I get it completely; the TDi is a niche model here so VW tacks on a nice fat premium to make the bottom line very nice.
Anyway,you would have to do a heck of a lot of driving to make up the cost of the TDi engine and I would live in quaking fear that something would go wrong out of warranty. As soon as the base warranty expired I would be either selling the car or buying the best factory extended warranty available.
I like this car a lot but were it mine, I would go for a gas/5 speed. The cost of the automatic at $1400 is absurd.
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I won't put enough kms on my car to ever offset the cost of the diesel, so I bought the gas version and, according to Consumer Report, the gas engine with the auto tranny is more reliable than the diesel with the DSG. Yes, the optional auto costs more than in some vehicles, but it is a good one that performs well.