GWIM got a 2011 Sportage SX (AWD), Rick bought a GTI..

I think I am going to lease. I like to keep spending money on car payments year after year.

Not what my choice would be, but to each his own.

Enjoy your time in VW service lounges and be sure to ditch it when the warranty runs out.

Unless it comes from the new plant ( in TN, I think) they built or from Germany. Then I agree. I like some of VW (and Audi) stuff, but not their quality or reliability. The 140HP seems a little low but I bet the torque is great.

I wish more auto manufacturer's would bring small diesel's to the states.

If you lease, don't worry about anything. It'll be reliable enough for 3 years.

I seem to recall suggesting this car to you in your other thread. I'm glad you liked it! I test drove an '11 Golf 4-door with a 6MT TDI not long ago while having a tire replaced under warranty. I was really happy with it. As I've been saying for years. If the Jetta SportWagen TDI were available with a 6MT and quattro, I wouldn't be driving a Subaru now.

I don't think it is VW engines that have reliability so much as it is VW electronics, including engine control units that can have issues.

The TDI is the least reliable Golf model, mainly caused by HPFP failures and other electrical issues. The engines will go 250k miles or more, it's everything else that will fall apart.

That's what I have read on the forums and heard from a younger salesman at VW also.

Even if it is leased, 100% of the repairs are covered, and they always give you a loaner, it's still a PIA to be without YOUR car and in a loaner. VW doesn't play nice either, I had much more trouble out of VW to warranty excessive oil consumption then I did with Subaru and wheel corrosion.

I wanna like VW, I like some of the cars. Just can't trust them yet.

I have always been a fan of diesel engines. Before I bought my 2005 LGT wagon, I already had my eye on a Jetta TDI wagon way back then. Of course, the LGT came on the scene and changed my mind. After paying off the LGT n 2007, I bought a used 2003 Golf TDI 5MT. That car was great for the gas mileage but it wasn't as clean as its replacement 2010 Golf TDI. I am extremely happy with my TDI.

There is quite a bit of mis-information on this thread.

1. The Golf TDI differs from its gasoline siblings with respect to the engine and of course the very sophisticated fuel delivery system. Yes the HPFP (High Performance Fuel Pump) has been a point of contention but that's is not unique to VW. BMW also has that issue with some of the 335i sold in the earlier years. It's an OEM issue that I hope the German manufacturers can resolve. I don't know of 'other electrical issues' that is unique to the TDI that makes it the least reliable of the Golf models.

2. MB is not the only mfg to frown on biodiesel as a fuel for its modern diesel cars, VW does too. At one point, VW stated that it was okay to have up to B5 (5% biodiesel in their cars). I don't see it on their website anymore. BTW, all diesel you get from the pumps are up to 5% biodiesel anyway. This is because the Big Oil gets a federal subsidy for mixing in biodiesel. The reason why biodiesel is so contentious is b/c there is no governing body to determine a standard for biodiesel. You and I can mix some up in our backyard with waste vegetable oil and sulfuric acid.

3. Don't be fooled by the 'low' 140 hp figure, when you are driving, it's the 236 ft-lb of torque that you will have on tap from 1750 rpm through 3700 rpm. Driving a diesel car is very different from driving a gasoline car. It's a lazier way of driving - low rpms and tons of torque available. You don't need to downshift as often but with the new TDI, revving it up emits an uncharacteristic / un-diesel like growl. It doesn't have the diesel chatter once it's warmed up. I recommend everyone to go drive or ride it one before writing it off. It's very easy to live with on a day to day basis.

4. The Golf TDIs are imported from Germany. I believe regular Golfs and GTIs are assembled in Mexico.

I would suggest to Mike to place your order early (at least 3 months in advance) b/c supplies are not very high for a fully loaded Golf TDI.

I agree with Ryan here.

 

Honestly, I feel like it's a huge step up from my '09 Forester XT Limited. Even though the seats are cloth, the ride, handling, and interior felt significantly more upscale than the chintzy plastic econobox feel of the Forester. It had butter smooth pickup, and when getting on it, it gives a nice torque-rich 'push back in your seat feeling.'

The handling was very very good, something neither of my Subarus were good at. The Forester always has a ship at sea feeling from the massive body roll, and the Legacy GT's rear end got very twitchy and unsettled at a quick pace on twisty roads. On a curvy stretch of road the TDI was very flat and even at a very quick pace, it felt like it could do those curves at a much higher rate of speeds without getting the lease bit unsettled.

Neither of my Subarus had good seats, the Legacy GT had very hard seat cushioning and the Forester uses horribly cheap make-believe leather, but offered good cushioning although without much in terms of bolstering. The Golf TDI had aggressive bolstering, and yet still had cushioning that is very comfortable to sit on.

There is a reason it doesn't roll very much. The rear suspension is almost identical to what you'd find in the front of a Blue Bird school bus. The torque beam setup is great for smooth roads, but when the going gets bumpy, the rear will start to jump around. If you get too aggressive, it'll pick up an inside tire, as well. For the most part, it'll understeer before that happens, though. I'm not sure if the 2011's have that C-beam rear suspension, but the older ones did (as did the Beetle).

