2014 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon w/ TDI & manual trans.

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
A friend of mine has a 2010 TDI 6 speed Jetta wagon. He's up to around 70k miles, IIRC. It's been great so far, no mechanical issues. Starts great in the cold, warms up only a little slower than my Jeep once it's running. His only real complaint with the car is that the ECU programming is super-conservative around idle to keep emissions down, so if you dip the revs more than 100 rpm below idle on take off, it just stalls suddenly and violently as the ECU cuts fuel.

He averages 40+ mpg in mixed city / highway, so it definitely does well in that respect.


The reason it cuts the engine when pulling away with too few revs is to peotects the dual mass flywheel.

Driving in too high a gear with very low revs can also cause excessive wear on a dmf as it will overheat trying to damp out the vibes.

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I so wanted a last-gen Jetta TDI longroof with a MT, but between the $4k higher purchase price and $0.30-0.60/gallon higher cost of diesel compared with premium unleaded around me, it wasn't in the cards.

Nice cars, but more for the novelty and enjoyment than a real MPG advantage.


My only qualm with VW TDI is its a high maintenance vehicle. Even supton has posted on expensive costs. Buy a Accord/Camry/Corolla/Civic with 4 cylinder and timing chain, and manual you can get decent MPG along with likely lower maintenance costs. I know quite a few software engineers who own those cars and commute from Maine and NH down to boston.

I did 245k on a 95 Civic in 9 years and only had to replace radiator and exhaust besides doing the regular maintenance. I sold not because anything was broken but I was simply bored of it and got a WRX.

It's too bad only VW and subaru offer real wagons anymore. I'd be all over an accord/camry/civic/corolla wagon but we don't get them here.
The diesel should be good for towing as well, its rated for 3500lbs braked in europe. A 4 cyl manaul Camry or accord would easily do that as well I guess, but would require a bit more shifting and would take a bigger mileage hit.


The XF estate, or sportbrake, has a decent load space. Not sure if you will get it NA.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jigen
Aren't the wagons just rebadged golf's? Thought they were still made in Germany.

Production of both Golf as well as Jetta/Jetta Wagon has shifted to Puebla, Mexico recently, from what I've read.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Those owning these TDIs with the 6-speed manual trans... do you find yourself shifting quite a bit? I mean, more than usual?

The reason I ask is that this TDI has a somewhat narrow power band, and you have to keep shifting constantly if you want to maximize mpg. At least that was my experience when driving my dad's car with the same/similar engine. As much as I love manual trans, it was becoming somewhat of a nuisance. I think I'd be inclined to get a slushbox in this particular case.



Never drove the six, but in wife's Camry we often skip fifth, as sixth and fifth are very close spaced.

I will sometimes just let mine rev as high as 2k while going thro town, if it saves a bit on shifting. I might lose a hair on mpg, but when it's already in the 40's it's kinda moot. Mine does not care for much throttle below 2k anyhow; best economy is there, but driving below 1,500rpm requires very low loading.

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I so wanted a last-gen Jetta TDI longroof with a MT, but between the $4k higher purchase price and $0.30-0.60/gallon higher cost of diesel compared with premium unleaded around me, it wasn't in the cards.

Nice cars, but more for the novelty and enjoyment than a real MPG advantage.


My only qualm with VW TDI is its a high maintenance vehicle. Even supton has posted on expensive costs. Buy a Accord/Camry/Corolla/Civic with 4 cylinder and timing chain, and manual you can get decent MPG along with likely lower maintenance costs. I know quite a few software engineers who own those cars and commute from Maine and NH down to boston.

I did 245k on a 95 Civic in 9 years and only had to replace radiator and exhaust besides doing the regular maintenance. I sold not because anything was broken but I was simply bored of it and got a WRX.

It's too bad only VW and subaru offer real wagons anymore.


The Outback is a borderline CUV these days.

Also, there are plenty of real wagons still out there: Acura TSX Sport Wagon, BMW 328i Sports Wagon, Cadillac CTS Sport wagon, Mercedes E Class Wagon, Volvo XC70, and VW Jetta SportWagen.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: glock19
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I so wanted a last-gen Jetta TDI longroof with a MT, but between the $4k higher purchase price and $0.30-0.60/gallon higher cost of diesel compared with premium unleaded around me, it wasn't in the cards.

Nice cars, but more for the novelty and enjoyment than a real MPG advantage.


My only qualm with VW TDI is its a high maintenance vehicle. Even supton has posted on expensive costs. Buy a Accord/Camry/Corolla/Civic with 4 cylinder and timing chain, and manual you can get decent MPG along with likely lower maintenance costs. I know quite a few software engineers who own those cars and commute from Maine and NH down to boston.

I did 245k on a 95 Civic in 9 years and only had to replace radiator and exhaust besides doing the regular maintenance. I sold not because anything was broken but I was simply bored of it and got a WRX.

It's too bad only VW and subaru offer real wagons anymore.


The Outback is a borderline CUV these days.

Also, there are plenty of real wagons still out there: Acura TSX Sport Wagon, BMW 328i Sports Wagon, Cadillac CTS Sport wagon, Mercedes E Class Wagon, Volvo XC70, and VW Jetta SportWagen.

Well, wagons in my price range... Except for the VW, those are all $40+k new up here and I don't really want to deal with an older luxury car. A used Acura might be OK but we didn't get the wagons up here at all.
Actually I forgot the Prius V, as it atleast matches the XC70 for cargo space and is a practical price.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: rslifkin
A friend of mine has a 2010 TDI 6 speed Jetta wagon. He's up to around 70k miles, IIRC. It's been great so far, no mechanical issues. Starts great in the cold, warms up only a little slower than my Jeep once it's running. His only real complaint with the car is that the ECU programming is super-conservative around idle to keep emissions down, so if you dip the revs more than 100 rpm below idle on take off, it just stalls suddenly and violently as the ECU cuts fuel.

He averages 40+ mpg in mixed city / highway, so it definitely does well in that respect.


The reason it cuts the engine when pulling away with too few revs is to peotects the dual mass flywheel.

Driving in too high a gear with very low revs can also cause excessive wear on a dmf as it will overheat trying to damp out the vibes.


That is very interesting. I am curious if that is true, as the DMF has many complaints, and has damaged a few transmissions. I replaced when mine started rattling.

I replaced mine with an SMF, and I'm not sure i could feel any extra vibration. What is odd is that my replacement has a higher torque rating yet is much lighter. Very happy with the setup, although if I replace the injectors it might be underrated.

 

[glock19]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Well, wagons in my price range... Except for the VW, those are all $40+k new up here and I don't really want to deal with an older luxury car. A used Acura might be OK but we didn't get the wagons up here at all.
Actually I forgot the Prius V, as it atleast matches the XC70 for cargo space and is a practical price.


Fair enough. While writing that list I did notice they were all pretty much performance luxury wagons.