I've noticed no problem finding diesel fuel in my area - everyone seems to have it. The pumps do seem a little grimy sometimes, but nothing a quick wipe in a restroom or even at the pump with windshield cleaning water won't cure. Just be careful and look before picking up the nozzle.
Indeed ! If folks have concerns, BYOG's (bring your own gloves) !!! Because RUG/PUG is SO common (95% of the passenger vehicle fleet) warnings go largely ignored about the dangers of RUG/PUG. Indeed again they are MUCH more dangerous than ULSD !!! Nexus here: who the hell wears gloves for RUG/PUG ?????
Another indicator that diesel fuel availability is no big deal is that most "new or UPGRADED" stations put diesel pumps together with RUG/PUG dispensers. I used to like my own pump (USLD) and area (peel me a grape here Nero). But, wait time (RUG/PUG) has not increased ULSD wait times much at all.
Do you think that means Wayne has come over from the Dark Side of automotive technology? He had to enjoy driving the Passat TDI more than his old Honda hybrid. I think about Wayne when I see an old red Honda insight here in our little town. It has all kinds of info posted on it. I think it has gone 300,000 miles or more. See it parked at the same restaurant. I will try and get a pic next time I see it.
I have thought that Shell ULSD was the fuel to use. The ARCO station where BP ULSD was sold before the mandate in 2006, was my fuel of choice on both my MB Cruiser RV and Passat TDI. The station I used most gave you a disposable glove when dispensing diesel. I did not use truck stops as they mostly had the larger nozzle that did not fit my Passat. Generally regular gas stations kept their green diesel handle cleaner.
That is the standard MB Tex in the GLK. Almond beige with mocha trim. Exactly same interior as the first one I drove. Second had the Mocha leather that was not even close to the other picture. To me it was an ugly color of blue/gray brown. Now this color brown I could go for.
warnings go largely ignored about the dangers of RUG/PUG.
I am so used to the vapor barrier nozzles in CA, I forgot just how disgusting RUG smells. I would rather get a little diesel on my hands than highly carcinogenic RUG fumes in my system. Time to ban that dangerous RUG/PUG before we all die of cancer.
Not to get TMI or even get gross, but ALGAE sucks up C02 produces (FARTS) oxygen as a byproduct and produces (FART if one will) a NATURAL bio diesel product with minimal refining/doctoring!!!!!!
There is also industrial waste product fuel generation at a plethora of levels, etc etc.
The Berkeley, CA dump on is way to producing/recycling and selling app 40,000 gals (per year) of biodiesel had to fight its own legislative and regulatory environmental [non-permissible content removed] to produce a naturally occurring more environmentally friendly product !!!!!!!!
So @ Gerdus' consumption level (78 mpg) that is 3.12 M miles. So I think a lot of enviro cons like to tell fairy tales rather than implement PRACTICAL grade school math.
Another no brainer for "problematic stop and go " driving are Natural Gas products & conversions. Diesel have historically been used, but as you and I would agree has been more optimized for longer distance driving. Now in Europe this is a bit oxymoronic in that (as Steve the host once posted) the avg yearly mileage is 9,000 miles vs US of 12,000 to 15,000 miles. As you can attest diesels in Europe are 50% + of the passenger vehicle fleet 271 M vs 259M in the USA. Scales seem to be also larger in the US than in Europe.
Can't wait till Teslas are used as cabs!! There are a lot of Tesla's in Silicon Valley. I have seen more than one get on it on some of the "expressways" around here !!
Oh, it looked brighter on my monitor at work. Surprised they use the piping on tex. The almond interiors I have seen in person seem different, somehow. I find tex to be an acceptable seating material - most people can't tell it from leather.
I would only have one reservation in asking you how it was. The US iteration would undoubtable be DIFFERENT, if only for compliance to US specifications.
Now I have had (off line) discussions with US VW (TDI ) salesman (from Europe and regularly go back and forth). They say the (US version) VW Touareg TDI is most like what a European TDI (Touareg) is like in Europe.
A big car, too big for many parking areas in Europe. Plenty fast enough. I didn't like the auto start/stop much. It was very well equipped (including adaptive cruise etc) and even had a solar panel on the roof. The car I drove had big winter tires and wheels as seen in the pic, I don't know if those are usually seen here.
hey there king - you say that chevrolet published something saying the Z06 could only handle 100 0-60 blasts? hogwash. absurd. outlandish. any modern car can do orders of magnitude more than that, 0 to 60 blasts or 0 to 100 blasts.
i wish i could afford the diesel entry price for a wagon or SUV or pickup. leasing would be my path to a VW 2-a-reg, which would defeat the purpose of awesome-mpg -> "unlimited-miles". a vw golf tdi stickshift is a possibility i suppose. next car has to be suv or wagon. suv preferred due to ground/snow clearance. AWD/4WD not required.
turns out that i find stickshift more important than diesel motor. and stickshift gassers are soooo much less $ than the diesels offered by manufacturers. even for VW.
