My 2015 Golf TDI with the DSG transmission is my first VW and my first diesel car. I had fallen in love with a Golf TSI with Blue Motion (I wish VW offered BM here) I had driven in England but opted for the TDI because my highway commute could benefit from the fuel economy. Little did I expect dieselgate less than a year after I purchased the car. At the time of purchase, I had briefly toyed with the idea of a GTI but figured I'd be sensible and get the most economical but fun-to-drive ICE car I could afford. In fact, this car has easily been the best car I've driven and, at least until the scandal broke, I couldn't help singing its praises to all my friends.
I hate giving a company like VW, which committed fraud for so many years and is justly paying a heavy price, any of my money. But I've made a mid-life career change recently and my commute is now about five miles in mostly stop-and-go local traffic with only an occasional highway trip to help me get the most out of the TDI. In hindsight, had I foreseen this change in jobs, I probably wouldnt have bought the TDI after all. It looks like the '15 TDI is fixable but I can't help wondering what such a fix will do to fuel economy and/or performance and whether it will only create headaches down the road. Maybe it's time to end my very brief adventure with diesels.
So I can't help toying with the idea of a GTI. The Alltrack also looks interesting but I seldom need to carry a lot of stuff. Maybe a sports hatch so popular with the young folks is silly for a college prof in his fifties to consider. But the idea of having some fun is hard to pass up. Decisions, decisions.