But they do handle very well for 90% of the roads you'll encounter, and the overall "feel" of the car is superb. The steering, I've found, feels unbelievably direct and extremely solid.

As for cloth seats, Katzkin has you covered: http://www.katzkin.com/interiorselector/

OMG, more misinformation here. First off, I don't work for VW. I happened to have owned 5 VWs in my life. The MkVI Golfs do NOT have the old twist beam rear suspension. It's a fully independent setup. That is one of the biggest improvement of the MKVI over the MkV Golfs. The MKVI Jetta on the other hand went cheapo back to twist beam and even drum brakes for the cheaper trims.

There are pros and cons of the the twist beam suspension - pros are it's simple and cheap to make AND most importantly, it offers up more space for the trunk. My MKIV Golf have more trunk space than the MKVI even tho' the MKVI is a slighter bigger car. VW bodies are built extremely stiff to compensate for the twist beam rear suspension, that's why you will see that there are still MKII competing on the track with their lifted inside rear wheel in the turns! It's not a defect, it's a feature!

There's a 10mpg advantage.

You save a couple grand going with a loaded TDI vs. a Diesel too.

Golf feels solid in curves because of a shorter travel, stiffer suspension. Subaru uses VERY soft stabilizer bars, and American models are very softly sprung. Push both the Golfs and Subaru to its limits and you will see that feel in not equal to on road performance.

I have driven Subaru legacy/forester 2.0D and Audi 2.0TDI DSG. Subaru flat 4 diesel is miles ahead of audi/vw 2.0TDI engine in any possible aspect. But the most prominent is far better engine working culture. Audi feels like a tractor compared to subaru.

There are a lot of diesel VW engines in Europe. 1.9 TDI was a reliable engine. 2.0 TDI is a nightmare.

I said I wasn't sure if the 2011's had it. I know the older ones did, and everything you said about it was what I said! Lifting a tire, and everything!

Yeah... but I made it sound better. http://legacygt.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.gif

BTW, I know for first hand of the tire lifting when I had a MK2 GTI. My co-workers used to asked me about it whenever they saw me take a sharp right into the garage.

There's a 10mpg advantage.

 

You save a couple grand going with a loaded TDI vs. a Diesel too.

this is what i never understood.. yes the TDI has a 10mpg advantage over normal petrol golfs.. but, in the USA diesel is more expensive than 93! so in the long run, that 10mpg may just consume the 10cents extra you pay per galon..

In europe Diesel is way less than octane graded petrol.. why is this?

Neway, Im glad u liked the VW. I now drive an 06 2.0t passat, its horrible on gas FYI.

Golf feels solid in curves because of a shorter travel, stiffer suspension. Subaru uses VERY soft stabilizer bars, and American models are very softly sprung. Push both the Golfs and Subaru to its limits and you will see that feel in not equal to on road performance.

I know the current Golfs have lost some of the road feel in the steering. I believe stock for stock, both are equal in handling with Subaru gaining a slight edge in grip with its AWD.

I have driven Subaru legacy/forester 2.0D and Audi 2.0TDI DSG. Subaru flat 4 diesel is miles ahead of audi/vw 2.0TDI engine in any possible aspect. But the most prominent is far better engine working culture. Audi feels like a tractor compared to subaru.

There are a lot of diesel VW engines in Europe. 1.9 TDI was a reliable engine. 2.0 TDI is a nightmare.

I have not driven a Subaru flat-4 diesel so I can't really compared it to a VW's 2.0 TDI. But I simply can't believe that Subaru's H4 Diesel is "miles ahead of Audi/VW 2.0 TDI". The H4 diesel is Subaru's first foray into diesel technology. And the engine does not even have the Common Rail Fuel injection technology which is really the holy grail to Clean Diesel. That is the main reason why Subaru can't bring their diesel over - it's not clean enough for US regulations. BTW, VW is celebrating 35 years of Turbo Diesel technology this year. Subaru is not even a toddler in terms of that technology!

The 1.9 TDI was a reliable engine - again it can't meet US emissions. The 2.0 TDI's main 'nightmares' are the OEM-sourced HPFP and possibly the fuel quality it requires. In time, they will resolve it... there is really no way to go back to the old technology.

this is what i never understood.. yes the TDI has a 10mpg advantage over normal petrol golfs.. but, in the USA diesel is more expensive than 93! so in the long run, that 10mpg may just consume the 10cents extra you pay per galon..

Diesel used to be always lower than 93 octane in the warmer months until the last couple years. Honestly, I don't know why. It's all supply and demand. Europe has a bigger demand for diesel and I have heard that some of the diesel produced in this country have been shipped over there so our prices went up.

You will need to drive both the gasoline Golf and the TDI version back to back to make a fair comparison. The 2.5L Golf may have 21% more hp but the TDI has 33% more ft-lb of torque. Drive them back to back and them see which one is more fun to drive. MPG and costs aside, you only need to visit the gas station less frequent with the TDI. You can longer trips without stopping.