Lately I'm liking the VW TIGUAN 6-SPEED MANUAL FWD gasser - what a bargain. Unfortunately there are none to be found in USA, but maybe one could be ordered.
similarly if i decided to spend $50k , i would surely select Cayenne stickshift gasser over Cayenne automatic diesel. The stickshift Cayenne has got to be soooo much more fun to drive than automatic. Stickshift Tig is probably more fun to drive than the double-the-price 2-a-reg TDI, despite the 2-a-reg being a way better platform/etc. ! ?
Auto Trader lists over 100 Tiguan 2WD manual transmission SUVs. Starting at $20k, well below invoice.
I think they are very nice looking and worthwhile with a diesel engine. Smaller than I would like for long trips. The Tiguan MT is also EPA rated 3 MPG less in city driving?
..."hey there king - you say that chevrolet published something saying the Z06 could only handle 100 0-60 blasts? hogwash. absurd. outlandish. any modern car can do orders of magnitude more than that, 0 to 60 blasts or 0 to 100 blasts. "..
Like you I wish it truly IS/WAS bullet proof, or even better, they would pick up the tab should anything goes south after 100 (real) launches. So you think THAT will happen? Take your meds before you respond.
As for diesel, while I also think the US Tiquan (TDI) would be GREAT, I am also reading that VW is coming out with another CUV in that (US)market segment. If they do come with either a M/T and or TDI you can almost count on it being (WAY) more expensive than the Tiquan. Now whether it will be offered in a stick shift version or even a TDI, your guess's are as good as mine. In any case, VW does charge app 1,100 (over a 6 speed M/T )for a DSG.
You undoubtably know the Tiquan, on European and world markets does come in diesel and transmission options. My swag is the US MB GLK 250 Blue Tec (MSRP starts @ 38,500) upped the ante to VW. How they will respond in US markets (if at all) remains to be seen. I am also swagging that if they want to do battle with the MB GLK's 369# ft, the current DSG is marginal at best. They would probably have to upgrade the M/T should that be offered in a 369# ft configuration.
As you point out with an anecdotal example, not many cross over to the VW Touareg, let alone the TDI. I have read the 2012 Touareg sold 10553 units with 5,000 being TDI's for app 47.4%. The Porsche and Audi iterations, together with the VW's posted app 37,000 units.
Out of 672 Porsche TDI units in (current 2013 )inventory, only 4 are listed sub $60,350. So if you can get a new Porsche TDI @ 50k( or better below) , PLEASE let me be one of the first you email !! :shades:
How many manual Cayennes? The spoiled stay at home types and oblivious execuidiots who seem to be their primary clientele don't seem to be the type know how to shift their own - I don't recall ever seeing more than one or two manuals. I have seen some diesels anyway.
ZERO :sick: My understanding is NONE of the (US ) CUV's OFFER M/T . Porsche CAY being one. (Porsche, Audi, VW, BMW, MB,) I understand MB does not offer stick shift # one on US markets and for several decades? Perhaps as you imply, they know their markets?
There have been manuals from time to time in certain "sport" model C-class over the past decade along with some older SLK, but that's about it. If the diesel C ever finally arrives, I could see it being a choice. For a MB CUV, certainly not what that demographic wants.
Lately I've noticed diesel prices have taken about a 40 cent swing downward in pricing in relation to Unleaded gas. It used to be in CA it was about 10 cents more per gallon than premium 91 octane in CA. Now it seems to be about 10 cents less per gallon then the RUG, which is already 20 cents less than supreme.
I'm sure if I buy a diesel powered vehicle, the NSA will find out about it and raise diesel prices back up. :sick:
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
My swag is the US MB GLK 250 Blue Tec (MSRP starts 38,500) upped the ante to VW.
It should have lit a fire under BMW as well. That segment promises to be hot with retiring Boomers. The Q5 TDI is due out this year. I got a feeling it will be the 3.0L V6 TDI. They offer both in the EU. I don't see that as a winner. Popular with the stop light racers, but not those looking to get 40 MPG on the highway. Right now Mercedes has the only game in town for a real high mileage SUV.
I did get a call from a Salt Lake City VW dealer with a white with saddle brown leather Touareg TDI Lux. Waiting to hear the price.
diesel prices have dropped 40 cents here too, same as premium gas now.
that's a good chuckle about the federal monitoring and diesel prices, a3. speaking of A3, the A3 tdi is nice but no stickshift no sale. the stickshift in my cruze LS makes the car soooo much better and controllable than the slushbox model (i floor it quite often, as i've mentioned .
visited the new & very-local VW dealership asking for stickshift tigs as well as TDIs. The saleswoman drives a wagon TDI stick, so we were on the same page. maybe she'll find me one of those stickshift tigs. the SUV formfactor seems so much more useful than hatchback/golf, and it's less $, so its easy to justify getting a gasser engine when its that much less $ than the instead of the vastly superior diesel engine alternative models! ! !
at first i laughed/disagreed at the great gagrice's comment that sedans are useless and SUVs are useful. but the dude is soooooo right when he's right , eh?
