Trading in your VW TDI? What will be your next car

elcid86

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Location
VA/DC, USA
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SEL
Compared to the 2010 Golf TDI the e-Golf is quieter and feels quicker and more refined. Some of that is Mk7 vs. Mk6 and some due to the electric powertrain. The e-Golf also has a slightly softer suspension which is nice for city driving.

Things I miss the TDI: it was lighter and nimbler, had a 600+ mile range, and had more character/quirkiness.

Things I like better about the e-Golf: more relaxing to drive in freeway traffic and on city streets, no complicated emissions system to worry about, effortless acceleration.


Thanks for sharing. What’s the approximate range you get on it?
 

slk23

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Location
Oakland, California
TDI
2010 Golf TDI (sold back to VW)
Thanks for sharing. What’s the approximate range you get on it?
At 70 mph on the freeway the range is an honest 125 miles. With my 80% freeway, 20% urban driving I see around 140 miles range. Of course you have to charge before hitting zero range so I normally plug it in at home after ~100 miles.
The range is the biggest compromise but it works if you consider it a 'regional car' rather than something you'd take on a long road trip. It's not a problem for me in the San Francisco Bay Area where most destinations are within my roundtrip range and there are lots of fast chargers if I need one.
 

Mike in Anchorage

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
At 70 mph on the freeway the range is an honest 125 miles. With my 80% freeway, 20% urban driving I see around 140 miles range. Of course you have to charge before hitting zero range so I normally plug it in at home after ~100 miles.
The range is the biggest compromise but it works if you consider it a 'regional car' rather than something you'd take on a long road trip. It's not a problem for me in the San Francisco Bay Area where most destinations are within my roundtrip range and there are lots of fast chargers if I need one.
Just so I understand you climate - you don't ever need heat and seldom need A/C if I'm understanding correctly. Wouldn't either of those cut into your range somewhat.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Just so I understand you climate - you don't ever need heat and seldom need A/C if I'm understanding correctly. Wouldn't either of those cut into your range somewhat.
Yeah, heat and AC both reduce range in EV's. The shorter range "metro type" EV's probably aren't what you'd want to take out exploring the Alcan Highway :D . Different tools for different jobs.
 

slk23

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Location
Oakland, California
TDI
2010 Golf TDI (sold back to VW)
Just so I understand you climate - you don't ever need heat and seldom need A/C if I'm understanding correctly. Wouldn't either of those cut into your range somewhat.
Temperatures here range from 40 to 100F and I always have the heat or AC on as needed to be comfortable. I’ve never noticed a significant impact on range. I don’t know how the car would cope with winter in Alaska but I suspect the range would be much lower, mostly due to the cold battery.

By the way, the heat pump in the SEL is more efficient than the resistive heater in the SE trim level.
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
During the summer in the desert (triple digits, hitting 120F), range would drop by about 1/3 and sometimes nearly half. I had an SE so I had the resistive heater, but I used the seat heaters during winter and the range hit wasn't severe. But the lowest temps were in the 30s. I would plan on only needing about half the claimed range to be safe if I lived in a frozen climate.

I never experienced battery degradation, however, even after three years.
 

flargabarg

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
TDI
2011 Touareg Lux TDI
For comparison we also have a Kia Soul EV in the household, and several Leafs in the family. The Leafs with a heat pump and the Soul EV take around a 20% range hit in winter. The Leafs with a resistive heater take more like a 30% hit. It doesn't really matter as we only use them around town and plug them in most every night, so range becomes something you don't think about, since you always leave with range at full.
 

flargabarg

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
TDI
2011 Touareg Lux TDI
They all have active heating, but it is only used while charging. The Soul EV has fan based active cooling which I think is only used during quick charging. I have not dug in to figure out how much of the decrease is because of cold soak of the battery vs the general inefficiency that comes from needing more heat and having colder air to push through, since even the shorter range is fine.
 

sriracha

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2014
Location
805
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon 5mt, 1982 Rabbit truck (gas)
I did the buyback on my mk6 Golf TDI and replaced it with a mk4 Jetta wagon TDI. After getting a Malone tune, I’m happy with the mk4. I installed a set of Audi TT Fat Five wheels along with brand new leather three spoke steering wheel, shift knob and parking brake lever. The car feels new to the touch. It handles well. Still has that diesel torque and great fuel economy.
 

Jetta Knight

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2002
Location
Valley Forge, PA
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI Auto - Sold, 2006 Jetta DSG - Sold, 2009 JSW DSG SOLD, 2013 Passat SE DSG
Converted my 94 hybrid bicycle to battery assist this weekend.
May I ask which kit you used for the conversion? I have a TREK hybrid that I would like to use for that purpose. Since I got my FUJI Fat Tire I never use the hybrid anymore.

Sorry to change the subject.
 

Smashed Ixnay

Veteran Member
Joined
May 7, 2010
Location
Auburndale, FL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SEL
At 70 mph on the freeway the range is an honest 125 miles. With my 80% freeway, 20% urban driving I see around 140 miles range. Of course you have to charge before hitting zero range so I normally plug it in at home after ~100 miles.
The range is the biggest compromise but it works if you consider it a 'regional car' rather than something you'd take on a long road trip. It's not a problem for me in the San Francisco Bay Area where most destinations are within my roundtrip range and there are lots of fast chargers if I need one.
That's what I was worried about, was the range. I wanted to go electric, but I drive 112 miles a day. Sometimes I'm doing about 130 when i have to take my girls to gymnastics, and I have no where to charge while at work. I need something with more like 200 miles minimum, because I4 traffic and be at a deadlock, pretty often. Your driving is pretty much like mine (80% highway, 20% city) I'm getting solar panels, so an electric car may be in my future. Hopefully by then VW will have something out that will have great range.
 

