2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2014 in Volkswagen

image2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI Long-Term Road Test

We put 1,200 miles on our long-term 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI in July 2013. That's a low total, but we set a new fuel economy high at 42.4 mpg.

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  • reminderreminder Member Posts: 383
    Wow 25 MPG on the low end. Must've been in the throttle a little bit. I've researched a ton on VW diesels & have uncovered a range of opinions about the reliability & MPG potential of these motors. If I had a long commute or traveled long distances regularly, I'd strongly consider buying one. Some people swear by them, some at them.
    Another catch is the premium that's paid for diesel in my area. Always $0.35-$0.40 more than gas.
    Any owners out there with opinions, good or bad? Recommend? Yes, no, maybe?
  • tatermctatumstatermctatums Member Posts: 107
    I picked up my 2010 Jetta TDI with the 6 speed manual transmission last November with 91k miles on it. It currently has 103k and change. I'm consistantly averaging around 40 mpg with a 65% highway 35% city driving mix. I am by no means hypermiling other than using cruise, which is more for avoiding tickets than economy. My best tank so far was 581.5 miles on 14.253 gallons of diesel which works out to 40.798 mpg. My last gasoline vehicle averaged 20 mpg while requiring 91+ octane (we have 93 octane here in NY). So there wasn't any extra cost by switching fuels (sometimes diesel is actually less expensive than 93) and I'm getting significantly better econony. Reliability wise I've had to replace the exhaust pressure sensor (which I'm attributing to age and miles) and I've changed the oil once. Personally I've recommended the VW TDI for years and only recently put my money where my mouth is. I do not regret the decision so far.
  • tatermctatumstatermctatums Member Posts: 107
    Side note: the dealership I got my car from had a New Bettle TDI in the showroom that they took in on trade that had 486,000 miles on it. They claim that it would still run and drive with no issues. Only thing I can say against it is the the interior showed its age for that many miles.
  • reminderreminder Member Posts: 383
    @tatermctatums. Thanks for the info. The biggest thing that shortens the lives of cars in my neck of the woods is the salt that's on the road 6 months out of the year. With proper maintenance, most modern vehicles are quite durable. If I lived Arizona or
  • seppoboyseppoboy Member Posts: 93
    My 2006 Jetta TDI has the older 1.9L engine. I have 195,000 miles on it since buying it new. There have been zero engine problems, I am diligent about 10,000mi oil changes using VW spec 505.01 oil, and have the air and fuel filters changed regularly. I have a 5-speed manual transmission, original clutch, and have kept fuel records as I have for every car I've owned for many years.

    My life to date average is 46 mpg, worst tank was 41, best just under 50. I have an 80 mile round trip every day, in the mountains and rural roads with some freeway, and little stop and go except when running errands. The car flies up a steep mountain on waves of torque, and I couldn't be happier. I would be less happy if I had to drive in stop-and-go in high temperatures with the air conditioning compressor running constantly, that is the circumstance the engine is least happy with.
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