Funny thing, I visited my local dealer's page - they (claim to) have a base manual Cayenne, something like 58K MSRP. I might visit sometime just to see this unicorn. Also a few base Diesel Cayenne <70K.
Not sure I understand how an SUV is different than a wagon/hatch.
Comparing the Cruze slush-box to the A3 TDI dual clutch auto-manual is an insult to VW and Audi. I like the Cruze though for an Eco car. It has a body color painted lower rear bumper, something even Audi skimps on these days.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
at first i laughed/disagreed at the great gagrice's comment that sedans are useless and SUVs are useful. but the dude is soooooo right when he's right , eh?
When you are young and nimble getting in and out of a sedan is no big deal. The older we get the more difficult extracting ourselves from low lying sedans.
Andre, the major difference is height of the seats. I like the SUVs that are not real high. My Sequoia is just a bit on the high side for short people. If you can sit in the seat with feet flat on the ground, then swing into the car it is much less strain on the back. The ML, GLK and Touareg are all positioned just right for me and my rather tall wife. I hate getting out of our LS400 Lexus.
That is why I see a big surge in the SUV/CUV market as the Boomers retire and look for that perfect vacation vehicle. Either to hit the road or tow behind their Prevost RV. Two 80+ ladies in our church drive new Honda CR-Vs. Both love them after dumping their sedans.
Yes, I have been (inadvertently) using either Chevron or Shell. I had been using for years an "independent" that Shell, years later bought over. They still use the same contractor tankers that fulfilled the old brand's orders and the (now) Shell orders. The station got a make over. They are still the best bang for the buck AND normally the cheapest, even when they are slightly more expensive.
On the road, I will normally try to buy on price. In addition, the grocery store fuel stations per gal discounts are (defacto) Shell and Chevron stations. I know for a fact fuel goes to a nearby terminal from a (Chevron) refinery up the street (literally) . So by a whole bunch of circumstances around here, all roads seem to criss cross Shell and Chevron. Valero is another local player and the Union 76 brand (but not Union76) is trying to compete.
Everything is subjective to individual tastes, but I have to say I love that colour and the entire look of the MB in the top photo. It would be better tho if we could see the two shots from the same angle. Yes, while I abhor the colour scheme as it comes across on my monitor of the VW, you can see a little longer seat base (always welcome in my books), aside from that, the pics don't really portray (to me) the apparent (to you) seat-of-the-pants feel that you have felt in person..and I still hope too, maybe next week. I'm gonna drop in to the Vdube dlr on the same trip.
All that said, I can't say the swoopy seat molding at the sides of the seat base on the MB do much for me...If I like the seats, sitting in them, then I would forgive that aspect, but I have a feeling it might take quite some time before I got used to it not looking pretty odd to my eye each time I opened the door to get in.
so its easy to justify getting a gasser engine when its that much less $ than the instead of the vastly superior diesel engine alternative models! ! !
Well, IMO.. there's at least three too many exclamation marks in this statement..
It would appear that you acknowledge the diesel powerplant has the ability to be the superior choice over a gas job...but what is elusive in your comment, is that many prospective diesel shoppers already know the type of driving experience they're looking for, and to a good number...(no..make that the vast majority) of those shoppers, the gas jobs don't cut it even IF and that is an enormous and very unrealistic if, they could even match the FE of the diesel. And if anyone were to suggest that potential in perhaps (but highly unlikely) a one-off anomaly that may be out there somewhere...it still could NEVER match the driving dynamics that the diesel accomplishes without even breaking a sweat..
i.e - some people would prefer to drive an oil burner regardless of all other options that are out there, whether they be perceived by some to be superior in selected traits here and there or not..
I always carry my own gloves no matter what vehicle I drive. I do so for tire changing etc. When I fuel a diesel, I'd say that where you step is of a far greater concern than grabbing a wet nozzle with some gloves. Some people are just inept at even the simplest of tasks...like fueling their car, they can't even get that right without making a mess
It takes all kinds...I have a low-life neighbour (who is moving thankgoodness!!!) that actually puts their dogs out to have a dump all in front of the only path to get to their door. Imagine what their house must smell like :sick:
Property prices here are about to go back to the proper place in the mkt as soon as this tripe have moved on to upset some other neighbourhood..
Seat color is for sure subjective. I am not sure why the Saddle Brown is so appealing to me. I am hoping they did a better job in color coordinating with the rest of the interior. I have NOT seen a Toureg in person with the White exterior and Saddle Brown interior. I know I don't like the black for sure. I think the Cornsilk leatherette is nice looking and with a white exterior the Sport with NAV would be a second choice. I would have gone with the Almond beige in the GLK as it was nice. I was very disappointed with the Mocha leather in the second GLK we took out for a test drive. Check for a spare tire and RFTs. I think the ones with the AMG package are using RFTs for some reason. VW was able to include a very weird spare tire and the AdBlue tank in the spare tire compartment. I am very sure I would enjoy owning the GLK250 Bluetec. Just not sure on our 5500 mile cross country round trips. I think you will enjoy driving both the Touareg and GLK250 BT.
