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As the man said; it's all about torque and these TDi's have it in glorious amounts.
The 2.0 TDi/140bhp engine is now in all VAG models across the Brand range and the 170bhp version is available in all Brands, (VW, Audi, Skoda, SEAT), to a lesser degree. The new Skoda Fabia is now announced, (that's based on the VW Polo), and will have the 2.0TDi/140bhp motor in the top-of-the-range vRS derivative. No DSG, though, it seems. Still, it should be both a hoot and economical.
You will surely (?) get the 2.0TDi/140bhp motor and if you get the 170bhp version you just have to drive it.................after all, smiling exercises more facial muscles than frowning so why settle for anything less ?
Here in Europe, the Touareg, along with the Audi A4 and A6 has the 3.0TDi which puts out 369lbsft @1750rpm and 220bhp. The A8 is available with the 4.2TDi but that's way out of my price range.
If you really think they are "slugs" then I truly do not want to be in your garden after dusk
Now in other situations, there are some dead areas in the powerband and even with mods and a clutch roasting launch, mine will only hit 60mph in about 8 seconds. Certainly not fast, but in certain situations this is one of the strongest and most easy to drive vehicles at high velocities. If you like to drag-race, then it's not the greatest but as an object in motion, the TDI likes to stay in motion.
I've never personally purchased a 4cyl car besides the Jetta TDI. The work required to propel them at a reasonable clip typically annoys me. In the past I've always commuted with V6 powered cars (and filled up a lot more often.....)
All 4 of my TDIs have operated just fine including the current pair. I've had about 120k miles and 4 years to learn how to drive these wonderful slugmobiles in order to get max performance.
I'm not into "modding" my cars; I'm not talking about modded TDIs.
If you think that a stock jetta/golf/beetle TDI resembles an actual fast car in any way/shape/form at any speed/rpm/altitude, then you were not driving your race cars & actually-fast-street-cars properly.
I think that if you read the www.tdiclub.com threads much there are a host of folks who are thankful for driving tips when driving the TDI, and that is even after driving it a while. Many folks indeed drive them less than optimiumly. Whether you do or not remains unknown.
For accelerating as fast as possible in whatever condition, my SOTP-meter works fine for that.
My right foot is beyond "leadfoot" - I have neutron-star-foot.
Currently when I get tired of TDI-ing and being tailgated/cut-off/disrespected by highway commuters due to how slow it is, I bust out my 05 GTO 6-speed for a few days until I get that whole Dr-Jekyll/Mr-Hyde thing out of my system. (Aggressive drivers get peeved & tailgate TDI massively & sometimes pass-on-left-shoulder when I leave a safe distance in front of my car - when all travel lanes are packed. I always keep right if there's space to do so. With the GTO I rarely get tailgated/disrespected, especially after I "demonstrate" that I'm happy to slow down gradually to the minimum legal highway speed and then rocket to 80 or more to catch up to the ~75 mph left-lane-traffic, at safe distance.)
1. You have something stuck under your accelerator input device.
2. Your legs are too short.
:P
Need another gear or two............
The other side of it, if you are in the 95 plus percentile in TRAFFIC, it is YOU that is doing the tailgating.
Since you have probably done some car building, you know the issues/drill. So if I get a 6 speed, should I not also get the HUGE (er) injectors, chip it!!! Do some cutting and put a BIG down pipe. Well since it is at 400k why not an upgraded turbo!!?? Should do bigger inter coolers. Well to feed the chipped side and bigger injectors, might as well do the 11 mm fuel pump. WOO HOO!
NOT so woo hoo.... now I should get a more stout (non stock) clutch to handle the extra hp/torque. Now the rims and tires become WAY deficient, and the stock suspension and brake systems are NOW puny..... 15,000 dollars later......
As for the 1.9TDi having the .205 Injectors.............er, quite possibly but not a clue, I'm ashamed to say. I only know what it does, not how. Sorry.
You now understand the relevance of my User Name.............Alltorque.
