms that they are biased

Rob

 

Links:
2006 Toyota Prius True Cost to Own ratings at Edmunds
2007 Toyota Prius True Cost to Own ratings at Edmunds
2009 Toyota Prius True Cost to Own ratings at Edmunds
2006 Volkswagen Jetta True Cost to Own ratings at Edmunds
2009 Volkswagen Jetta True Cost to Own ratings at Edmunds
Car Model Review - Consumer Reports
Car Model Review - Consumer Reports
Car Model Review - Consumer Reports

 

I for one am prepared to at least call the emissions on the '09 TDI a wash with the current Prius. While not as clean at the tailpipe, I do think the evaporative emissions issue roughly balances that out. At this point the '09 TDI is lower in emissions than any hybrid built by GM for example, not that I am ok with GMs performance in this arena. I don't concede the same point to the '06 and earlier. IMHO they are still dirtier.

My biggest beef with the diesel community is that many of them are unwilling to call out their smoke belching brethren for their crimes. Just last week I was watching some local yahoo in an 80s Ford diesel pickup that he'd installed a 6" black stovepipe in coming up out of the bed. Every time he stepped on the gas it roared and black smoke bellowed from the pipe. He seemed very pleased with himself. Man that pisses me off. Idiots like that are giving the entire diesel community a bad name. Maybe I've missed it, but anytime I've been over to tdiclub most there are completely silent on the subject, or go off on a rant about how diesel emissions are somehow good for you. Maybe its just my limited exposure there, but I see a lot more willingness on the part of folks here to bash crappy hybrids (Malibu Hybrid anyone?). I'd have a lot more respect for the diesel movement if they admitted those guys are morons who are poisoning us all.

Rob

 

Not a fan of diesel and had bad experience with VW. I'm Prius all the way. Have any one seen VW get over 200K miles?

 

If you take a $23,370 Jetta TDI (6AM) and compare it to a $23,375 Base Prius the Prius will cost less to own. No question.

However, that Prius will no be nearly as feature laden as the TDI. Some may not care, others will. The TDI will handle better than the Prius. Again, some may not care, others will. The Prius will have a bigger back seat. Some will care others won't. These are different vehicles for different people that want different things from a vehicle. Comparator - Features

When you start adding options to the Prius the price starts rising fast due to the way Toyota packages their options.

• Want leather? Sorry you have to buy everything else and pick package 6. (Leatherette is standard on the TDI)
• Want a decent audio system? That will be package 3. (10 speaker audio system with 6 CD changer and satellite radio is standard on the TDI).
• Want a power seat that allows you to adjust yourself to a comfortable position? Sorry, not available on the Prius

On the other hand VW doesn't package anything.

• Navigation - $2000
• Ground Effects - $1700
• Moonroof - $1000
• 7 different optional wheel / tire packages - $450 to $1350

The rest are little detail things like mud flaps and IPOD cables

My personal disappointment with the 2G Prius is that it could have been the best of both worlds. Toyota could have put the adjustable seats and steering column from the Matrix in the Prius. I would have paid more for better seats but they aren't offered. Toyota can make cars that handle decently and are really fun to drive (Supra, MR2, Scions, etc). Toyota instead choose to make the Prius numb and unresponsive.

The good news is that the 2010 Prius seems to have addressed these issues. Time will tell but the signs are good.

 

The current VW TDI CR with NOx Catalyst and Particulate filter is a quantum leap from my 2003 TDI. I believe it is a roughly 90% reduction in emissions. The 2006 is a little better than mine but not much.

In my experience these are a small but vocal percentage of the diesel community. They have a similar attitude to the hotrod community that thinks it is OK to cut off their catalytic convertor and replace EFI with a big 4-barrel carb. There are people at TDI club that speak up about these things but this type of discussion tends to be in the technical forums not the news forum. Yes, many like to bash hybrid vehicle just like many here like to bash diesel vehicle. A growing number of people at TDIClub own one of each.

 

Not to sidetrack this facsinating debate....
But I think Men look slightly more Gay driving a Jetta then a Prius.
Every girl I've known to drive a Jetta was.... kind of slutty.

So overall, I'm going to give the edge to the Prius.

 

No, I KNOW you're wrong. It's not worth wasting my time arguing with you about something you will never admit.

Edited for accuracy: I didn't "think" it, I looked it up and calculated it, big difference.

 

sorry to go offtopic on this but this put a smile on my face hahahahahaha

 

Why don't you set me straight then? Post KBB links that support your claim that: "I did a quick KBB check on 2003 TDI sedans and compared to a 2003 Prius. Difference was still ~$4,000 in Prius favor." Or you could just admit that you pulled a number out of the air that you can't support with facts.

You won't present data because you can't.

 

In the UK the VW is £16000 and the Prius T4 is £18655, the VW pays £105 a year more road tax and will drink £5113 in diesel compared to £3076 in petrol over 50,000 miles. I think four to five years is the break point. I compared the VW Golf 1.9 TDI before buying the Prius and figured that the Prius would be cheaper over 8 years. If you need to save money then don't buy new. Perhaps the VW Jetta Bluemotion would have been a better comparison.