When I fuel a diesel, I'd say that where you step is of a far greater concern than grabbing a wet nozzle with some gloves. Some people are just inept at even the simplest of tasks...like fueling their car, they can't even get that right without making a mess
AMEN to that. I always watch where I step at the gas station. Even gas only places like Costco. Our World is filled with filthy PIGS, with no concept of what it is to be careful with the nozzle before and after filling. If I get a drop of gas outside the filler I get a paper towel and wipe it clean. I see cars with gas stains down the side of the car and wonder what their home is like? :sick:
a3, the reason an suv is better than a wagon hatch is ground clearance during winter. stickshift is also a big win in winter driving. but i agree with your implication that either a hatch or wagon or SUV is way more useful than a sedan. NB TDI's DSG was annoying but nowhere near as annoying as minicooper CVT... (VAG's NB TDI DSG is apparently one of the best, same as the A3's, eh?)
Of course there's no real comparison between a $17k car (cruze) and a $30k car (A3 TDI). But the A3 TDI would be a fantastic car with a manual transmission! !!!!!!! YES!!!!!! (including extra exclamation points for g-s-t).
great point about watching where you step when refueling a diesel! sometimes accidents happen and fuel gets spilled, apparently.
as for ease of ingress & egress, that's not the reason I like small-SUV form-factor... yet... i'm still shopping for corvette and have a looooow second-car.
Really? Four (4) acronym's in a row? Seriously? Maybe we could have a contest, see who can string together the most consecutive acronyms. Winner gets a week in Dallas. Second place gets two weeks. (smile)
Property prices here are about to go back to the proper place in the mkt as soon as this tripe have moved on to upset some other neighbourhood..
Did you actually read that before you pressed the "Post" button? Come on folks, let's try and raise the level just a little, okay?
Did you actually read that before you pressed the "Post" button? Come on folks, let's try and raise the level just a little, okay?
Yes I did, what am I missing? :confuse:
Perhaps it was something as elusive as your (incorrectly) accusing me of stringing 4 acronyms together in a row.
Wouldn't you know it, eh...right when you're trying to give someone hell, you put your foot in it.. :lemon:
FWIW, I too only knew two outta the four..
It is one of my pet peeves as well. So much so that 3 years ago I suggested to Edmunds to offer us an automotive related acronym forum, dedicated to unraveling them. And while they thought it was a great idea, we still don't have one
It is just a matter of looking for information in other places and in different ways. On edmunds.com, all one has to do is plug it in the SEARCH (this discussion) function, (acronym, word, whatever -upper right) and it will spill where and what context it was used, definition usually at some point. One can also use any number of on line dictionary's. One can even put it in the link search and chances are they will show. Now I will admit VAG is a bit sketchy. :sick: But that is due to the 106/100 birthrate . Put in VAG.com, Ross Technologies shows up and we are more on track, albeit TMI (too much information) . I used to show references, and occasionally do from time to time, but that is normally TEDIOUS beyond description.
..."VAG-COM is a PC / Laptop based tool capable of reading fault codes, clearing fault codes, displaying live data, resetting learnt values, resetting service lights and displays, programming ECUs... In fact vagcom has virtually the same diagnostic capabilities as the dealers tool."...
NB is VW speak for NEW BEETLE. TDI is turbo diesel injection.
DSG is direct shift gearbox. It is also a chip off the (original) German translation ..." (German: Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe[1]), commonly abbreviated to DSG,[2][3] is an electronically controlled dual-clutch[2] multiple-shaft manual gearbox, in a transaxle design – without a conventional clutch pedal,[4] and with full automatic,[2] or semi-manual control."... Wiki DSG
Ya wanna talk tedious...here is what I got when I did exactly as you suggested and punched in NB.
And there were over 50 pages worth and nary a one said anything about New Beetle...just sayin'...
_______________________ x4, with ABS, #1ftrx18l23nb03662....
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: DIY NB2 Coil On Plug Option November 23, 2012... If you're installing an '01-'05 Miata engine (aka NB2) into an earlier chassis, one... of the things you'll have to deal with are the coils. The NB2's VVT hardware precludes...
in progress shown above) of our head. Keegan has found that for NB-era Miata BP heads like... from the factory than the early NB or NA heads in terms of casting quality and core... nerds will recall that this is the approach taken by the factory when the NB Miata...
the stroller and the aerobed at home. (NB: We could have fit both, if necessary. We ended...
NB) washer bottle and bracket that mounts near the brake master cylinder...
a later Miata (NB) configuration, which locates the bump stop higher, allowing...
full article and comment. 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: DIY NB2 Coil On Plug... (aka NB2) into an earlier chassis, one of the things you'll have to deal... with are the coils. The NB2's VVT hardware precludes mounting the earlier coils in the usual spot...
