Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Toyota, Volkswagen
The gauntlet is thrown: VW Jetta TDI vs. Toyota Prius
Clean diesel or hybrid drive? It's an intriguing question, and one that's not quite so easy to answer. There's the price of diesel fuel to consider, which runs a few dimes over that of regular gasoline. Then there is fuel mileage. Does the Volkswagen Jetta TDI have a shot at dethroning the Toyota Prius as the undisputed mileage champion of the U.S.? To get a preliminary answer to some of these questions, Popular Mechanics put almost 500 miles on both cars, dividing up their miles between the city and the highway. It's not a knock-out for either car, but it may offer some early answers to a few questions.
First, the mileage. In the city, there's just no beating a hybrid, which uses its electric motor to good effect and scores over ten mpg better in the stop-and-go traffic of Los Angeles. On the highway, though, the Jetta TDI is able to eke out a narrow victory, scoring less than one mile per gallon better. Once the price of crude is factored in, the Prius remains the overall cheaper car to keep filled up. Of course, there is more to the story than that, including which car is a better to drive -- according to PM, the Jetta. Finally, the TDI qualifies for a $1,300 tax credit that the Prius can't claim. It's too close to call. Expect a rematch soon enough.
Read our First Drive of the 2009 VW Jetta TDI and full review of the Toyota Prius to see what we think.
[Source: Popular Mechanics]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
jfa 12:15PM (9/24/2008)
What they also fail to mention is the Prius most likey puts out enough EMI to sterilize any male driving it over a long period of time. Think cell phones are dangerous? What about this thing? One major flaw neatly swept under the rug.....
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Chase 12:38PM (9/24/2008)
For environmental impact, don't forget the nickel mining and nickel disposal required for the Prius's battery. -- Not to mention that over time the charge retainance of the battery will deteriorate (just like a cell phone). That means the Prius will get less fuel efficient over the years, especially in the city.
altman 12:47PM (9/24/2008)
I think you're kinda misunderstanding electromagnetic radiation... the car, whose switching fields are going to be pretty much all under the hood and contained by the faraday cage of the engine bay, are very low frequency compared to the near-microwave cell phone output.
Also, remember the inverse square law; a phone right next to you is way more worry than a motor a meter or two away behind various hunks of metal.
majortom1981 12:49PM (9/24/2008)
Chase: I hope your compairing the polution that the diesel puts out and the polution caused by the extraction of the oil from the ground compaired to the poultion made from making the battery.
If your not then dont use the argument.
RJ 1:00PM (9/24/2008)
And I hope you're not stuck in the 80's in terms of diesel perception.
Have you seen a late clean diesel run? Like a Bluetec? Particulate is virtually non-exist and CO2 is significantly lower compared to the gas variant within the same class of car.
Seoultrain 1:04PM (9/24/2008)
holy crap, everyone stop with this same garbage. Both are great cars for what they're made for. Stop rehashing tired arguments against either car.
Tim 1:24PM (9/24/2008)
New argument VW's are throaway cars German style. Ask about maintenance outside the engine of and VW and compare it the industry average.
Bonita 12:15PM (9/24/2008)
But while the Prius is simply 'fugly,' driving a Jetta says you're gay.
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Omer 12:19PM (9/24/2008)
u sir are a TOOL.
rsfourever 12:41PM (9/24/2008)
-1 to you bonita
JD Edelman 12:48PM (9/24/2008)
Uh, I hate to break it to you, but it's that wild attraction to men that says you're gay; driving a Jetta TDI just says you're sensible.
John 12:47PM (9/24/2008)
You're comments are pointless. Shouldn't you be off the computer and starting 4th hour by now?
Dondonel 12:52PM (9/24/2008)
At least the article does not claim that Jetta TDi is "sporty", like the review on Autoblog did.
On the other hand the article refers at the fuel consumption if the cars are driven economically. But this fails to see the point of the hybrid. The hybrida get good fuel economy almost regardless of the driving habits, as long as they are driven within the legal speed limits. The fuel consumption of non-hybrid cars however is highly dependend on driving habits.
Prius gets below 50mpg only if you try hard to drive un-economically, Jetta will get 44mpg only if you drive at a constant 60 mph over a flat surface with the AC off. In my Legacy if I drive at a constant 50mph I can get an average fuel consumption of 40mpg, despide that it has a 170hp gasoline powered engine, an automatic transmision and all wheel drive.
Yes, you can get excellent fuel consumption in non-hybrid cars in unrealistic tests. Is that relevant for the average driver? No.
Torrent 12:57PM (9/24/2008)
And I bet you drive a Miata. As if your rainbow colored bumper sticker doesn't tell us enough about you.
J 1:05PM (9/24/2008)
I would argue that you are 100% wrong. while a little extreme on Top Gear they tested a prius vs. an M3. the prius was going around a track as quickly as it reasonably could (still probably under highway speeds) and the m3 kept the prius' pace. at that pace the M3 had a slight advantage.
the harder you drive a hybrid the less the electrical motor helps and the more you are just straining a little high strung motor.
BigMcLargeHuge 1:27PM (9/24/2008)
J is right, driving a Prius hard will net you worse mileage than almost ANY other car, including a supercar at the same speed.
elpepe 1:51PM (9/24/2008)
hahahah.... you might have a point there .... +1
OOMPH! 4:41PM (9/24/2008)
..das ist eine IDIOT
JH 3:31PM (9/25/2008)
Maybe Bonita was trolling but I can say, having lived in a gay neighborhood for most of the last 10 years, that the Jetta is absolutely a car favored by the gay man, at least in the U.S. Sorry to break this to you if you are an insecure straight Jetta driver, I thought it was pretty well known.
Miata is more the car of the 50+ dude. Both are pretty respectable automotive choices. I'm not sure I'd buy a gas-burning VW though, when there are so many more reliable compacts.
Virginia Wolf 12:15PM (9/24/2008)
Look we can not simply use total MPG as a way to measure pollution of the air.
Lets take this example, you drive a car that gets 35 MPG and I drive a car that gets 25 MPG. But my car drives on water, yours on gasoline. Which makes more pollution?
Same is the case in here, diesel is inherently the dirtier of the two fuels, that is why EPA is all over it. EPA has no secret beef with auto enthusiasts, it simply does what is best for air quality and that is why diesel standards are so tough. Both cars can get similar MPGs, or diesel may be better, but that does not mean that diesel is better for air.
Now I know that it is tough for many of you to overcome this, because the hybrid in this case is a Prius (offends many people here). But imagine we are talking about Ford Escape, apply the same logic.
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