Come on, you've been drinking the VW Cool-aid too much if you think the VW TDIs are remarkably better than a MODERN Chevy. You are talking about an entirely different animal with a 20-year old Cavalier compared to a modern Chevy or any Modern car for that matter. The Chevy Cruze rated higher than the VW Golf, Jetta and Beetle in the 2016 JD Power Initial Quality reports as well.
http://www.jdpower.com/cars/study/2...dy-(IQS)-by-Category/1221ENG/Compact-Car/1029 Chevy also placed EIGHT positions higher than VW in the study by brand.
http://www.jdpower.com/ratings/study/Initial-Quality-Study-(IQS)-by-Make/1222ENG So maybe Chevy isn't as bad as it once was, or as bad as you thought it was, and maybe, just maybe VW is not as good as you think it is...
I really find it hard to understand why so many die-hard VW Cool-aid drinkers STILL stand behind the brand after the cheating and deception that the company willingly did!!! Think about it, they knew well in advance that the emissions laws were changing for 2007 MY and were not able to meet the requirements with the PD engine used at that time. So they pulled the car off the market after building MANY 2007 MY TDIs that were badged as 2006s but were indeed 2007 MY cars (mine was one of them that did not have a key hole to open the trunk and it even came with 2007 Owners Manuals). Then they worked for years (no doubt counting back to 2005-2006 or earlier) to come up with a solution to meet the strict emissions requirements. AND, the BEST that VW as a Company could come up with was to CHEAT!!! What kind of engineering is that??? They had years to develop and implement a solution that other manufacturers were able to do, yet they CHOSE to CHEAT!!! That tells me a lot about the company right there...
I guess PD Cams wearing out, leaking sunroofs, falling headliners, broken driver door wire harnesses, broken armrests, broken glove boxes, broken cup holders, HPFP failure and so on are all the hallmarks of high-end, high-quality reliable cars!!!
Stop with the bias... I've driven both extensively and the Chevy Cruze Diesel is very much on par with the VW TDIs and ahead on many levels. For instance it is not involved in an Emissions Cheating scandal that is requiring owners to sell their car back and find another alternative. How many miles have you spent behind the wheel of a Chevy Cruze Diesel? Have you even sat in one??? The real leather seating that isn't even available on the Jetta TDI sure is nice on your backside!!! As are the MANY other standard features that are not included in the TDI.
My Mk V 2006 Jetta TDI was a nice car, but the headliner was sagging, there was a leak into the trunk, the vinyl seats were starting to crack and it was due for another timing belt and possible cam replacement again so I decided to sell it and buy a low mileage (4,100) CPO Chevy Cruze Diesel so I could still drive a diesel car AND have a large supportive dealer network with a 4/48 B2B warranty. I had an open mind and am VERY happy with my decision!
No car is perfect!!! But the Cruze Diesel is a good alternative to a VW TDI. And that is what the OP was asking for.
