2011 Jetta TDI or 2011 Mazda 3 GT

hitmanxxx001

New member
Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Location
Vancouver, BC
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI
I'm contemplating between these 2 cars.
The Mazda is a bit cheaper, is more feature rich ie. dual zone climate control, and what I thought was better handling.

The Jetta TDI had better pickup from the line, has better bumper-tobumper warranty, better rust warranty, and much better fuel economy.

My concern with the Jetta TDI is the maintenance.
I'm looking at a 2011 Jetta TDI Highline with Auto DSG trans and Navi.

What are your thoughts on what I have stated above.
All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks
c :)
 

texnkeroburner

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Location
Dallas
TDI
Tdi Cup Edition DSG
This sort of struck a chord with me. I traded my 2006 Mazda 3 for my TDI. I know there have been some changes to the newer models but the interior I had I felt was definitely more "economy" looking. I really did not like the seats in the mazda, after a while I decided my back could not tolerate trips longer than two hours and be comfortable. I had the five speed manual and I felt the car had adequate power for its lightness but that all went away with the air condition on which in texas is a large part of the year. With the 2.3L 4 the best I ever could hope for on the highway with cruise set was 30-32 mpg at best. I didn't like the fact that city driving was always in the lower 20s for such a small car. The Tdi feels much more solid in its build than the mazda did. I really liked the car but many things added up for me to move to the tdi.
I am really liking to be able to use the air con and feel like I just didn't drop a cylinder. The power rob was really noticeable.

I did all the maintenance myself on the mazda, it has 7500 mile intervals on oil and I usually kept to that or a little sooner always with castrol or mobil synthetic. I never had an accessory failure or part wear out other than the tires in 5 years of driving. Right before I traded I noticed a little brake squeal from pad wear so that would have been right around 50K miles.
 
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jetlagmech

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Location
Toledo, WA
TDI
2010 jetta
no experience on the mazda but have always wondered about the duel zone climate. my wife likes it warmer than me but the heated seats make up for it. My dads car has zone climate but he hates it cause with it on it costs him almost 5 mpg so he leaves it off.
 

MayorDJQ

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 4, 2001
Location
Williamstown, Mass
TDI
'10 Golf 2dr 6m, sold.
This will be a slightly facetious question, but why would people on a VW TDI site recommend a Mazda? I don't think I've ever even driven a Mazda.

What aspect of maintenance are you concerned with on the VW?
 

hitmanxxx001

New member
Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Location
Vancouver, BC
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI
This will be a slightly facetious question, but why would people on a VW TDI site recommend a Mazda? I don't think I've ever even driven a Mazda.

What aspect of maintenance are you concerned with on the VW?
There's people out there with both a Jetta TDI and Mazda3.
Others may have past experiences with Mazda3 or family/friends with Mazda 3.
I just wanted an open discussion not necessarily a recommendation.

c
 

pdh

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Location
Newfoundland, NJ
TDI
2015 Golf TDI, 2014 BMW 328d, X Drive
I just bought (4 weeks ago) a new Jetta TDI/stick after totalling my 2006.5 w/119,000 miles on it. I loved that car and never did anything but routine maintenance on it. In my experience the maintainance was no more than any gas vehicle I ever owned except maybe (2) Maxima's; but they didn't get 42mpg's! The 2011 is a GREAT car.........comfortable and really quick. I always buy manual trans. due to bad luck w/Chrysler prods. years ago and I lost my faith in automatics. The DSG seems a little shaky from what I've read in this forum but it seems that's not atypical for any modern German car. You take your chances with automatics....even when they're well maintained. I understand though, my wife prefers, and has an auto even though she can drive a stick. I would recommend the Jetta TDI to any one who drives a lot of miles. IMO +15k/yr, I do 30k/yr. Best wishes
 

JMaN06

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Location
PA
TDI
2011 6.7 cummins
See my local vw dealer sells mazada too. My buddy was trying to convince me for the same price i could get speed3. IMO the mazda feels cheap compared to the tdi. The handling n road feel is alot sportier and stiffer( making for a bumpier ride). Where i live roads suck so tdi wins that hands down. N i drive 15k+ miles a year.. Tdi wins mpg too so... As far as ride comfort for long trips, i hope tenxkeroburner is right cause i have back problems n look foward to not beig in pain after a long trip :)
 

K5ING

Mega-Miler
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Krum, TX
TDI
Silver 2001 Golf GL TDI 5-speed
I'm contemplating between these 2 cars.
The Mazda is a bit cheaper, is more feature rich ie. dual zone climate control, and what I thought was better handling.

The Jetta TDI had better pickup from the line, has better bumper-tobumper warranty, better rust warranty, and much better fuel economy.

My concern with the Jetta TDI is the maintenance.
I'm looking at a 2011 Jetta TDI Highline with Auto DSG trans and Navi.

What are your thoughts on what I have stated above.
All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks
c :)
I would look at your requirements first. If you do mostly in-town driving, I would recommend the Mazda. If you do lots of road trips, long commutes and mostly highway driving, the TDI is a no-brainer.
 

biofueledmike

Active member
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Location
Congers NY
TDI
96 Passat TDI, 98 New Beetle RIP, 02 Jetta TDI SOLD, 81 Rabbit 1.6D SOLD, 89 Jetta 1.6D SOLD
I have drive both the TDI and the Mazada as I was just car shopping with my mother. As a bigger guy 6,1 and I workout the Jetta was so much more comfortable. I also could sit in the back seat without a problem. You should also look at it from an economics point of view. The TDIs fuel economy is insane compared to the three and it doesnt look like the price will come down anytime soon. Also I know VW does that maintenance free thing as well in my area. The only arguement I have from Mazada is if you wait for the 40mpg Skyactiv which will be available in a year or so.
 

markman

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2011
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
2011 JSW TDI w/DSG; White Gold,Cornsilk Build Date 03/11
We have a 2007 Mazda 3 and just bought a Jetta SportWagen to replace our '04 Passat. While my wife mostly drives the Mazda, I enjoy the car. It has enough pep to get around fine in traffic and is comfortable to drive. My wife likes it because she can see "all 4 corners" of the car. She's 5' even so she needs all the help she can getting a good field of view. She averages about 22-24 in mixed suburban/expressway driving.

Compared to the Passat and now the Jetta though, the Mazda doesn't have the same solid feel. It is a little noisier and seems to get pushed around on the road more than the VW's. The Jetta has a roomier cabin and the wagon has A LOT more cargo space than the Mazda 3. Maintenance on the Mazda is easy but it is not bad at all on the Passat/Jetta. If you can do your own oil and filter changes you will be way ahead of the game.

They are both good cars, but the Jetta is a step up from the Mazda as far as road manners, comfort, and obviously miles/gallon if you get the TDI.
 
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