VW Jetta Diesel vs. Toyota Prius Which Is The Best At Saving Your Hard Earned Dollars?

I would like to see this test done in the winter in the north east!

Turbo- the start stop technology is not available on BMW diesels that I know of. (I imagine someone will correct me if I am wrong)

You wouldn't want start/stop tech in BMWs anyway, once the engine cuts out, it might not always cut back in :) they can't even get the airbags to work right...

Auto001- Well at least BMW isn't buying back models from owners, because of rust issues.

i would view buying back a 15 years old model because of rust issue as a responsible act.
can you imagine how many problems a 15 years old bmw would have? would you seriously believe bmw in 1995 made cars that have absolute NO common problem at all, that is, if they are still drivable.

I see plenty 1995 and older BMW's on the road you Moron. Stop hating. It isn't a good look for you.

BMW would leave them high and dry.

You mean where where the diesels have a tougher problem starting due to the cold weather??


HOWEVER, I would much rather have a Jetta TDI because it is a much higher quality car.

no, I think he meant about heating the car

current diesels shouldn't have any problems starting

i can't get a Prius just because of the Jacks that drive them. I don't think the Jetta is trying to be the best fuel economy winner. If they were doing that they would have brought the 1.2l TDI to the US

yes my dad's 2006 Jetta TDI works great in Utah in the cold of winter. He drives about 70 miles a day and averages 49mpg up the canyon

Utah? Come on, try Winnipeg. In winter, it get to be worse than -40 C which works out perfectly to -40 F. The Jetta is no doubt the nicer car, like I said before. I am just not convinced about diesels in my climate. Forgive my ignorance about diesels, but I know tractors (as in semis) have trouble starting in these conditions, such as where I live, because the diesel oil becomes quite thick at low temps.

Winnipeg has the highest TDI prices in Canada.
And I look at the badges on Jettas everywhere, and Winnipeg seems to have more diesels than anywhere out west (I pass through Winnipeg driving from Vancouver to Ontario each year).
You only have problems with Bio-diesel in the cold ... regular diesel is fine.
And Regular was $1.29 a litre, but diesel was $1.22 a litre in mid-August around Winnipeg ... yet another saving.

Thanks for the info, DieselRules.

How's the Anatolian doing?

The Jetta diesel is not only a better drive and a more economical car but it will also last twice longer than a Prius. VW > Toyota.

So much for VW > Toyota, and lasting twice as long...
that link will prove your point:

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080924.008/spied-volkswagen-robust-prototype-needs-a-breakdown-service

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/100.000-km-dauertest-vw-touran_58765.html

The day a VW outlasts a Toyota is the day we declare peace in the middle east.

What is Toyota's warantee against rust?
VW offers 12 years, and has since the 1980s.
They spend nothing on claims.
Toyota sells more new cars, but there are lots more OLD VWs on the road than old Toyotas.
Try to explain that.

I would be driving a Jetta TDi now if they had it last year :(

I would be caught dead in the prius. Lots of owners get better mpgs than what the epa says.

In the jetta that is. I wonder if it'll still have a stick shift.

The prius should be pitted against other petrol(gasoline) cars ..
Anyway, doesn't diesel cost more and how long to recoup the price difference, and not to mention the number of miles required to beat the petrol hybrid

I'm just waiting for the diesel hybrid - it would render the Prius pointless.

The wide gap between gasoline & diesel prices is no longer true, my friend. Some stations in my area (Richmond, Va.) are selling diesel fuel for LESS than premium unleaded. The highest variance I have seen recently is where diesel sold for $0.30 per gallon than premium gas.

Correction - The highest variance I have seen recently is diesel selling for $0.30 per gallon MORE than premium gas.

Its a shame that you make BMW fans look bad. No wonder BMW gets the worst owner rep from guys like you. And work on your puncutation and grammar skills.

amazinBimmer has staying power. His schtick is a constant. It almost begs the question: Is amazinBimmer actually an AGENT!? How long has he been here now?? YEARS!!!!!!! That is one LONG, CONSISTENT, joke. Determination, or a special interest to see more hits/responses? HMMMM!

more amazinIGNORANCE. did you get an education? or did somebody just inject your brain with this garbage?

I wish Toyota would have a diesel Prius option. Although, even then he Jetta would still handle better and be more comfortable.

I'm planning to go plug in or all electric as soon as possible. Electricity in Santa Clara is only $0.07-$0.08 per kilowatt hour.

Your bro drives a chick car that gets from 0 to 60 in ...forever. It will definitely not run any circles around any Jetta.

Like you probably know but refuse to accept VW has waiting lists for the diesel Jettas, so don't celebrate yet.

The Prius is OVERPRICED... with options or not, considering how little car you get for your money.

A Jetta diesel absolutely destroys the Prius on all counts. Toyota needs to go back to the drawing board.

'"much faster" equates to 8.5sec vs the Prius' 10 seconds. The Jetta is still slower than a Toyota Sienna.'

Your point? The Jetta TDI is not a performance car. Does the Sienna get 50MPG on the highway?

"It's nice that the driving was actually 50/50 to highlight how baddly inefficient diesels are in the city. SUVs and highway (for small engines) is where diesels should stop."

Also nice that they put the Prius on the highway where it was embarrassed by the Jetta.

"Fun-to-drive depends. My bros 2000 Celica gets 27mpg combined and it'll run circles around a Jetta."

