Considering getting back into a TDI

LUVMYTDI

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Location
Mebane,NC
Currently considering a 2016 Touareg TDI LUX with 45.2K miles on it, price $37500. Have had several TDI's over the years, most recently a 2013 Passat SEL TDI and 2015 Golf TDI Sportwagen both of which we turned back in during the buyback program, the offer was just too good to turn down. Enjoyed the Passat, the Sportwagen not so much (she was a no frills plain jane). Both of these got excellent mpg which was the main reason we went with the TDI's. I realize the Touareg is not going to get anywhere near the 40+mpg we enjoyed with the 4 cylinders but wondering if any of the current 2016 Touareg TDI owners can give me real world average mpg now that the emission updates have been done.
 

Gilty_one

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Location
Warman, Saskatchewan, Canada
TDI
2016 Touareg Execline 3.0 V6 TDI; 2012 Jetta Highline TDI
IMHO - A Touareg in anything but a TDI is not worth the headache. I felt the gasser 3.6L V6 had to really work to meet my expectations in performance compared to the TDI V6.
 

LUVMYTDI

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Location
Mebane,NC
Agree. I miss my torque and cruising capacity where the engine does not sound like it is working so hard. I am of the theory you drive them like you stole them. A little tough to do in my current Toyota Avalon hybrid. But I do enjoy getting over 40+mpg with it, darn good for a non-diesel car that size. Just not sure I am willing to drop mpg's in half going with the Touareg. Torn as I could use more cargo room but do not really need the towing features most Touareg owners seem to benefit from. Have been looking at the Sportwagen TDI's as well but most are stripped down versions with out power seats and blind spot monitoring, two features I came to regret not having in my last one.
 

squeegee_boy

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Location
Denali, AK
Average mpg for me in the winter, running straight #1 Diesel, is about 24. My summer mileage is about 28. My driving habits are 95% highway, roughly 70 - 75 mph, with routine low mountain passes (3000 ft elevation). If I drop to 65 mph, the mileage is a little over 30 mpg. I cannot discern a difference in fuel consumption pre/post emissions repair.

As a reference, I get about 36 mpg winter and 40 mpg summer with our BEW Jetta. I am not a hyper-miler.

I have not tracked the used prices of these cars, but my gut tells me $37,500 is a bit on the high side. When these cars were new back in late 2015, the TDI Lux was selling for $51,000 to $54,000. I paid $52,000 for my Lux with the driver's assistance package (which I would not recommend). After that, I got $1,000 is gift cards, $9,000 from Volkswagen, and $1,000 from Bosch. I presume the owner of the car you are looking at received similar compensation. That effectively made for a $41,000 new car.

If the compensation was supposed to make up for a loss of resale value, I am not seeing it (compared to a BMW X5d for instance). Value is what the market bears, but in my book $37,500 would be remarkably good resale value for the first owner. It may also prove to be a good buy as a used car.

My 2016 has about 57,000 miles on it and has been trouble free, aside from the adaptive cruise control.
 

LUVMYTDI

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Location
Mebane,NC
Appreciate the MPG info squeegee boy. On the highways around here at 70-75mph you will get run over but it is typically the speed I drive. Glad to hear you didn't see any discernible difference post emissions repair.

Price is definitely on the high side. It is a local VW dealer certified vehicle with 2 year maintenance and 24000/2 year extended warranty. Seems to be the norm for all the dieselgate vehicles being sold by VW dealers in our area. I do not remember if it had the driver assistance package. New Pirelli tires and no excessive wear on the interior. Under the hood looked clean with no leaks or drips underneath. The one thing I didn't appreciate was it being parked under a tree with huge dried on bird poop splatter literally from front to back, top to bottom, which we all know is not great for paint. Almost criminal in my mind. One would think the dealership would either have it moved or washed more often. The $37.5k was drop down from their $39k price. Since I am still doing research I did not bother to get into the price aspect.

The Treg would be our daily driver replacement and dogmobile. Usually 25-30 miles everyday plus 3-5 1200 round trips up and down the eastern states and one 2400 round trip to Oklahoma a year. We typically put 18-20K a year on our daily driver while the other three average 3-10K each.

We do not do our own maintenance so higher maintenance cost on the Treg is a point I need to consider. I purposely did not test drive it for fear of falling in love with it and not being able to stay objective.
 

squeegee_boy

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Location
Denali, AK
If a dogmobile, I highly recommend the Canvasback liner for the back seat. Works very well. The rear seats adjust fore/aft depending on how much cargo you have and how much you like your rear seat passengers. The Canvasback accommodates that adjustability nicely.
 

LUVMYTDI

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Location
Mebane,NC
If a dogmobile, I highly recommend the Canvasback liner for the back seat.
Currently have something similar in hammock style. It even has a mesh square window to allow air from the console vents to flow through. The waterproof canvas types tend to be 'noisy' and slippery when the critters move about so solved it by laying a cheap quilted movers blanket on the seat portion. I am also a firm believer in floor pan liners for the front row. We are out every day rain or shine.
 

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
Is it all down hill ? :D
I would consider anything over 30mpg excellent for these vehicles.
I'm pretty sure that some of the pesky emissions equipment fell off his Treg. On our car I once eeked out 34 MPG on an 80 mile trip (going by the cluster, so who knows what I really did). And I was definitely trying for that.

Our car seems to get a reliable 25 mpg. I'd say perhaps 23-24 on winter fuel. And maybe 26 mpg in the summer. The fix seems to have cost us around 1-2 mpg.

I would never own one of these without the TDI. Our friend sold back a 2012 to VW and got a V6 gasser. Went from loving it to.....not loving it.
 

Savageman69

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2007
Location
ontario
TDI
2012 Highline Touareg TDI
Is it all down hill ? :D
I would consider anything over 30mpg excellent for these vehicles.
not at all...actually short trips its usually 28-30...and thats on all terrains...get on the highway and it just keep climbing.
 
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