Prius over Golf TDI? Mixed feelings

Here's some comparisons .... for a Jetta, but shouldn't be much different. I think some of your numbers are off ... particularly cruising range on the TDI ... I too analyzed the differences between the two, and given that VW's quality and reliability is very spotty at best, decided to go with the Prius. It may not handle as nimbly as a Golf or Jetta, but it's a lot of fun to drive ... kinda like a video game. Also, the oil change interval for the 10 and 11 Prii is 10K, not 5K, and the first 25K of basic services is included for free with the Prius. THis may help a little with the costs. For every 10K driven, you'll use about 250 gallons of diesel at about $4 a gallon ... or $1000. You'll use about 200 gallons of $3.50 fuel with the Prius ... or $700 for a $300 difference in fuel costs between oil changes ... considerably more savings than the cost of the free VW 'service' for life. You'll realistically get about 40 MPG combined with the VW, and 50 combined with the Prius, which are the numbers I used in the calculations above. Something to think about ....

If you want the 'fun factor', you'd have to go with the VW. If you want high tech, ultimate fuel economy, and minimal maintenance, you'd go with the Prius. I gotta believe that there wouldn't be much 'fun factor' on your commute if it's primarily highway and stop and go. Not much fun in the Prius either, but it WOULD be possible to have fun in the VW otherwise, in pleasure driving ... the Prius is more of a sedate, relaxing drive, which can be fun too, if you like that. I know when I had my RAV4 I was always scooting around, taking corners hard, speeding on the highways, etc, etc ... kinda having fun with it. With my Prius, I really try to make the MPG display go up, up, up, and consequently I drive much more gently, using cruise control whenever possible. You can see by my fuelly at the bottom of the post that I've achieved 45.9 MPG calculated in the first 2400 miles ... on a brand new engine, in the dead of winter. Best tank was all highway driving on a warmer day when I got 55.9 MPG. and another at 55.0 MPG. I've immensely pleased with this mileage given my new engine and extreme cold. I'm positive I'll be getting mid 50's as an average, and probably near 60 highway in the warmer weather.

I'd bet that you won't see much better than 40 MPG combined with the VW, and 45 on the highway, if that matters to you. The older VW diesels got in the 50's and near 60 in the early 2000's, but the mileage has been steadily dropping as they've been forced to become 'cleaner'. Just make sure you're using realistic MPG numbers in your comparisons. VW dealers tend to spout stuff like ... 'yeah you'll be getting 60 MPG on the highway'. That simply is not true in the real world.

Consumer Reports got 38MPG overall, 27 city, 49 highway, and a combined 44 on their standard 150 mile trip for the Golf. Maximum cruising range of 615 on 14.5 gallons of fuel.

The Prius got 44 overall, 32 city, 55 highway, and 53 on the 150 mile standard trip. Cruising range of 605 on 11.9 gallons of fuel.

Prius II's Fuel Economy (city) is 51 while Jetta Sedan TDI's Fuel Economy (city) is 30.

Prius II's Fuel Economy (highway) is 48 while Jetta Sedan TDI's Fuel Economy (highway) is 42.

Comparably Equipped Price on Prius II is $1,430 LESS than the Jetta Sedan TDI.

Prius II's Combined Fuel Economy (City/Hwy) is 50 while Jetta Sedan TDI's Combined Fuel Economy (City/Hwy) is 34.

Automatic Climate Control is Standard on the Prius II while Not Available on the Jetta Sedan TDI.

Cargo Area Cover is Standard on Prius II but Not Available on Jetta Sedan TDI.

There are 2 more Cupholders on Prius II than on Jetta Sedan TDI.

Smart Key System is Standard on the Prius II while Not Available on the Jetta Sedan TDI.

Rear Spoiler is Standard on the Prius II while Optional on the Jetta Sedan TDI.

Rear Window Wiper is Standard on Prius II but Not Available on Jetta Sedan TDI.

Remote Fuel Filler Door Release is Standard on Prius II but Not Available on Jetta Sedan TDI.

The Cruising Range of the Prius II is 595 while it is 493 on the Jetta Sedan TDI.

The Prius II has 6.1 more Cubic Feet of Cargo Volume than the Jetta Sedan TDI.

The Prius II has a Curb to Curb Turning Circle of 2.20 less meters than the Jetta Sedan TDI.

Prius II has 1.9 more inches of Wheelbase than Jetta Sedan TDI.

Prius II has 1.6 inches more of Front Headroom than Jetta Sedan TDI.

Prius II has 0.6 inches more of Rear Headroom than Jetta Sedan TDI.

Prius II has 1.3 more cubic feet of Interior Volume than Jetta Sedan TDI.

Prius II has 1.3 inches more of Front Leg Room than Jetta Sedan TDI.

The Curb Weight (Lbs) Automatic Transmission on the Prius II is 168 pounds less than on the Jetta Sedan TDI.

Adaptive Automatic Transmission is Standard on the Prius II while Optional on the Jetta Sedan TDI.


To top the whole thing off .... Diesel fuel is about 20% more than regular gasoline .... so that effectively reduces the MPG of diesel cars by roughly 20% as well for comparison purposes ....

 

I love VW's too, but don't love their maintainence.

The main thing I love about getting into the Prius is knowing the vehicle I'm driving is a technological leap and bound over all other vehicles in its class (under $30k).