An old Volkswagen Coraddo SLC will get 20MPG in the city and 30 on the highway, and will put any Celica to shame in terms of fun. Once again... your point? How is this related to anything? The VW Jetta is much more fun to drive than any COMPETING Toyota product.

Also... yes, 1.5 sec is a huge difference. It's the difference between a GT-R and a 335i.

huu76.. "Fun-to-drive depends. My bros 2000 Celica gets 27mpg combined and it'll run circles around a Jetta. I doubt a Jetta is any more fun than a Corolla, its just the image that the Germans like to convey."

............................................................................................................................................................................................


HAHHAAHAHHAAHHAHAHAAH!!!

I am sorry but that is just way too funny.

The Corolla is a joke in the fun-to-drive department compared to the Jettas.

I own an 04' Corolla. Sure, I spank it every day and all that, but it has rattles like you wouldn't believe, in places it shouldn't, like door panels, vents, other random trim pieces, and also the engine whistles and the techs at various dealerships have no idea what is whistling when the car is in drive or park. However, they will try and convince me that I need to replace the window regulators to remove the rattle from my doors for $500.00-$600.00 after 60-70k KM (at the time... last year or so..).

Toyota just isn't what it used to be and had I known this, I would have chosen a VW instead of this shitty car lacking the enjoyment that my friends' Jettas, Golfs, A4s, Mazda3s, Volvo S40s, and 3ers have!

I am quite sick of Toyota these days - especially since they were presented to be the "common sense" choice these days.

huu76, you are definitely wrong when you say that the Jetta being more fun than the Corolla is simply a perception issue. You could not be more wrong. Drive and you will know. Go on. Drive them!

Peoples are buying BMW becouse it`s fun to drive but nobody will ever consider buying VW Jetta diesel if he wants fun to drive car .

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article731958.ece

so, the EPA was right after all.

i am so glad that they acutally test both cars the same condition, same place, same speed. or else someone will jump out and say one of the follow three things:
"my 7 years old jetta easily gets 60 mpg..."
"prius sucks, it averages less than 40 mpg..."
"EPA sucks for diesel cars.."

i totally believe you can achieve 60 mpg in a jetta, or average less than 40 mpg in prius, and you may exceed EPA rating everytime. but ON AVERAGE, epa's 31/40 seems fair for jetta (remeber EPA test simulates part of traffic conditions), and 48/45 seems accurate for prius.

The real question is, why in hell's name is it that expensive? It puzzles me, seeing as diesel fuel used to be CHEAPER than regular gas.

Talk to the DOJ.
Would you pay $5 a pound for flour if bread was $4 a pound?
It is criminal to sell diesel for more than gas: a an extract of oil that consumes more oil to produce, and thus is much more costly to refine.
If diesel was priced fairly, it would be 75 - 80% the cost of gas.
But the oil companies are scared shi*less that you will buy a diesel then, which means you're buying 1/3 less fuel that costs 1/4 less ... 2/3 the fuel * 3.4 the price means 1/2 the revenue for the oil companies.
So, who are they trying to help: you, or their shareholders?
Seriously ... it is criminal to charge more for diesel.
Call the DOJ. The big-oil execs need to visit the crow-bar hotel for a while; diesel needs to be 20% less than gas; and eventually you can kiss arab oil good-bye!

Qoute from the article "The Bottom Line
It appears clear, no matter what the driving conditions, that the Toyota Prius will return around 44 mpg—if driven with a sane right foot. That's impressive, and that means the Prius remains the most fuel-efficient car on the market. The Jetta falls short in pure city driving, but it does meet (and barely beats) the Prius when it comes to highway fuel economy in our testing."

End of story.

ps. diesel is very Expensive where I live which is OC, California. Diesel cost even more than Premium gas per gallon, unreal.

not to mention if there is ANY traffic congestion, the Jetta will fail in short.

bottom line: if you can average your speed at 65 mph, then Jetta would be better off in term of bragging rights. (but not your wallet).

I spend 85% of my daily comm on freeway, yet my average MPH is 37 (i drive 70~80 on freeway), i have no idea how you can average 65 MPH over a day. one stop light will bring you average MPH done by a huge amount.

btw, is it really fair to compare a brand new car to a 5 years old car?

Well, ghosthunter, the Prius in that test was brand-new. Granted, the car was redesigned in 2004, but older designs are compared against new designs all the time if they are still in production.

Why are you even talking about a Sienna?

And why are you trying to downplay the fact that the Jetta is so much quicker/more fun than the Prius? Honestly, can you EVER say Toyota does something wrong? Or that a competing product is superior?

You try to make it look like WE'RE the blind ones. HA!

"You losers conveniently forget that the bro also drives an A6"

???

"which I might add fairs poorly in a a foot of snow."

Or maybe he's just a bad driver. Hm. Learn to spell "fares," also.

What's this BS about the Jetta using a lot more fuel if you're stuck in traffic?
There's a new feature called the ignition switch.
People with a brain use it to turn the engine off if stopped for a while.
Amazing, but you don't need a computer to turn the engine off!

AmazinignorantSOB. No YOUR the loser, ignorant, arrogant, superior, condescending.

Its amazin the shit you post here considering you make out you are intelligent.

"my maids son drives a cololla" ?????? You win the award for the biggest JERK on this site, by a mile!!!

i think vw jetta betta we have a toyota and they suck