Skoda and SEAT
http://www.skoda.co.uk/skoda3g/home.aspx
The Fabia is a Polo, the Octavia is a Golf/Jetta, the Superb is a stretched Passat and the Roomster is a rebodied Fabia. New Fabia is shown on the site, but not the new vRS with the 2.0TDi/140 engine. That arrives later.
SEAT is the Spanish arm of VAG and you can probably guess what the platforms used are.
http://www.seat.co.uk/
Ibiza is a Polo, Leon is a Golf etc. The Ibiza FR gets the 160PS TDi and the Leon Cupra gets a 240PS gasser.............which makes it fairly mental. A number of manufacturers are re-inventing the "hot-hatch" at present. 240bhp seems to be the target for anything Golf-sized - as in the Vauxhall, (GM), Astra VXR. Have read somewhere that your next Saturn uses same platform; but maybe not the 240bhp 4-pot. VAG are probably the biggest player in the diesel sector but the Honda 2.2cTDi is highly thought of in the Civic, Accord, CR-V and FR-V. The small GM diesels are not rated in the same league whilst the Ford diesels are rated as O.K.
O.K. end of verbiage.
I think vw's reliability "issues" are something i think i can handle. It cant be bade as our sweet sounding Expy(which is sitting outside getting great MPG!)
-Cj
It seems like the 06's are still in dealerships, and are still "new" (i.e., untitled by anyone yet).
Has anyone looked at the 05.5 or 06's recently? What are some of the things to look out for in buying one? (i.e., any pitfalls to be aware of).
I'll mostly be getting one for an urban commute vehicle (about 25 miles / day). I'd like to get one with the DSG transmission.
Thanks,
Jeff
I have heard the 06 model is one of the best built VW TDI's. Target price would be invoice. Edmunds.com is a great resource. You might want to check www.tdiclub.com and do a search for TDI dealers (out of state) in case you are unable to locate a local dealer who can and will do that type of deal. Best of luck and let us know how it works out.
The biggie is since the TDI is capable of a very long lifespan, it is to your advantage to do a good degree of homework. If you are of the buy and forget and abuse set, new every two, etc. the TDI might prove problematic for you, and not worth the time/premium, etc.
Another; I am sure you bought the CRV Honda for a host of reasons. An easy example; if you own the Honda and have no payments, you'd be very HARD pressed if not impossible to justify new car payments for a 42/50 mpg vehicle when you only commute 6,600 miles per year! Just make sure a Jetta, Beetle, Golf, really will fit your needs, as it is an apples to oranges comparison.
Yeah, I'd probably go for a "new" 06, with the thinking that I'd keep it a long time.
I tend to take very good care of the cars I have, as far as going easy on them and keeping up the maintenance items. Pretty good data point to support that statement: The car I had before my CR-V was a 93 Honda Civic that I bought new, kept for 10 years, and was able to sell for at or above the market rate due to it's still being in great working condition(even though it had ~180K miles). The CR-V is a similar case... well maintained, with miles right where it should be for its age, AND has never been "rode hard, and put away wet". I'm just giving these details to illustrate how I would probably keep the Jetta.
I probably average about 12K of miles a year (some other driving above and beyond my work commute). I think I figured that I would save about $25/month in fuel costs with an 06 Jetta TDI (assuming: nominal mileage of 35MPG for a DSG TDI Jetta, diesel price $.10/gal more than RUL gasoline).
So if you're comfortable with doing the maintenance/repairs yourself, and truly like the Jetta, then it can be a very rewarding vehicle to own. If you typically let a dealer do all your service, then you'll likely grow tired of the monumentally more expensive and incompetent service visits. I have a Honda Odyssey as well and between $20 oil changes and nearly non-existent service requirements, it's a great appliance.
At 12k miles a year, you're talking about saving $300 in fuel between a 25mpg anybrand/anymodel sedan vs a 35mpg DSG TDI. If you're driving 35k miles a year you'll be shopping a 45mpg manual tranny TDI and then you're saving $100+/month in fuel. My $.10, take it or leave it.
