keep current 2007 Civic hybrid or get 2012 Passat TDI

briantdiluv

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Location
richmond va
TDI
2006 jetta
Hey

Back after having to re register...

I wanted everyone's option on if I should keep my 2007 Civic Hybrid with 78,xxx miles and 44.9 mpg lifetime. Or should I trade it in on the new Passat TDI. I currently also have a 2006 Jetta TDI which has been great. The Passat is larger, and has no Traction Battery to fail. The MPG's are going to be awash. What do you all think?
 

arne487

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Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Location
Fort Collins, CO
TDI
'03 Golf TDI, '10 TDI Cup Jetta
We need to know what's important to you... performance, comfort, mileage, total cost, looks, reliability, etc. If it was me I'd get the TDI hands down based on the fun-to-drive factor, even though the total cost to own is higher.
 

PlaneCrazy

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Jan 3, 2000
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Province of Quebec, Canada
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Gone...
Well, VWs in the first year of a new model or generation can be problematic. Throw in a completely new model (Amerissat is different from the Eurossat), in a completely new plant, and I'd hang onto the Civic for at least another M.Y. until VW gets the bugs sorted out.
 

briantdiluv

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Location
richmond va
TDI
2006 jetta
I was thinking from more of a TDI vs a hybrid point of view...Both cars are really not in the same class other then stellar MPG's. I still really like the Civic, and also very happy with the Jetta TDI also. I have to admit the larger trunk would be nice, for more family trips in the Passat instead of the Jetta.
 

BlueGraphite'10TDI

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Sep 17, 2009
Location
Casa Grande AZ
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2010 Jetta TDI 6Man
I was thinking from more of a TDI vs a hybrid point of view...Both cars are really not in the same class other then stellar MPG's. I still really like the Civic, and also very happy with the Jetta TDI also. I have to admit the larger trunk would be nice, for more family trips in the Passat instead of the Jetta.
Also depends on your commute. The Passat will get better on the freeway than your Civic, hands down. My parents have a 2008 Civic Hybrid. They love it and milk the living daylights out of it... They can average 53 mpg in the City in the summer.

Plus the power and fun to drive factor. The Civic is the slowest car I've ever driven, powering up hills on our trip to Colorado is a breeze in the TDI.

Then again, depending on finances, the TDI is a much bigger car payment. But as you said, trips with the family would be a breeze. Plus over 800 miles on a tank in the Passat is sooooo nice! :) Let us know what you decide. I would vote for the Passat! ;)
 

BretAZ

Well-known member
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May 8, 2011
Location
Surprise, Arizona
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2011 Jetta TDI
The traction battery in the Civic scares me. But, the good news is that its not usually a catastrophic failure. You will just start getting crappy mileage. When that happens, definitely get rid of it. I checked out the new Pass at at the dealer the other day. I liked it.
 

EJS

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Nov 18, 2004
Location
Northern VA
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2009 Jetta
Well, VWs in the first year of a new model or generation can be problematic. Throw in a completely new model (Amerissat is different from the Eurossat), in a completely new plant, and I'd hang onto the Civic for at least another M.Y. until VW gets the bugs sorted out.
Normally I'd agree 100%.............not with this factory though. They have engineered 90% of the human error out of the equation. Robots do the QA - far more precise than any human, there is little chance of any errors getting through. They have been running the factory in "practice" mode for a while. It really is an amazingly advanced plant. Combine the plant with the fact the running gear is known & proven = there's little reason to do the traditional "wait a year for the bugs to shake out".

That's certainly two entirely different types of cars :D One a mid size sedan & the other an econo box. Do you need the additional size? Sound like it, I'd wager the Passat would be better for family trips - really the Jetta is more suited to two up trips given the size of the back seat.
 
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PlaneCrazy

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Province of Quebec, Canada
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Normally I'd agree 100%.............not with this factory though. They have engineered 90% of the human error out of the equation. Robots do the QA - far more precise than any human, there is little chance of any errors getting through. They have been running the factory in "practice" mode for a while. It really is an amazingly advanced plant. Combine the plant with the fact the running gear is known & proven = there's little reason to do the traditional "wait a year for the bugs to shake out".
Well, it's the 10% I worry about :eek: That said, the new Passat, especially in TDI form has enough "newness" to inspire caution: different emissions system (SCR, different injectors) compared to the current 2.0 TDIs. Granted the rest is pretty much from the parts bin.

But VW is probably getting better, the Mk V intro was considerably less painful than the Mk IV. But consider this, the B6 Passat, when introduced, was largely based on the Golf mechanicals. The first model year was a disaster, both for the 2.0T (HPFP cam follower, oil consumption, ignition coils) and VR6 (oil pump bolt failure). Fortunately for the new Passat though both gas engines are carryovers (albeit with their known issues such as the 2.5 timing chain). The TDI though might be a question mark because of the different emissions systems. It may in fact end up being better but who knows?

Right now our "big car" needs are well filled by our B5.5 and my commuter needs by my Golf, but the B5.5 is next up at bat for replacement. No, we won't get rid of it but we'll retire our old Odyssey van which is falling apart... literally, and pass the Passat onto our sons who by then will be in their early and mid-20s. What we replace it with, remains to be seen, I wouldn't mind trying out the new Focus hatch; we'll be empty-nesters and won't need as big as car as the B5.5 anymore.