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: DIY NB2 Coil On Plug Option November 23, 2012... If you're installing an '01-'05 Miata engine (aka NB2) into an earlier chassis, one... of the things you'll have to deal with are the coils. The NB2's VVT hardware precludes...
And punching in NB in the Search of 'this' discussion had me go back to Feb2512 before I still had to deduce that NB was New Beetle...and only then cuz it was in a row of VW, Golf, NB etc Someone who did not know anything about VW's is still not gonna get New Beetle from NB.
And guess what the search brought up first? Right...all these posts but worse...Oh Henry's was at the top of the list...not only not indicating at all what NB was..initiating the actual frustration in the first place.. Again...ya wanna talk tedious...that is tedious.. And really...how many people really want to navigate away from a forum they are reading every other sentence in order to acquire some hint as to what the poster is actually posting? Most simply won't bother/read and so is a total waste of bandwidth...much like these posts right here debating the same old thing as we did years ago.. but I digress :sick:
Hoping to connect next week. It has been a bit more complicated as I am trying to coincide the trip with a visit with a really good friend and my bros (also a friend of my friend) and we plan to meet there together. To be honest, I wish I was the ride along one i.e. the 'friend' and that one of the others was the prospective purchaser, cuz then they are the 'distracters' and I am the one who gets to better let the demo sink in. And when I say demo, I also mean the parking lot or showrm experience. At least this way, they are still distracters and I stand a better chance of the cars sinking in with them there than not at all. Do you know what I mean??
I have been like this I have found since the very first car I ever went to dealer to show an interest in. Over the years though, the majority of these trips I have been on my own and if I can't concentrate (they talk too much or know less about the car than I do.....I really frig HATE that) then I ask for the keys and some quiet time with the car in the dealers lot. If I like it there, then I ask for a dealer plate to leave the lot. I have been able to save myself a mistaken purchase with this method more than once in the past. Sometimes it can be a 'simple' thing like realizing the lowest height position of the seatbelt shoulder strap is still too high and rubs my neck. Yet another of the reasons I am shopping right now even tho the CRV is nowhere near used up.
You seem to be pretty organized when you post links,,so if it isn't too much trouble..can you find that pic that you posted of the front half of the VW 3.0 TDI? It is a cross section pic and remember when we first chatted about the route the timing chain takes? I can't find our chat and after many searches I can't find that pic.
Thanks in advance..(if it's a pain to find, then not to worry about it).
Thanks for illustrating the other side: that is is perfectly possible to make things FAR TO WAY harder than they can/has/have to be. WW2 term being ... FUBAR.
see the balancer shaft pulley in middle? See the tensioner to the left? That's the one that concerns me the most when I think of longevity or issues down the road..there are others too as you can see..that long but less angled one down to the lower right leaving the balancer pulley and on its way to the oil pump pulley.
Pre market AND longer term AFTER to TMI, the engineers will (probably have already) have to conduct a statistical verification and failure analysis of those parts of most likely and actual parts THAT fail/ failure. Any more, one really wants to know the accuracy of the predictive value of the software used to virtually design products. In effect without getting more TMI than we already are: an oz of virtual prevention is worth #'s of real world cure.
I'm guessing by what I have perused, the parts are VERY ROBUST. I am a long way from 200,000 to 300,000 miles, so if you are still interested when those miles click by, I will let you know.
Now I can give you TMI on 3 TLC gassers with 250,000 miles ! :lemon: I will be quiet now.
Comments
Another indicator that diesel fuel availability is no big deal is that most "new or UPGRADED" stations put diesel pumps together with RUG/PUG dispensers. I used to like my own pump (USLD) and area (peel me a grape here Nero). But, wait time (RUG/PUG) has not increased ULSD wait times much at all.
I have thought that Shell ULSD was the fuel to use. The ARCO station where BP ULSD was sold before the mandate in 2006, was my fuel of choice on both my MB Cruiser RV and Passat TDI. The station I used most gave you a disposable glove when dispensing diesel. I did not use truck stops as they mostly had the larger nozzle that did not fit my Passat. Generally regular gas stations kept their green diesel handle cleaner.
http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/design/designo
Most of the MB interior leather was not that nice looking to me. Even the $12,000 leather in the S on the floor had too much red in it for my taste.
I am so used to the vapor barrier nozzles in CA, I forgot just how disgusting RUG smells. I would rather get a little diesel on my hands than highly carcinogenic RUG fumes in my system. Time to ban that dangerous RUG/PUG before we all die of cancer.
There is also industrial waste product fuel generation at a plethora of levels, etc etc.
The Berkeley, CA dump on is way to producing/recycling and selling app 40,000 gals (per year) of biodiesel had to fight its own legislative and regulatory environmental [non-permissible content removed] to produce a naturally occurring more environmentally friendly product !!!!!!!!