I don't commute so seat comfort isn't one of the main factors (although I find the IV quite cozy for my needs).
I love driving a manual, but not so sure I would when I reach my late 50's and beyond. Not so great for my left hip. This "disconnect" you speak of, I have not felt it in the Prius, perhaps becasue my last vehicle was an automatic trans also. I wonder if manual drivers just don't like automatics at all and feel disconnected regardless what auto trans they're driving. ?

 

Oil changes are every 10k miles per Toyota recc.

Is there really a driving 'experience' on a straight highway ?
Btw, I like manuals too. I sure would not trade for less reliability and more pollution to have one though.

 

Are you just looking at Prius Two and Three?

 

It's kinda like jazz music.... If you have to ask the question, you'll never understand the answer.

Re: Prius over Golf TDI? Mixed feelings:

My $0.02: The Golf is the car you'll want to drive. The Prius is the car you'll want to own. Again, If you have to ask "why"...you'll never understand the answer, and should stick with a "binary decision aid" (coin toss).
JMHO....

 

Unless you need the extra room of the Prius right now, it sounds like you would be happier with the Golf.

I don't see the Prius as being significantly more financially responsible. At least here in Texas, most fuel stations have at least one diesel pump. Reliability always involves some luck, regardless of ratings or model you sometimes get a lemon and sometimes a gem. The road feel of the Prius is definitely detached.

The biggest downer of the G3 Prius that I see is the rattle/noise problem. Some people have not experienced, but way too many have, including me. That can suck a lot of joy out of car ownership.

I'm happy enough with my choice of Prius because I need the space and don't care that much about feeling the details of the road while driving. It just sounds like you would have more fun with the Golf.

 

Driving 33,000 miles a year... even at an average speed of 60MPH that's 550 hours, or nearly 23 days behind the wheel. Comfort should probably be a pretty high priority for you

Also, I believe a lumbar adjustent is standard on the Prius IV and V... might be worth considering since you'll spend so much time in the car.

Yes on the synthetic, but the recommended interval is every 10K, so you can go 14 weeks between changes.

When I bought my new 2010 in January Toyota was offering free oil changes for the first two years. I'm not sure if that was just a southeast Toyota thing or if it's still being offered (or if they have some clause to get out of doing it every 14 weeks), but if it's still available then that might help offset some of the cost of oil changes. Still not quite as nice as free oil cahnges for life, though.

I love my Prius, but I tend to be more of a techy type guy rather than a car guy... I wouldn't really know a driving experience if it hit me over the head.

Good luck with your decision,
Brett

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. To me, the Prius is a "driving appliance"...

 

EXCELLENT !!! ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT !!! 100% TRUE !!! If the real-world mileage numbers were the same, and reliability and quality were the same .... the only answer would be the VW ... unfortunately .... that's not the case.

I wouldn't worry about the rattle issue. In reality, although it seems that the numbers of rattling Prii are great because of the frequency of threads here by a few prople, in the real world I bet it's not more than 10%. Drive your Prius first, and if it has rattle issues ... try another one. Mine is dead silent ... not a rattle in it.

This isn't to say that there aren't people with the issue, but that's with ANY car, from what I've seen.

REV

 

I think that the Prius is great but it's significantly different from what you are used to so rent one for a few days and put a lot of miles on it. That way you will have a much better sense of what the differences are that affect you and how you feel about them.

 

Nice summary. Since OP says he's just married and has to be financially responsible, The Prius is a no-brainer decision. GERD!

 

Was watching an old episode of Top Gear recently and they had to make a 700+ mile trip on 1 tank of gas. One of the cars chosen was a VW Polo TDI. It averaged over 80 MPG for the trip. They had a deadline to meet so driving well below the speed limit wasn't going to work. The other cars were a Subaru and a Jag and both of those averaged more that 60 MPG. The question they asked...why by a Prius when you can get a VW Polo that gets better gas mileage and costs 7k less. I believe this particular epeisode aired in 2008.

Here in the states, we are really missing out on some great cars

 

BBC show so that will be miles per imperial Gallon. USmpg will be significantly less.

I doubt that you can get a Polo that gets better mpg than the Prius in typical real world use even though the Polo is a smaller car.

 

Fixed that for you

 

I think that pretty much answers the question ... the states has stringent EPA standards to attain, and that can't be done with those kind of mileage results ...

Bottom line .... There is simply NO OTHER CAR (available for purchase in the US) that can attain the fuel economy of the Prius on an overall basis ... none are even close.

REV

 

You missed the most important thing....a 700+ miles trip on one tank of gas. All of them did it - a full size and very heavy Jag, a Suburu Legacy and the VW POLO. All three still had gas left in the tank at the end of the trip. No crazy hypermilers tactics were used either.

 

OP, the more you write, the more I think Hyundai for you. Have you checked them out, or have reasons to not go that route ?

 

None of the cars is available for sale in the states. The EPA requirements would probably kill 20% of their mileage, and the rest is eaten up due to the fact that imperial gallons are considerably larger than US gallons.

It's not possible here ... why argue it ?

REV

 

The Polo's fairly small. I think it's even smaller than a Honda Fit. It will be nice if and when the Prius C comes out, then these somewhat invalid comparisons can be eliminated.