upsbroke

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Location
Homosassa, Florida
TDI
98 NB and '13 JSW
Trades

After my 09 JSW hpfp grenaded, I traded my JSW on a new '12 Hyundai Genesis. Last week as my Genesis turned 96k miles, I traded it for a '13 JSW tdi!
 

truman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 18, 2000
Location
columbia,MO,usa
TDI
'05 Passat Variant, Still miss the 03JW
May I ask which kit you used for the conversion? I have a TREK hybrid that I would like to use for that purpose. Since I got my FUJI Fat Tire I never use the hybrid anymore.
Sorry to change the subject.
I went with Bafang BBS02 750watt from Lunacycle. LUNA ships out of CA vs China. Supposedly Bafang has sold 850k units. There are much cheaper hub drives available, but I wanted to do this one time only. Higher end ebikes are all mid drive and so is Bafang. It takes some mechanical skills and online study to do the conversion. I am very pleased with the result.
Your Fat Tire will likely require the BBSHD unit which is wider at the crank and more powerful. LUNACYCLE gets good reviews.
Your Trek Hybrid may be similar to my 94 Raleigh Dash Al.
BBS02 is for 68-73 mm bottom bracket width. 73-102 IIRC is BBSHD.
Front derailer is eliminated. I went with 44t chain ring, which seems about right for river trails. A little bigger chain ring would likely be better for paved surfaces.
 
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sriracha

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2014
Location
805
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon 5mt, 1982 Rabbit truck (gas)
After my 09 JSW hpfp grenaded, I traded my JSW on a new '12 Hyundai Genesis. Last week as my Genesis turned 96k miles, I traded it for a '13 JSW tdi!

The HPFP in my 2013 Golf TDI mk6 grenaded on me, also. Just out of warrantee, VW refused to help me out. It cost me $5000 to get the car back on the road. That's why I unenthusiastically did the buyback. It was a great car. I was sad to let it go, but I can't afford another $5000 HPFP repair. Could barely even afford one.
 

flargabarg

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
TDI
2011 Touareg Lux TDI
That's what I was worried about, was the range. I wanted to go electric, but I drive 112 miles a day. Sometimes I'm doing about 130 when i have to take my girls to gymnastics, and I have no where to charge while at work. I need something with more like 200 miles minimum, because I4 traffic and be at a deadlock, pretty often. Your driving is pretty much like mine (80% highway, 20% city) I'm getting solar panels, so an electric car may be in my future. Hopefully by then VW will have something out that will have great range.
If you are driving that much your assessment of the range needs sounds correct. VW should have you covered in about two years, and they won't be the only one. One thing: don't worry as much about traffic with electric. "Idling" basically only costs you climate control energy, which is very little at mild temperatures. You can idle for two hours and only lose a handful of miles of range. Temperature extremes have an outsized effect though, because unlike a combustion vehicle you don't get heat "for free," you have to pay for it from the battery.
 

PC Passat

Active member
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Location
Scottsdale, Az.
TDI
2017 Jetta GLI
I took the bait and gave up my 2010 Jetta TDI for the money after driving VW diesels since 1980. Bought a 2017 Jetta GLI 6 speed. More power than TDI but just not as smooth. Did not like the way gas vehicles stink up the garage, the exhaust pipe was as black as an old cummins, and this was supposed to be the replacement for the polluting Tdi.
So I sold it for a good price, took all the free money, figured in the $7500 fed tax credit, and bought a Tesla Model 3 long range dual motor. The future is looking good. Way, way more efficient, dosen't stink, and accelerates way faster than you need 99% of the time. Low center of gravity lets it corner very flat.
Time will tell if was a good idea, but the warrantee period is really long if it wasn't.
 

DIVISIONINCISION

Active member
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Location
Central Texas
TDI
2011 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI SE
1.) 2015 Passat TDI SE (fresh!)
2.) 2011 JSW TDI - it was a buyback w/ only 26K miles and the modification for only $12,100 OTD.

:D
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I took the bait and gave up my 2010 Jetta TDI for the money after driving VW diesels since 1980. Bought a 2017 Jetta GLI 6 speed. More power than TDI but just not as smooth. Did not like the way gas vehicles stink up the garage, the exhaust pipe was as black as an old cummins, and this was supposed to be the replacement for the polluting Tdi.
So I sold it for a good price, took all the free money, figured in the $7500 fed tax credit, and bought a Tesla Model 3 long range dual motor. The future is looking good. Way, way more efficient, dosen't stink, and accelerates way faster than you need 99% of the time. Low center of gravity lets it corner very flat.
Time will tell if was a good idea, but the warrantee period is really long if it wasn't.

It was a good idea. A Model 3 will likely be my tdi replacement too once they get the price down a bit more. Even at the current prices it's the best premium car for your money.
 

DIVISIONINCISION

Active member
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Location
Central Texas
TDI
2011 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI SE
I took the bait and gave up my 2010 Jetta TDI for the money after driving VW diesels since 1980. Bought a 2017 Jetta GLI 6 speed. More power than TDI but just not as smooth. Did not like the way gas vehicles stink up the garage, the exhaust pipe was as black as an old cummins, and this was supposed to be the replacement for the polluting Tdi.
So I sold it for a good price, took all the free money, figured in the $7500 fed tax credit, and bought a Tesla Model 3 long range dual motor. The future is looking good. Way, way more efficient, dosen't stink, and accelerates way faster than you need 99% of the time. Low center of gravity lets it corner very flat.
Time will tell if was a good idea, but the warrantee period is really long if it wasn't.
Replacing a 2010 Jetta TDI for a GLI makes absolutely no sense.

Were you getting anything decent as far as fuel efficiency?

Whenever I see a GLI or GTI on the road, I'm so glad I found another JSW TDI.


:D
 
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