All of your points are good; the experience probably would be different than that of the typical Honda. The financial argument could go either way... that aside, I've been wanting a Jetta for a while, and I think I have a good opportunity now to get into one and get some reasonable $$$ for my CR-V in the process. I'm in no rush either way, so I can take time to private sell my current vehicle.
I have a co-worker who is has a VW Golf (not a TDI, mind you), and he's filled me in on the good and bad of local VW service, so I think I know what I'm in for there; generally, I think it's pretty decent locally.
The '06 Jetta TDI is a good car, no matter how many miles you drive a year. Considering day-to-day city and highway driving, the TDI's low end torque and fuel economy have convinced me to forsake gassers as daily drivers. And, we have experienced NO problems with our '06 Jetta TDI in the 11 months we have owned it.
-Cj
Shut-down: The idea is to bring the temperature of the turbo back down to avoid coking the oil This is really only an issue if you've been driving high speeds prior to shut-down. Say if I pull of into a rest area straight off the highway, I'll let it idle for maybe 30 seconds before shutting down. Or just leave it idle...
I really don't bother with cool-down for most normal driving. By the time you pull off a road and get parked, that's adequate. Just make sure you're using the right synthetic oil.
I have a 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon with about 44,000 miles on it..
The Original tires are the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus, which are very expensive at approximately $600 installed for a full set.
I could get a set of Bridgestone Potenza G009 for about $400 installed, or a brand called Fuzion HRi for aboot $320 installed.
Both of these tires got good reviews on the tirerack site.
Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
I had to stretch the fuel filler hose to reach the vehicle, and the tension on the hose caused it to retract from the vehicle, breaking off my fuel door in the process.
I was unable to repair the hinge on the fuel door, but it is easy to replace the entire door assembly
Is there somewhere online where I can purchase a replacement, or do I need to buy one at the dealer?
Does your TDI have >15 inch wheels? My 15inch tires were about $85 each. (INCLUDING alignment and lifetime rotation services!)
The only tire I use on all my vehicles is Nokian.
I am currently running the Nokian "WR" on my TDI because it is one of the very few "all weather" tires that is rated for use in snow. My pickup truck has Nokian Vativva. Nokian also makes the worlds best snow tire. (The Hakkapeliitta)
Of course, your tire needs may be different from mine. If you do not drive in snow, Nokian also offers several very good summer tires. My 2 daughters have winter tires on their own wheels, so they use other Nokian tires on their VWs.
The local tire shop sells more Nokian than any other tire. (and they stock almost every brand of tire) The last time I looked , tirerack.com does not even OFFER Nokian tires!?!
That stated, I also have the Nokian WR on my CR-V. They are very pricy. About the same price as Goodyear TripleTreds. Not sure the last time you priced Nokians, but mine were around $500 including mounting/balancing.
I bought them for the same reason. Good all-season tires with winter tire capability. The bonus is my size comes H-rated, instead of my standard S-rated tires, and seem to have a little stiffer sidewall and better handling characteristics. Just 3000 miles so far, but I love them.
But, if you don't need winter tire capability, they may be overkill. 44K miles in two years is quite a bit of driving. I don't think either of your budget choices would be that great if you have to drive a lot of miles, as neither is known for high mileage.
What size tires are on your Jetta? Maybe we can make some other suggestions.
regards,
kyfdx
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Actually, I priced Nokian WRs about 3 weeks ago for BOTH of my daughters vehicles (I was at the shop for a free rotation).... They were about $90 each for the standard 15 inchers which most VWs take. The 16inchers for VW New Beetle were a tad more expensive.... but certainly not outrageous.
It is unfortuanate that you cannot get Nokian at reasonable prices. It may be their marketing strategy with limited distributerships.
My 2005 Jetta TDI GLS Wagon has the standard 195/65HR15 wheels/tires.
I do have to drive in snow occasionally. Last month, a made it up a few steep hills in a foot of snow (thanks to traction control). I might add that I BARELY made it up these hills.
My vehicle has 44K miles, so it should still be under warranty.
$67/each from TireRack..
Figure around $380-$400 mounted and balanced OTD, from a local tire store..
