TDI vs. Prius

It's really not a fair comparison, some will say, when you compare a 153lbs-ft of torque Prius to a 236 lbs-ft of torque with DSG (Dual Clutch Gearbox) Jetta TDI, but the fact is, a great percentage of people who buy the Jetta TDI have compared it with the Prius (75% if I were to put a number on it). VW is just having some fun with the comparison.

I'll give you just five reasons to buy a Jetta TDI over a Toyota Prius (there are more and some cannot be articulated in writing):

Better mileage on highway trips - the Jetta TDI gets 58.82 mpg average, and broke 60.80 US mpg, during a trip across the US 48 states. The Prius shows 51 city/50 highway. If you're only doing city driving and think the Prius is sufficient, read on.

Longevity - Diesel engines will outlast hybrids batteries. Cost for a 2005 Prius battery installed is $3,500 here at Molle Toyota (I just called to confirm this). I heard the service advisor ask someone else in the background "How much does it cost to change the $4,000 battery" and then he finally came back saying $3,500 installed. I don't know about you but that's a bill I would not want. At that point I understand you would resale the car, but think about what it will do to your resale value if you haven't done the repair. It is well known that a Diesel engine is easily capable of over 300,000 miles with good maintenance.

Acceleration and Handling - not that you're going to race anyone, but when it comes time to avoid something on the road, ie. a deer, a truck, a loose tire passing you by at 70 mph or a 32ft ladder in the middle of the interstate (these last two happened to me within the last year on I-435) you will be much better off at the wheel of a Jetta TDI.

Construction - Japanese sedans are not known to be heavy weights. Ever slammed the door in a Toyota or worse a Honda? The test for this is to open the window and to sit in the door frame. Again, not that you will be doing this, but this will give you an idea of the engineering and construction that went into a Jetta vs. a Prius. The hinges are simply weak in Japanese cars, and you will be opening the door a few thousand times. The thickness of the steel is just not there in Japanese cars. For the fun of it, try pulling the weather seals around the door too on these cars. The trunk in a Jetta is huge.

Carefree Maintenance - for the first three years or 36,000 miles, the Jetta includes your 10K, 20K, 30K services, oil changes at those intervals, filters and tire rotations.

Green this and that - This will not earn me brownie points here but my personal opinion is that carbon dioxide is actually good for vegetation and the more vegetation we have, the more animals thrive, the better we all are. The earth is in a warming cycle and we have little to do with it. Bringing fossil fuels to the surface and using them is actually a good thing. I've been to LA and Salt Lake City and I see what smog does but that's a different local terrain issue altogether. Buy a good mileage car because you actually need it, not to become a follower of the new Green religion.