Topic: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI; Day 1

[Autos_Editor]

After a brief vacation and two weeks out of the day-by-day routine, James is back and driving a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, and he is eager to find out how this car will cope with winter's worst.
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[Frank]

I own a 2009 jetta wagon - comfortline 2.5l 5 speeds manual . The base model is well equiped.  I Paid $20 400 +taxe for a demo. Very happy and satisfy .It is a great car. almost the same cargo space than my Touareg.The price for this 2010 TDI ($32 000+) is exagerated can not understand and justify the difference.

[Julie]

Looking forward to the review James.  I must say, I am not a fan of that particular steering wheel, but otherwise, she looks great.

Nice torque.  Do you feel any penalty with the hp being at 140 only though?

[vdk]

What's wrong with the steering wheel? It's the high-end model steering wheel, chrome accents and all....

[Julie]

What's wrong with the steering wheel? It's the high-end model steering wheel, chrome accents and all....

It's just the looks of the bottom spoke I'm not used to.  Just subjective.  But it's minor.

[vdk]

What's wrong with the steering wheel? It's the high-end model steering wheel, chrome accents and all....

It's just the looks of the bottom spoke I'm not used to.  Just subjective.  But it's minor.

Yeah. I was curious. I like it better than the last wheel they used.

[philmcneal]

owning a 2009 TDI DSG vs a 2004 prius the 2009 TDI is awesome once you go past 2000 rpms! The DSG is pretty sweet when you want to drive it in a sporty manner!

2004 prius saves more but very dull compared to the agile tdi and its nice you can push the tdi HARD and get under 8L/100km in the city.

[rickd]

We have an 06 Jetta TDI.The car performs well and the mileage and torque are impressive.

However....You have to figure out if the extra money up front for the diesel is justified,in other words,how long before the fuel savings,pay back the extra cost for the motor.

Then...at 64k,and every 64k after,you will get hit with a transmission service for over 600 dollars.You must do this to protect your warranty.

Short story,I don't think this car has the ability to pay for itself now.

2.5 for me.

[elcee]

I own a 2009 Jetta TDI wagon (Highline). I enjoy every minute I drive the car. The diesel engine has plenty of power and you can have some fun and still get great mileage. Try that with a hybrid!
My only complaint is that diesels take some driving to get warm, you can let them idle forever and they just wont warm up. This is bothersome when you have only small distances to go in winter. I am surprised that VW has not done anything significant about this. Yes they use glow plugs in the heating system but it is just not enough.
It is my third TDI and would drive a tiguan if it came in diesel. The TDI Touareg is getting to be in the price range of the Mercedes ML or the BMW diesel versions when similarly equipped and the Touareg interior is getting a bit outdated.

Long live diesels (and they do).

[tpl]

The posts about the cost of the service on the DSG are about as tiring as the undercurrent grumbles about cars that require premium. 

About $1 per 100km for the joy of NOT having a slushbox seems cheap to me...and if that was really objectionable one could always save the $1400 and get a manual.

[si]

ESP is, of course, standard on all US Jettas. . .

My guess is that Canadian Jetta buyers who can't pony up for our optional ESP, or who don't care, are likely the ones who need it the most.

Should be standard everywhere.

[tpl]

Esp will be standard on ALL Canadian cars as of August 2011 for 2012 models... same time as the USA IIRC.

[vdk]

ESP is, of course, standard on all US Jettas. . .

My guess is that Canadian Jetta buyers who can't pony up for our optional ESP, or who don't care, are likely the ones who need it the most.

Should be standard everywhere.

Most cars are ordered with ESP anyways.

[quadzilla]

Then...at 64k,and every 64k after,you will get hit with a transmission service for over 600 dollars.You must do this to protect your warranty.

If somebody is pay over $600 for the DSG service, they just got ripped off.

[Ontariodriver]

The car is starting to look dated. Apart from that VW makes a nice diesel. Not as good as Peugeot IMO. But pretty dam close. 

[philmcneal]

i thought the DSG service was only 200 bucks

[vdk]

i thought the DSG service was only 200 bucks

The whole 64k service is around $600.

[jpd]

James, what about the DSG tranny? Do you like it?

[tpl]

I have one and I like it... after 40+ years of manual transmissions.  I would probably buy another.

In the GTI implementation of the DSG:
I do not like the paddles. Too small and attached to the steering wheel not the shaft so they are often in the wrong place. The effect of this is that one stops using them and just uses drive mode.
It should, on a GTI not on a diesel, be possible to be in manual and sport mode at the same time. Sport mode seems silly without manual mode as it seems impossible to get sport mode to go above 4th gear at any even faintly legal speed in NA but really one would want to go to 5th and 6th between the corners... 

I would love to have the opportunity to try BMW's DCT and Porsche's PDK to compare.

[Shnak]

ESP is, of course, standard on all US Jettas. . .

My guess is that Canadian Jetta buyers who can't pony up for our optional ESP, or who don't care, are likely the ones who need it the most.

Should be standard everywhere.

What makes you think richer car buyers are better drivers?