1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Jetta TDI wagon blows-away SUV hybrids

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Troy Heagy, Jun 1, 2014.

  1. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    1,218
    4
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Edmunds.com did a "Fuel Sipper Smackdown" back in 2011. They wanted to do an SUV challenge to see which would return the highest MPG, lowest fuel cost, and lowest CO2. They also threw-in a Jetta Sportwagon since it had as much cargo room as the SUV hybrids:

    The Jetta TDI Sportwagon won easily. LINK: Fuel-Sipper Smackdown 3
     
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Fixed it for you. That article is more than four years old, rather dated in a market where many vehicles are on a four or five or six year redesign cycle.

    That is just one episode of this 'Smackdown' series. It and others have been brought up in prior threads:
    (edmunds.com) Fuel Sipper Smackdown 2
    New Kia Optima Hybrid commercial claims 40mpg AND 206hp!
    Honda Accord Hybrid: 50 MPG City - clone Toyota

    Comparison Test: 2009 Toyota Prius vs. 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
     
    Chuck. likes this.
  3. -1-

    -1- Don

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    1,247
    434
    8
    Location:
    Chester, Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    :)Our 1999 VW NewBeetle TDI got exceptional fuel mileage and range. Our 2006 VW NewBeetle TDI replacement got OK fuel mileage and less range. Anyone considering a diesel, needs to factor in the high cost of diesel fuel vs regular unleaded (+40 cents). I see plenty of newer VW Passant TDIs on the road with a reported 795 mile per tank range. Factor in the 19.5 gallon fuel tank and high cost of diesel fuel before saying WOW.
     
  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,668
    6,481
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    A five year old article featuring a car that won't last five years without a four-figure repair bill.
    :rolleyes:

    No thanks!
     
    cwerdna, markrivers and Chuck. like this.
  5. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    1,218
    4
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Diesel is equal to regular gasoline where I live (along the interstate). Lots of trucks stop there.
    Ooops. Thanks. Despite its age, all the cars tested still exist for purchase from the dealers. It's also worth nothing greenercars.org rates the Jetta as the cleanest of all these SUVs (40% if I recall correctly). That's only a few points shy of the Prius or Civic Hybrid (but with more room).

    Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI with 42.3 mpg
    Ford Escape Hybrid with 32.4 mpg
    GMC Terrain with 28.7 mpg
    BMW X5 xDrive35d with 27.7 mpg
    Toyota Highlander Hybrid with 25.8 mpg
     
  6. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    1,218
    4
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    One
    I don't understand the SUV appeal. I'd much rather have the wagon with higher MPG numbers. They used to be popular in the 70s and 80s..... what happened?
    [​IMG]
     
  7. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,668
    6,481
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Cassette tapes used to be popular back then too.
    Station wagons are only popular in a world without SUVs.
    Mostly it's visibility, but SUVs are also easier to get into and out of for some people, which is why you have today's "not an SUV" crossovers.

    The good news for the eco-nerds is that CAFE standards will probably encourage some auto makers to revisit the wagon thing.
     
  8. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    1,218
    4
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Cassettes had better sound (basically CD quality thanks to use of chrome & dolby b noise reduction). Better than any of the lossy MP3s or AACs people listen to today. It is actually a step backwards and so too are the "bricks with wheels" that are SUVs. ;)
     
  9. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,590
    11,212
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Cassettes had better sound until they left in the car on a hot summer's day.
     
    GrumpyCabbie likes this.
  10. Kurt Weiske

    Kurt Weiske Active Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2014
    177
    130
    1
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Plug-in Base

    I drove Rabbit Diesels back in the '80s and miss them -- 48-55 mpg, good range, accessory tanks available (fit into the spare tire space) and maintenance was cheap. So was Diesel, back then - usually the same price or less than Unleaded.

    I don't know what they're doing to the new formulations to justify the price - used to be that diesel required less processing than gasoline.
     
  11. hlunde

    hlunde Member

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2009
    419
    74
    1
    Location:
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Wagons/estates are still very popular in Europe. SUV's are heavily promoted by manufacturers in the US because these vehicles have a very large profit margins. Removal of wagons from US market, means more SUV sales.
     
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,590
    11,212
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    I learned to drive stick on a friend's diesel Rabbit.
    Diesel still requires less processing than gasoline in the US. The lower sulfur limits added some to the price, but global demand is likely the main driver for higher prices. We are exporting diesel to Europe now. I don't think we did so back in the '80s, and may have had an over supply of the fuel then.
     
  13. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    At that time, SUVs had comparatively lax safety standards too, helping boost that profit margin.
     
  14. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2010
    6,035
    3,854
    0
    Location:
    Rocky Mountains
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    The article is severely confused by rating a non-SUV with SUV's to find the best SUV... It is like saying the best apple you can buy at the store, is an orange. The Ford Escape Hybrid seems to be the actual winner in raw MPGs in a test that makes sense. Put the 7seater Prius V into the lineup and it will win. Similar but better mpg numbers for the V all with the added benefit of lower cost fuel and lower energy dense fuel making it win by a lot.

    And to that point the Jetta when converted to a similar baseline as the Escape, not just "miles per gallon of any fuel type", gets just shy of 37mpg-of-petrol and the Beamer gets just over 24mpg.

    Delusional...

    Take some time to study the math behind the Nyquist Sampling Theorem. If you sample a continuous source at at least twice the maximum frequency into discrete measurements, you can always reproduce the signal of a bandlimited function. Like sound... Give it enough bits of resolution for every sample, and there is no difference between the original and the output. This is just math. Anyone who claims vinyl or a cassette sounds better, is truly ignorant of math and physics.
     
  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,590
    11,212
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Even if something is lost in the compression, it was something the human ear couldn't perceive anyway.
     
  16. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2006
    2,766
    1,510
    0
    Location:
    Lewisville, TX (Dallas area)
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    If you Google for Troy Heavy, again he has haunted hybrid and EV sites but also a few forums on sound systems.

    Draw your own conclusions.
     
    bwilson4web likes this.
  17. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2010
    279
    1,855
    0
    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Indeed. Given the size of most of the hybrid SUVs there, the valid comparison would be with a VW Touareg TDI. And I imagine that that would not win.
     
  18. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2010
    279
    1,855
    0
    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I miss seeing streamers of cassette tape stuck to crash barriers, glistening in the sunlight and blowing in the wind after they'd been chewed up by the tape player and thrown out of the window. They were so pretty. You just don't get that with a USB stick.

    I miss seeing broken-down Rovers, Austins and Triumphs by the side of the road too, with steam coming out of them, and a frustrated man in a brown jumper a few hundred metres further on, walking along the road in the rain to find a phone so he could call for a breakdown truck. But it's all gone now, thanks to stupid reliable Toyotas and stupid convenient mobile phones. Mobile phones just don't have that warmth of tone that you used to get from a payphone in the rain.

    I hate progress.
     
  19. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Are there any sound system forum banishments to complement the automotive forum banishments?
     
  20. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2006
    2,766
    1,510
    0
    Location:
    Lewisville, TX (Dallas area)
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I forgot, but the behavior seems very consistent to me

    Got a PM I ignored from him

    If he ever decides to behave like a real enthusiast, I might talk to him

    Until then, I occasionally talk about him to everyone EXECPT TH
     
    bwilson4web likes this.