So @ Gerdus' consumption level (78 mpg) that is 3.12 M miles. So I think a lot of enviro cons like to tell fairy tales rather than implement PRACTICAL grade school math.
The free disposable fueling gloves that came out a few years ago didn't last long. People probably grabbed them for home projects.
Bloomberg
I think I averaged around 32mpg, which included a lot of Autobahn driving.
Now I have had (off line) discussions with US VW (TDI ) salesman (from Europe and regularly go back and forth). They say the (US version) VW Touareg TDI is most like what a European TDI (Touareg) is like in Europe.
any modern car can do orders of magnitude more than that, 0 to 60 blasts or 0 to 100 blasts.
i wish i could afford the diesel entry price for a wagon or SUV or pickup. leasing would be my path to a VW 2-a-reg, which would defeat the purpose of awesome-mpg -> "unlimited-miles". a vw golf tdi stickshift is a possibility i suppose. next car has to be suv or wagon. suv preferred due to ground/snow clearance. AWD/4WD not required.
turns out that i find stickshift more important than diesel motor. and stickshift gassers are soooo much less $ than the diesels offered by manufacturers. even for VW.
Lately I'm liking the VW TIGUAN 6-SPEED MANUAL FWD gasser - what a bargain.
Unfortunately there are none to be found in USA, but maybe one could be ordered.
similarly if i decided to spend $50k , i would surely select Cayenne stickshift gasser over Cayenne automatic diesel. The stickshift Cayenne has got to be soooo much more fun to drive than automatic. Stickshift Tig is probably more fun to drive than the double-the-price 2-a-reg TDI, despite the 2-a-reg being a way better platform/etc. ! ?
I think they are very nice looking and worthwhile with a diesel engine. Smaller than I would like for long trips. The Tiguan MT is also EPA rated 3 MPG less in city driving?
Tiguan manual transmission
any modern car can do orders of magnitude more than that, 0 to 60 blasts or 0 to 100 blasts. "..
Like you I wish it truly IS/WAS bullet proof, or even better, they would pick up the tab should anything goes south after 100 (real) launches. So you think THAT will happen? Take your meds before you respond.
As for diesel, while I also think the US Tiquan (TDI) would be GREAT, I am also reading that VW is coming out with another CUV in that (US)market segment. If they do come with either a M/T and or TDI you can almost count on it being (WAY) more expensive than the Tiquan. Now whether it will be offered in a stick shift version or even a TDI, your guess's are as good as mine. In any case, VW does charge app 1,100 (over a 6 speed M/T )for a DSG.
You undoubtably know the Tiquan, on European and world markets does come in diesel and transmission options. My swag is the US MB GLK 250 Blue Tec (MSRP starts @ 38,500) upped the ante to VW. How they will respond in US markets (if at all) remains to be seen. I am also swagging that if they want to do battle with the MB GLK's 369# ft, the current DSG is marginal at best. They would probably have to upgrade the M/T should that be offered in a 369# ft configuration.
As you point out with an anecdotal example, not many cross over to the VW Touareg, let alone the TDI. I have read the 2012 Touareg sold 10553 units with 5,000 being TDI's for app 47.4%. The Porsche and Audi iterations, together with the VW's posted app 37,000 units.
Out of 672 Porsche TDI units in (current 2013 )inventory, only 4 are listed sub $60,350. So if you can get a new Porsche TDI @ 50k( or better below) , PLEASE let me be one of the first you email !! :shades:
I'm sure if I buy a diesel powered vehicle, the NSA will find out about it and raise diesel prices back up. :sick:
It should have lit a fire under BMW as well. That segment promises to be hot with retiring Boomers. The Q5 TDI is due out this year. I got a feeling it will be the 3.0L V6 TDI. They offer both in the EU. I don't see that as a winner. Popular with the stop light racers, but not those looking to get 40 MPG on the highway. Right now Mercedes has the only game in town for a real high mileage SUV.
I did get a call from a Salt Lake City VW dealer with a white with saddle brown leather Touareg TDI Lux. Waiting to hear the price.
that's a good chuckle about the federal monitoring and diesel prices, a3.
speaking of A3, the A3 tdi is nice but no stickshift no sale.
the stickshift in my cruze LS makes the car soooo much better and controllable than the slushbox model (i floor it quite often, as i've mentioned
visited the new & very-local VW dealership asking for stickshift tigs as well as TDIs. The saleswoman drives a wagon TDI stick, so we were on the same page. maybe she'll find me one of those stickshift tigs. the SUV formfactor seems so much more useful than hatchback/golf, and it's less $, so its easy to justify getting a gasser engine when its that much less $ than the instead of the vastly superior diesel engine alternative models! ! !
at first i laughed/disagreed at the great gagrice's comment that sedans are useless and SUVs are useful. but the dude is soooooo right when he's right , eh?
Not sure I understand how an SUV is different than a wagon/hatch.