I did get a chance to sample the new Jetta last week though I didn't drive it. I had the Golf in for its first service and the dealer shuttle to the subway station was a gas 2.0 Jetta. My impressions: buzzy, lifeless 4-cyl engine. Quiet at cruise but noisy once you put your foot into it, and with 6-speed automatic, it's shifting all the time to keep up with traffic. The return was in a Jetta TDI, basic model. The engine was waaaayyyyy better, and more refined than the 2.0 gas, and wasn't even trying hard even though the driver was aggressive. But in both cases, the base interior was awful. At least in the higher-end models the silver dash trim kills the coal mine effect, but on the base model it's fake "carbon" plastic trim that doesn't even come close to looking like carbon fibre; the hard plastic dash didn't bother me as much as I thought it would though; visually it's hard to tell the difference. And on the TDI the glove box door was tooefed and warped. Even a base Corolla interior looks better. At least in pictures the Passat looks better, the interior is very similar to the B6 Passat.
 
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Oberkanone

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Joined
Feb 16, 2001
Location
NW Indiana
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13 Jetta TDI Premium manual "gone"
now is the time

Hey

Back after having to re register...

I wanted everyone's option on if I should keep my 2007 Civic Hybrid with 78,xxx miles and 44.9 mpg lifetime. Or should I trade it in on the new Passat TDI. I currently also have a 2006 Jetta TDI which has been great. The Passat is larger, and has no Traction Battery to fail. The MPG's are going to be awash. What do you all think?
Keep the Civic unless you-

A. Need or want a larger car.
B. Just want something newer and buying new won't negatively impact your finances.

It's a great time to sell a fuel efficient used car, value of your Civic Hybrid is probably at a high this summer since used vehicle market is crazy high for this type of vehicle.
 

briantdiluv

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Location
richmond va
TDI
2006 jetta
Hey

Thanks for all the input...while I like the ideal of a new TDI in the family, I can get 55 plus on the hwy if I start out that way. My 44 plus has been mostly around town with short hwy times. If I was to my sales route the way I should be doing it, then over 50 mpgs would be very easy with the Civic Hybrid. The Civic Hybrid is a highway machine, unlike the Prius. I guess I will have to wait till we get some real info. from the Passat on the road
 

c17chief

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Sep 9, 2010
Location
NJ
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2011 Golf 2dr
Hey

Thanks for all the input...while I like the ideal of a new TDI in the family, I can get 55 plus on the hwy if I start out that way. My 44 plus has been mostly around town with short hwy times. If I was to my sales route the way I should be doing it, then over 50 mpgs would be very easy with the Civic Hybrid. The Civic Hybrid is a highway machine, unlike the Prius. I guess I will have to wait till we get some real info. from the Passat on the road

If you can really get those kind of numbers, and MPG is a top concern, then keep the civic for awhile longer. If the different setup on the passat TDI behaves similar in that respect as the current TDI's, then that passat will def cost you a little more in fuel. Don't forget that diesel costs as much as .30+ more per gal then gas in a lot of places, so that is close to 10% more if both were dead equal....and if your driving is mostly around town, especially if they are shorter trips, you are probably looking at high 30's at best for those trips. The MPG's really start climbing with drive time and/or highway. Just a few miles here, few miles there, isnt going to get into the real potential of the engine.

That said, if you want a new car and something significantly nicer, then yes, def consider getting one. I had a 2006 civic EX and now a 2011 Golf TDI. COMPLETELY different car. Only thing similar is the size. While the 1.8 in the civic def wasnt horrible for what it was, the TDI is significantly better to me. In addition to getting about 10mpg better on average, the diesel drives like a sporty small 6cyl vs the civic's economy driven 4cyl that it is. The car itself is also much nicer then the civic in terms of materials, feel, features, etc. It's just an all around much nicer car. Now with the new passat, your talking a good step up in size in addition to that which tips the balance even further.
 

MyAvocation

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Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
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2017 Passat SEL TSI
The traction battery in the Civic scares me. But, the good news is that its not usually a catastrophic failure. You will just start getting crappy mileage. When that happens, definitely get rid of it. I checked out the new Pass at at the dealer the other day. I liked it.
I agree that aged batteries are more likely to decrease in amp-hours than simply crap-out, but I would not wait for this $cenario before selling.

Have to agree with others about risks associated with Passat's complete redesign, so my advice is to keep the Civic and revisit this for M.Y. 2013.
 

oxford_guy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Location
Ohio
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Golf '11
"Don't forget that diesel costs as much as .30+ more per gal then gas in a lot of places."

LOL. Come to Ohio where it costs 50 to 70 cents more per gallon.
 

MyAvocation

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Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
Sheesh... anyone typically paying a 50-70 cent spread should invest in a storage tank and order bulk directly from a distributor.

I was in Canton, OH 10 days ago and only paid $3.74 for D2, which is 15 cents cheaper than IL. In my neighborhood this week gasoline is 11 cents more than D2, although it's typically 10-20 cents more.
 

briantdiluv

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Location
richmond va
TDI
2006 jetta
Just an update

Just put four Ecopia 422 tires onto the Civic...I, with the family 4 drove to Pa. from Va. for a family get together...560 miles round trip 4 people, stuff in trunk...rain...AVE mpg 48.5 with cc on at 65.. I had seen 53 while on 95 before getting onto the 202 in Pa.

I think I will keep it for the time being, but the Passat will be the next car...just do not know when...I like the idea that someone else posted.."the time to replace a car, is when you have lost confidence in that car, when ever that is.."

See Ya later
Brian
 
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