Currently Kicking the TDI Diesel's Butt - 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited November 2014 in Volkswagen
imageCurrently Kicking the TDI Diesel's Butt - 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI Long-Term Road Test

The cost relationship between gasoline and diesel currently makes our 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI cheaper to own than the TDI diesel version.

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  • ahightowerahightower Member Posts: 539
    Now factor in resale value?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Just wait until the next oil crisis and "cheap" gas will dry up.
  • lhutchlhutch Member Posts: 2
    Using the 34 mpg rated combined mileage for the TDI is not real. In my '13 Passat the worst mileage I've gotten on a tank of fuel is 38 mpg. Since I've passed 25,000 miles I average 42 on my daily commute with a couple of forays in excess of 45 mpg.
  • expensivehobbyexpensivehobby Member Posts: 91
    A rather convenient time to make this comparison, I think. When was the last time gas was below $3.00 nationwide? I'd guess maybe three years? Right now, sure, the gas wins. More often than not, however, we've been more like $3.40 or higher for regular unleaded. Most I have paid for diesel where I live is $3.74. Owning a 2.0 gas and a 2.0 TDI VW I feel confident in telling you that more often than not the gas doesn't make EPA and the diesel maybe once fell below EPA. I also believe, right or wrong, that the diesel is the best built engine VW makes. The most important thing is, my wife loves it; the low revs, abundant torque, and worrying about filling up once a month, occasionally twice.

  • blueprint1blueprint1 Member Posts: 22
    In Canada, diesel is cheaper than regular,so...
  • bassracerxbassracerx Member Posts: 188
    it is a tossup the extra money on your car payment would be very slightly offset by your fuel savings unless you had a substantial down payment to reap in the benefits. there are a lot of people who do drive more than 15k a year and i think the TDI is a smart choice for those sorts of drivers considering all of those miles are interstate miles.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    edited November 2014
    You also have to factor in the additional maintenance the diesel requires. Fuel filters, DEF replacements, and the diesel particulate filter will eventually need changing. VW says the DPF is usually good up to 120,000 then it needs to be inspected regularly when regeneration may no longer be able to clean it. DPF replacement in a VW TDI is over $1,000.
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    stever said:

    Just wait until the next oil crisis and "cheap" gas will dry up.

    Although I hope prices stay low for awhile that is a very true statement.
    It is always funny when prices go in either direction and people make drastic changes based on the current price. Last time it got near $5 a gallon here there were all sorts of news stories on people dumping their SUVs for small cars or hybrids and taking huge losses on the SUV ($10,000 or more in some cases) and then as soon as prices drop people run out and buy SUVs again.

  • cynic783cynic783 Member Posts: 30
    the TSI kicks the butt of the TDI in acceleration as well, by any objective measure, in spite of the "abundant torque" of the TDI:

    http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/passat/2014/long-term-road-test/2014-volkswagen-passat-tsi-performance-testing.html

    http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/track-tests/2013-volkswagen-passat-tdi-sel-premium-track-tested.html

    so, what, exactly, is the advantage of the diesel again? when it costs more, has worse performance, and has worse fuel costs?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2014
    @zimtheinvader, I kind of like the idea of a Prius V. Sales are in the dumpster, and I've seen good incentives on Prii. Sure as I decide to put a deposit down on one, WWIII will break out and gas will hit $9.89 a gallon and TMV will double. B)

    My wife has lots of allergies and is sensitive to diesel fumes (it's a trigger for her mild asthma), so a TDI isn't on the radar at all. Gas fumes don't bother her, unless I try to haul a gas can in the back of the car. Back when I had grass, getting an electric mower solved that problem.
  • expensivehobbyexpensivehobby Member Posts: 91
    cynic783 said:

    the TSI kicks the butt of the TDI in acceleration as well, by any objective measure, in spite of the "abundant torque" of the TDI:

    http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/passat/2014/long-term-road-test/2014-volkswagen-passat-tsi-performance-testing.html

    http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/track-tests/2013-volkswagen-passat-tdi-sel-premium-track-tested.html

    so, what, exactly, is the advantage of the diesel again? when it costs more, has worse performance, and has worse fuel costs?

    Here are a few of the advantages:
    If we drive our 2.0 gas turbo to get the same responsiveness as our diesel around town, the fuel mileage difference grows from about 13 to about 16 mpg. EPA between our gasser and this is about 2mpg. If unleaded was 2.70 all the time, you'd maybe have a point. I will also give credit to the 1.8 here as it runs regular, where most turbos have required premium, which were we live was within about 15 cents of diesel. That fact helps the 1.8 gasser a lot. But still a lot of mpg to make up.

    Then there's resale. When I did my research, the diesels held their price premium. One more: I did lose a fuel pump under warranty. The tow guy was shocked it was a diesel. His words: We get VW gas turbos all the time, but I haven't seen a diesel VW shut down in a couple of years. Those are far better engines.
  • flyusmcflyusmc Member Posts: 10
    So this is kind of ridiculous but I bought my Brand New 2013 Passat TDI 6-speed manual for around $22,200 out the door. Next I averaged 46 MPG AVERAGE!!! I got close to 70 MPG on the highway. You do the math with those numbers. This all being said I sold my TDI for $23,000 USED with 6,000 miles on it and made a profit. Now why did I sell, Because I hated some of the nit-noid tendencies with the controls and the tricky clutch. I custom ordered and bought bought a 2014 Fiesta ST. I am much happier with that car.
  • highenderhighender Member Posts: 1,358
    VW TDI engine were built based on thier power generators, which were rated to run at 80% power for 25,000 hours. Real life driving in TDI engines yields only a 40% power level on average. Average driving speed in general , local and freeway , is about 40 mph. That means a TDi engine is rated to run for about 1 million miles .
    It also gets between 42 to 50 mpg fuel economy... and high resale value.

    All these mean that , dollar for dollar, a TDI is a better choice, for the environment, for your wallet, and later on during resale.

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