Comparing the Cruze slush-box to the A3 TDI dual clutch auto-manual is an insult to VW and Audi.
When you are young and nimble getting in and out of a sedan is no big deal. The older we get the more difficult extracting ourselves from low lying sedans.
Andre, the major difference is height of the seats. I like the SUVs that are not real high. My Sequoia is just a bit on the high side for short people. If you can sit in the seat with feet flat on the ground, then swing into the car it is much less strain on the back. The ML, GLK and Touareg are all positioned just right for me and my rather tall wife. I hate getting out of our LS400 Lexus.
That is why I see a big surge in the SUV/CUV market as the Boomers retire and look for that perfect vacation vehicle. Either to hit the road or tow behind their Prevost RV. Two 80+ ladies in our church drive new Honda CR-Vs. Both love them after dumping their sedans.
Pretty narrow spread between D2 $3.79, RUG $3.81, PUG $4.03. Resort town is cheapest of where I would most likely buy fuel ?
On the road, I will normally try to buy on price. In addition, the grocery store fuel stations per gal discounts are (defacto) Shell and Chevron stations. I know for a fact fuel goes to a nearby terminal from a (Chevron) refinery up the street (literally) . So by a whole bunch of circumstances around here, all roads seem to criss cross Shell and Chevron. Valero is another local player and the Union 76 brand (but not Union76) is trying to compete.
All that said, I can't say the swoopy seat molding at the sides of the seat base on the MB do much for me...If I like the seats, sitting in them, then I would forgive that aspect, but I have a feeling it might take quite some time before I got used to it not looking pretty odd to my eye each time I opened the door to get in.
Well, IMO.. there's at least three too many exclamation marks in this statement..
It would appear that you acknowledge the diesel powerplant has the ability to be the superior choice over a gas job...but what is elusive in your comment, is that many prospective diesel shoppers already know the type of driving experience they're looking for, and to a good number...(no..make that the vast majority) of those shoppers, the gas jobs don't cut it even IF and that is an enormous and very unrealistic if, they could even match the FE of the diesel. And if anyone were to suggest that potential in perhaps (but highly unlikely) a one-off anomaly that may be out there somewhere...it still could NEVER match the driving dynamics that the diesel accomplishes without even breaking a sweat..
i.e - some people would prefer to drive an oil burner regardless of all other options that are out there, whether they be perceived by some to be superior in selected traits here and there or not..
I always carry my own gloves no matter what vehicle I drive. I do so for tire changing etc. When I fuel a diesel, I'd say that where you step is of a far greater concern than grabbing a wet nozzle with some gloves. Some people are just inept at even the simplest of tasks...like fueling their car, they can't even get that right without making a mess
It takes all kinds...I have a low-life neighbour (who is moving thankgoodness!!!) that actually puts their dogs out to have a dump all in front of the only path to get to their door. Imagine what their house must smell like :sick:
Property prices here are about to go back to the proper place in the mkt as soon as this tripe have moved on to upset some other neighbourhood..
AMEN to that. I always watch where I step at the gas station. Even gas only places like Costco. Our World is filled with filthy PIGS, with no concept of what it is to be careful with the nozzle before and after filling. If I get a drop of gas outside the filler I get a paper towel and wipe it clean. I see cars with gas stains down the side of the car and wonder what their home is like? :sick:
Of course there's no real comparison between a $17k car (cruze) and a $30k car (A3 TDI).
But the A3 TDI would be a fantastic car with a manual transmission! !!!!!!! YES!!!!!!
(including extra exclamation points for g-s-t).
great point about watching where you step when refueling a diesel! sometimes accidents happen and fuel gets spilled, apparently.
as for ease of ingress & egress, that's not the reason I like small-SUV form-factor... yet... i'm still shopping for corvette and have a looooow second-car.
Really? Four (4) acronym's in a row? Seriously? Maybe we could have a contest, see who can string together the most consecutive acronyms. Winner gets a week in Dallas. Second place gets two weeks. (smile)
Property prices here are about to go back to the proper place in the mkt as soon as this tripe have moved on to upset some other neighbourhood..
Did you actually read that before you pressed the "Post" button? Come on folks, let's try and raise the level just a little, okay?
Thanks.
Yes I did, what am I missing? :confuse:
Perhaps it was something as elusive as your (incorrectly) accusing me of stringing 4 acronyms together in a row.
Wouldn't you know it, eh...right when you're trying to give someone hell, you put your foot in it.. :lemon:
FWIW, I too only knew two outta the four..
It is one of my pet peeves as well. So much so that 3 years ago I suggested to Edmunds to offer us an automotive related acronym forum, dedicated to unraveling them. And while they thought it was a great idea, we still don't have one
please consider to post something automotive not meta-discussion?
how about starting with identifying the M&M of your VDBTR?
(make & model of your van down by the river.) I doubt it is a diesel.
use acronyms or don't use them, identify them or don't identify them, use hieroglyphics, aramaic, whatever works for you, cowboy.
