I just want to look at these three cars on consumer reports, and I don’t want to buy a subscription to look at three pages. would anyone be willing to look these up for me and copy/paste the review into the answer? I don’t know if points actually motivate anyone, but, I’ll give best answer to the person with the best answer, haha.
As a TDI owner I’ll say this, these are very finicky cars. If they’re cared for properly, they’re absolutely bulletproof. There are a couple on the verge of a million miles, with a ton over 400,000 miles. Stay far far far away from the automatics from 99.5-03 though. The 01M is not a good trans for any engine, but is especially week when mated to the torquey diesel.
But if someone forgets a timing belt change, or does some improper maintenance, forget it, they’ll have problems until the day you sell it.
I really would suggest finding someone in your area who knows TDIs and having them look the car over before purchasing one. You can find more info than you’d ever want to know on the car at http://www.tdiclub.com including a list of the trusted "gurus" across the US and Canada, thats the list you wanna pick your expert to look the car over from.
Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Highs: Fuel economy, ride, safety equipment, crash tests, fit and finish.
Lows: Acceleration, tight rear seat, slow heater, engine noise/vibration at idle, diesel emissions.
Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
The Jetta line
Body style: Sedan; wagon
Drive wheels: Front
Trim lines: GL, GLS, GLI, GLX
Engines & transmissions: 1.9-liter 4 turbodiesel (90 hp), 2.0-liter 4 (115 hp), 1.8L 4 turbo (180 hp), 2.8-liter V6 (200 hp); 5- or 6-speed manual; 4- or 5-speed automatic
Base price range: $17,100 to $26,940
Tested: GLS sedan, 1.9-liter Four turbodiesel, 4-speed automatic
Volkswagen Jetta TDI dashboard.
The Jetta TDI excels as an economical highway cruiser but suffers from familiar diesel shortcomings: sluggish acceleration and engine noise and vibration at low speeds. It retains the regular Jetta’s good ride comfort and high-quality interior, but also its cramped rear seat. Because of its below-average reliability in our latest survey of CR subscribers, we can no longer recommend Jetta models.
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
The Jetta has one of the best rides of any small car, nicely isolating occupants from pavement bumps. It handles well, too, though not quite as crisply as the Civic, and negotiated our emergency avoidance-maneuver course with aplomb.
The 90-hp, 1.9-liter turbodiesel clatters noisily at startup but tapers off once the car is moving. The TDI feels sluggish when accelerating from a rest, and was 2 seconds slower in 0-60 mph acceleration than a Jetta we previously tested with a 2.0-liter gasoline-powered engine. Expect 32 mpg overall on diesel fuel, 4 mpg less than the Civic Hybridand 9 mpg less than a manual-transmission Golf TDI we tested in December 2000.
The four-speed automatic shifts smoothly, but the five-speed manual is a better choice: It has better acceleration and gets better fuel economy. Braking performance was very good overall.
INSIDE THE CAR
High-grade interior fittings make the Jetta seem like a luxury car. Headroom is generous, and it’s easy to see out. The front seats are firm, well shaped, and comfortable, although their recliner knobs are awkward to reach and turn. The rear seat is very cramped and difficult to access.
Most controls are well lit and logically laid out, but the climate-control knobs are hard to read and too low. The front has a pair of retractable cup holders that, when in use, block access to the radio. The rear has no cup holders. The climate-control system is very slow to warm the cabin on cold days; optional heated seats help. The trunk provides decent room and, unlike in the Civic Hybrid, cargo space can be expanded by folding down the rear seatbacks. But getting the seats folded fully flat is a tedious process. A full-sized spare is concealed under the nicely finished trunk floor.
SAFETY AND RELIABILITY
Rear seatback of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
ROOM TO EXPAND Unlike the Civic Hybrid, the Jetta TDI has a split rear seatback that can be folded down in sections to expand cargo space.
The long roster of safety gear includes standard side and side-curtain air bags, and front air bags that deploy in slightly less severe collisions if the safety belts are not worn. Adjustable head restraints for the four main seats are sufficiently tall to mitigate whiplash injury even when lowered. Daytime running lights are standard. The trunk has a glow-in-the-dark emergency release.
Driving with kids. A rear-facing infant seat may require additional bolstering to be angled properly. There are three top-tether anchor points and two lower LATCH anchors.
Reliability. Reliability has been much worse than average lately. Our car needed a trip to the dealer to fix a misaligned front door.
References :
As a TDI owner I’ll say this, these are very finicky cars. If they’re cared for properly, they’re absolutely bulletproof. There are a couple on the verge of a million miles, with a ton over 400,000 miles. Stay far far far away from the automatics from 99.5-03 though. The 01M is not a good trans for any engine, but is especially week when mated to the torquey diesel.
But if someone forgets a timing belt change, or does some improper maintenance, forget it, they’ll have problems until the day you sell it.
I really would suggest finding someone in your area who knows TDIs and having them look the car over before purchasing one. You can find more info than you’d ever want to know on the car at http://www.tdiclub.com including a list of the trusted "gurus" across the US and Canada, thats the list you wanna pick your expert to look the car over from.
References :
2001 Golf TDI owner, 156k miles, 44mpg average.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=130044 (trusted mechanics list)
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=708161 (A very good write up on the general ins and outs of buying a used VW TDI).
Ever hear of getting off your lazy butt, and going to the public library? They have Consumer Reports there.
References :