Suggest a "new" ride

Long time VW/Audi driver here. Since 2002 I have been driving an A4 Jetta manual, 1st 350k miles was an 02. In 2009 I replaced that with an 05 (90K on it), now at 255K.
I'm about to give VW my 2013 Beetle TDI (DSG) back so I"ll have that cash to put into a new ride.I've enjoyed the Beetle for the past 5 years but the two door body style was getting tiresome.
I've test driven fixed JSW Tdi and gassers, BMW 328d, Audi Q5 Tdi, Touareg 2014 Tdi and MD 05 320 CDi.
I want the interior build quality of the Touareg/Audi with the pep and mpg of the JSW.
Despite my expectations the BMW underwhelmed (seemed to exhibit turbo lag plus I am not a fan of run flat tires). I don't want to insult BMW owners, just my impression after 2 longish test drives.
I liked the soft ride (for long interstate drives) of the MB but it was a bit of a slug off the line.
While I am not a mechanic, I am not afraid to invest time and effort to have a car serviced correctly.
Like to keep them on the road as long as possible, but maybe I have been spoiled by the VW A4.
I prefer either a wagon or sedan to SUV body style. Must have heated seats (either leather or leatherette). DSG type auto or manual.
Wondering if I could get some suggestions on cars to consider ?

New ride

I have been very happy with my Jaguar XE. About 40 MPG in town, 48-52 on long road trips depending on things like the need for AC and the wind speed and direction.

Ride comfort is outstanding. Handling is great. I like the minimalist interior. Your taste may be different. The diesel is only available with a ZF 8 speed automatic. It does have paddles and can be manually controlled, but it is not a DSG. At 180 HP it is noticeably quicker than our 2013 Jetta.

I do not like leather seats, and mine has heated fabric seats as part of the cold weather package.

I bought mine as Certified Pre-Owned. It was a dealer demo with 180 miles. Since most of the car is aluminum I hope it will not corrode here in North Dakota, what with all the salt they put on the roads over in Minnesota.

Down side is that it needs to go to Minneapolis for the included service agreement.

E250BT. See thread next door. It is no slug. Test drive this one.

Dangerous_Dan said:

I have been very happy with my Jaguar XE. About 40 MPG in town, 48-52 on long road trips depending on things like the need for AC and the wind speed and direction.

Ride comfort is outstanding. Handling is great. I like the minimalist interior. Your taste may be different. The diesel is only available with a ZF 8 speed automatic. It does have paddles and can be manually controlled, but it is not a DSG. At 180 HP it is noticeably quicker than our 2013 Jetta.

I do not like leather seats, and mine has heated fabric seats as part of the cold weather package.

I bought mine as Certified Pre-Owned. It was a dealer demo with 180 miles. Since most of the car is aluminum I hope it will not corrode here in North Dakota, what with all the salt they put on the roads over in Minnesota.

Down side is that it needs to go to Minneapolis for the included service agreement.

Click to expand...

That is a sharp ride. Very nice. I can't imagine going over 3 hours for service though...that would be a deal breaker for me. I'm sure the price would be as well. I wonder how long until they can be had for $12-15k

To the OP, it sounds like you like the wagons and have driven the JSW (2010 to 2014 model). If you could find a 2015 GSW SEL that might fit the bill. That will be loaded up like the Touareg. Since you are okay with the DSG they shouldn't be too hard to find.

Another vote for the 2015 GSW SEL. Finding a manual will be a challenge, but if you can settle for a DSG, they're out there.

Thanks all for the replies.
I had been looking for a JSW in SEL trim, my wife wants a light color interior, which makes the pickings slimmer.
Going to test drive the XE, although I do have concerns about holding it's value I've been spoiled by Dieselgate and the buy back

marcoforehand said:

Going to test drive the XE, although I do have concerns about holding it's value I've been spoiled by Dieselgate and the buy back

Click to expand...

Don't be concerned. It will, in no way, hold any reasonable value. No car in that class does, least of all a diesel Jag.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Don't be concerned. It will, in no way, hold any reasonable value. No car in that class does, least of all a diesel Jag.

Click to expand...

Looking on CarGurus the other day, XE w/4 cyl. gassers were about $6K cheaper than equivalent diesels. Just a fast informal glance as I was hoping my daughter might have afforded one (she got a new Civic EX 2.0 instead).

XE 4 cyl. gassers are a dime a dozen as Jaguar had a lease deal only on these cars, not the diesel or 6 cylinder cars.

TM

I looked on cars.com and 2017 XE diesels run about 27K. That's a good 20K less than MSRP a year earlier, the way most of these cars are equipped. In one year.

I drove one a few months ago. Aside from it getting to high gears as quickly as possible and feeling like it was lugging, it was OK to drive. But the interior materials remind me of a $15K Jetta S.

The New Ford F150 Diesel pickup

Yikes ! You guys are tough (a Civic EX over a used Jaguar

While I don't expect I would buy a Jaguar, I do think the idea of finding a diesel with more "upscale" creature comforts was right on the mark.
What is surprising to me is how narrow a niche my own prejudices have made for me.
Ive owned one MB, the transmission needed rebuilding at 75K miles.
I've owned a couple of Audis, both my early 90's A6 and 96 A4 got close to 200K miles but my 99 A6 wagon was no where near as reliable as my 02 Jetta Tdi or my current 05. I think Audi's "extras" over VW are what makes them less reliable.
Maybe I have gotten better at finding garages/mechanics that are willing to help keep a car on the road.
I keep thinking about that locked in on rails feeling I had with my Benz, I would like to find that with some of the get up and go of the 2013 Bettle Tdi w dsg.

'09-'13 X5d although you won't get the FE of a JSW, but the M57 when working right is a joy to drive.