Really? Four (4) acronym's in a row?..."
It is just a matter of looking for information in other places and in different ways. On edmunds.com, all one has to do is plug it in the SEARCH (this discussion) function, (acronym, word, whatever -upper right) and it will spill where and what context it was used, definition usually at some point. One can also use any number of on line dictionary's. One can even put it in the link search and chances are they will show. Now I will admit VAG is a bit sketchy. :sick:
..."VAG-COM is a PC / Laptop based tool capable of reading fault codes, clearing fault codes, displaying live data, resetting learnt values, resetting service lights and displays, programming ECUs... In fact vagcom has virtually the same diagnostic capabilities as the dealers tool."...
NB is VW speak for NEW BEETLE. TDI is turbo diesel injection.
DSG is direct shift gearbox. It is also a chip off the (original) German translation ..." (German: Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe[1]), commonly abbreviated to DSG,[2][3] is an electronically controlled dual-clutch[2] multiple-shaft manual gearbox, in a transaxle design – without a conventional clutch pedal,[4] and with full automatic,[2] or semi-manual control."... Wiki DSG
But... you get the drill here? :shades:
And there were over 50 pages worth and nary a one said anything about New Beetle...just sayin'...
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x4, with ABS, #1ftrx18l23nb03662....
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: DIY NB2 Coil On Plug Option November 23, 2012... If you're installing an '01-'05 Miata engine (aka NB2) into an earlier chassis, one... of the things you'll have to deal with are the coils. The NB2's VVT hardware precludes...
in progress shown above) of our head. Keegan has found that for NB-era Miata BP heads like... from the factory than the early NB or NA heads in terms of casting quality and core... nerds will recall that this is the approach taken by the factory when the NB Miata...
the stroller and the aerobed at home. (NB: We could have fit both, if necessary. We ended...
NB) washer bottle and bracket that mounts near the brake master cylinder...
a later Miata (NB) configuration, which locates the bump stop higher, allowing...
full article and comment. 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: DIY NB2 Coil On Plug... (aka NB2) into an earlier chassis, one of the things you'll have to deal... with are the coils. The NB2's VVT hardware precludes mounting the earlier coils in the usual spot...
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: DIY NB2 Coil On Plug Option November 23, 2012... If you're installing an '01-'05 Miata engine (aka NB2) into an earlier chassis, one... of the things you'll have to deal with are the coils. The NB2's VVT hardware precludes...
And guess what the search brought up first? Right...all these posts but worse...Oh Henry's was at the top of the list...not only not indicating at all what NB was..initiating the actual frustration in the first place..
Again...ya wanna talk tedious...that is tedious..
And really...how many people really want to navigate away from a forum they are reading every other sentence in order to acquire some hint as to what the poster is actually posting? Most simply won't bother/read and so is a total waste of bandwidth...much like these posts right here debating the same old thing as we did years ago.. but I digress :sick:
(make & model of your van down by the river.)
I have been like this I have found since the very first car I ever went to dealer to show an interest in. Over the years though, the majority of these trips I have been on my own and if I can't concentrate (they talk too much or know less about the car than I do.....I really frig HATE that) then I ask for the keys and some quiet time with the car in the dealers lot. If I like it there, then I ask for a dealer plate to leave the lot. I have been able to save myself a mistaken purchase with this method more than once in the past. Sometimes it can be a 'simple' thing like realizing the lowest height position of the seatbelt shoulder strap is still too high and rubs my neck. Yet another of the reasons I am shopping right now even tho the CRV is nowhere near used up.
Thanks in advance..(if it's a pain to find, then not to worry about it).
PG2 illustration #1, Self Study Programme 350 3.0 L V6 TDI Engine, aka TMI? ..."The 8-speed automatic gearbox 0C8 is a further development of the 6-speed automatic gearbox 09D from the Japanese gearbox company AISIN AW CO LTD."...
Please let me know if either and/or both is/are what you had in mind.
Aisin 8 speed A/T, aka Gearbox OC8
Aisin TR 80 SD
see the balancer shaft pulley in middle? See the tensioner to the left? That's the one that concerns me the most when I think of longevity or issues down the road..there are others too as you can see..that long but less angled one down to the lower right leaving the balancer pulley and on its way to the oil pump pulley.
Pre market AND longer term AFTER to TMI, the engineers will (probably have already) have to conduct a statistical verification and failure analysis of those parts of most likely and actual parts THAT fail/ failure. Any more, one really wants to know the accuracy of the predictive value of the software used to virtually design products. In effect without getting more TMI than we already are: an oz of virtual prevention is worth #'s of real world cure.
I'm guessing by what I have perused, the parts are VERY ROBUST. I am a long way from 200,000 to 300,000 miles, so if you are still interested when those miles click by, I will let you know.
Now I can give you TMI on 3 TLC gassers with 250,000 miles ! :lemon: I will be quiet now.