IndigoBlueWagon
TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
All due respect to the late, great Chris, but that's flat out wrong. 2-3% of SELs, maybe, but not TDIs as a whole. I've had several dealers tell me that TDIs were sold with the highest percentage of manuals of any VW model, except the GTI. My local dealer told me he always ordered about 20% manuals, and couldn't keep them in stock.I was told by the Late great Chris Farnham before I purchased my2015 Jetta SEL TDI that only 2-3% of TDI's were sold with a stick shift....
VW enthusiasts buy manuals for serveral reasons: they like them, as mentioned above; and VW's automatics have traditionally been inferior to their manuals. The current DSG is a much better transmission than the reviled 01M, but in the past all VW autos have had a shorter service life than manuals. And they require maintenance that manuals don't. That last item is no big deal in my opinion but then again, I don't own one.
I was driving my 335d yeseterday and couldn't help but think how much nicer that car would be with a manual, even in Boston traffic. If you like a car with three pedals, there's no substitute.
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