Consider tuning a 4cyl BMW (non-x-drive), perhaps getting a 535d or for real cruising comfort a 740ld

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I looked on cars.com and 2017 XE diesels run about 27K. That's a good 20K less than MSRP a year earlier, the way most of these cars are equipped. In one year.

I drove one a few months ago. Aside from it getting to high gears as quickly as possible and feeling like it was lugging, it was OK to drive. But the interior materials remind me of a $15K Jetta S.

Click to expand...

Yes, but diesels are $27K (at best/lowest) but 4 cylinder gassers are about 5-7K less expensive, for being the same price originally. That was my point. You had said that "especially diesels" would lose value.

I would say that its normal for any car of that price to fall to 60% of its original MSRP within a couple of years. Hondas come down to a similar percentage value after 3 years also.

TM

I am still trying to find a replacement for my Beetle. I need to find a MB E250BT to test drive. I'm stuck because I like the interior upgrade you get with Audi or MB,but my own life experience tells me they do not deliver the long term reliability that VW does.
I also have test driven gassers and come away missing the low end torque of a diesel and I'm not willing to live with sub 30 mpg, even with PA's $.50 higher per gallon cost for diesel.

marcoforehand said:

I am still trying to find a replacement for my Beetle. I need to find a MB E250BT to test drive. I'm stuck because I like the interior upgrade you get with Audi or MB,but my own life experience tells me they do not deliver the long term reliability that VW does.
I also have test driven gassers and come away missing the low end torque of a diesel and I'm not willing to live with sub 30 mpg, even with PA's $.50 higher per gallon cost for diesel.

Click to expand...

In my experience, some VW's have good long-term reliability, but you need to get an ALH manual transmission type for this. Otherwise the thing will nickel and dime like a GM product.

MB has its shortcomings, but I can't believe that their quality has come down to as low as VW, sorry. Its not in the same league IMO. For the money, a TDI is a wonderful car, but not a Mercedes (even a newer one).

TM

I'd suggest a '13 - '15 GLK250 Bluetec, but then again I'm partial to mine.

In 1.5 years we've put 30K trouble-free miles on it, including an 8K mile roadtrip tour of our nation's parks. It is a beast, nothing seems to shake it.

The maintenance it has needed to date: 1 set front brakes, 2 DEF fill-ups, and 3 oil changes. Current CPO unlimited mileage (but limited) warranty through April 2019.

FXDL said:

The New Ford F150 Diesel pickup

Click to expand...

Look at the Ram 1500 diesel. You might still be able to find a new 17 for a great deal. Fit and finish of my Laramie is outstanding. Anything prior to the 17s and you may be stuck in another dieselgate situation. Doesn't look like buyouts are on the table but there will probably be some reprogramming necessary.

Figures you would find that.

^There was a time when I'd get excited over 30 mpg highway, but those days are long gone. Those 7 series are nice, but boy are they huge. Land yacht territory.

I think my 3 series is big. But you realize how small older VWs are when you see something like this.

SnowCub said:

https://www.tulleybmwnashua.com/certified/BMW/2015-BMW-740i-for-sale-Nashua-New-Hampshire-81a39dbc0a0d04fe454bb69fc5dafe74.htm

Click to expand...

winner winner chicken dinner !

Sad to say, having driven mostly VW/Audi products for the past 30 years (which means I'm old) BMW's seem peculiar to me. I take them out for test drives expecting to love them and just find them off putting.

I do appreciate the input though
(really like the look of the interior)

marcoforehand said:

winner winner chicken dinner !

Sad to say, having driven mostly VW/Audi products for the past 30 years (which means I'm old) BMW's seem peculiar to me. I take them out for test drives expecting to love them and just find them off putting.

I do appreciate the input though
(really like the look of the interior)

Click to expand...

Chevy diesel Cruze?

Sent from my Armor_2 using Tapatalk

Drove a 2014 Audi A6 S line TDi today. My favorite so far. what are the negatives ?

Maintaining a $70-$80K car. You may pay a lot less than that for it, but the maintenance won't be less expensive. Price brake or tire replacements just so you're aware. Some Audi brake rotors are dealer-only.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Another vote for the 2015 GSW SEL. Finding a manual will be a challenge, but if you can settle for a DSG, they're out there.

Click to expand...

So as far as a replacement for our 2013 Beetle TDI (my wife's car) a 2015 GSW SEL is what we settled on. I hand the Beetle back to VW on the 12th and will use the money from the buy back for a 2 year newer (w 1/2 the mileage) wagon (and $$ in the bank). Went back and forth on this. We were interested in trying another brand but old habits/prejudices are hard to give up.

But, having done the test driving, I have an itch to scratch of my own now. I have been driving the same basic platform for 20+ years (1996 Audi A4 -> 2002-> Jetta Tdi->2005 Jetta Tdi) combined milage between the 3 vehicles is 630K.
I'll be looking for both a 2011 335d and a MB250 to drive once we're settled in with the GSW.
(that 2014 A6 Tdi keeps sending me text messages though)

I"ll be interested to see what you choose. I'm having a very hard time separating from my MKIV Jetta Wagon. I have a 335d and a '15 GSW, but those cars mostly sit while I still drive the wagon, which hit 375K miles the other day.

The Audi bears no relationship to your VWs, btw. It is the same platform as the B5.5 Passat, but it's entirely different from the MKIVs. I had an Audi, A4, too, a '96. Traded it on my Wagon.

Gee, no one has even mentioned one of the twins, 2.8L Diesel Colorado or GMC Canyon. Throw a tune at it, clean up the mistakes in the hardware and good to go for 30-32mpg! Plus you can haul a big bunch of stuff.