As noted above, I may be paying more for Nokians, because of the lack of competition in my area..
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I'm not sure how often "occasionally" is for you, but since we have to travel mountain passes 2-3 times every winter, we use studless snow tires from December through February. We typically get five winters out of a set. We figure it is cheap life insurance and a good preventative for worry. Plus, it makes for good entertainment passing the big SUV's stuck in snowbanks. Whether you choose to use dedicated winter tires affects your decision regarding your primary set of tires.
Like others have posted, the Nokia's are probably the best all season tires. Other all season tires will elevate your blood pressure on ice and in deep snow.
Unless you opt for an off brand tire, you will probably be satisfied with any H-rated touring tire. Personally, I think Goodyear's and Michelin's are overpriced as replacement tires.
Also, be aware that the auto manufacturers and tire companies are recommending that spare tires be replaced after 5-7 years because of deterioration and risk of failure. Since VW is good enough to furnish full-size spares, I rotate all five touring tires when I remove the winter tires. I can usually get 50K to 60K out of a set of five, and I know I always have a safe spare.
I just saw that someone who owns a Jetta GLS VR6 posted a bad review on the Fuzions (on the tirerack site).
With ULSD retailing at circa equiv 7 Dollars per (US) Gallon, (Unleaded gas is slightly cheaper), and car prices that would make you cringe - new Jetta SE 2.0 TDi/6-spd manual retails at equiv of 34450 Dollars. SE is middle of the range, spec-wise - and you'll see why I get close to tears when I see you moaning about prices. On top of all this; VW Dealers are still not caring people and Audi guys make like they are doing you a favour letting you into their showroom. :mad:
Now you know why I refer to us as "Poor" Brits. Be happy with what you have.
Our taxing is complicated. Some states do not have sales tax. Others have high sales tax and lower income tax. Hard to keep it all straight.
We are whiners here in the USA. I don't get any sympathy when I visit Canada. They have plenty of oil and pay more for gas than we do.
Circa 72% of fuel cost here is tax. :mad: It's set to get worse in the name of "Save The Planet". As if.
As for UK salaries, I'm pretty sure we're not hugely well paid vs USA. I used to work for everyone's favourite oil company and a colleague in USA with similar age/experience/scope/responsibilities was getting more than I was plus better benefits and pension rights. Top rate of Income Tax is 40% and that kicks in on income over £28k IIRC. I guess we get screwed both ends of the deal; incomings and outgoings but that's the way it always has been so we're used to it.
We do enjoy coming to USA for vacations - it's all so ridiculously inexpensive and the temptation is to buy everything in sight. We have decided the cost rule of thumb is : "It's the same number in USA and U.K. - but the currency changes". Example. Kitchen Maid mixer : USA $299 - UK £299. Our Texan friends were here for a month last year and could not believe the cost of everything; incl a cup of coffee, ("Free refill ? What's that?"). The link below is for a U.K.-supplied Suburban at £44995. What would this cost in USA, and is the warranty the same as shown ? Will be interested to hear.
www.bauer-millett.com/controller.php?pag_id=8&inv_id=111&inv_bra_code=CHEVROLET&- PHPSESSID=ae4b3052853dd98638e0bd7553eaf786
Basic: 3 yr. / 36,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 5 yr. / 100,000 mi.
Roadside: 5 yr. / 100,000 mi.
Rust: 6 yr. / 100,000 mi.
I don't think I would want a suburban with $7 gas. Do they offer the Suburban with a diesel engine?
Sad, but every nation has them.
One of my neighbour's borrowed his boss's Audi A8 5.0 V10 last weekend. Sounds wonderful and he adored it but, as he said; "My God, it's awesome but when you put the pedal down to the carpet and the display shows 7mpg it brings you back to the reality of running this sort of car". He's now got his own Audi A6 3.0 TDi Quattro back and is happier. It's all relative, I guess. I'm happy with my little Skoda.
Oh, BTW, almost forgot to mention that the above A8 is now a year old and has depreciated in value by close on £25k, (that's close to 49k Dollars). Truly scary.