So, what do you guys know about VW TDI's?

belteshazzar wrote:

SilverFleet wrote:

Vigo wrote: How exactly do you get 26 mpg out of a mazda2 with mostly highway driving? Do you average 85+mph?

I have a Mazda 3 with a 2.5L/6MT. I've gotten a best mileage of 31mpg, and recently, a worst mileage of 22mpg. Since last October, I've been using an Android App called Fuel Log to log my mileage and spending, and my average is 26.8. It's a big improvement over my old 2009 WRX, but it could be better.

my 2012 skyactiv 2.0L/6Auto averages 34. A best of 44.5, and a worst of 27, with 15k miles under it's belt.

I bought in right before (like a month before) the Skyactiv models came out. I would have waited, but I really needed to get out of my WRX quick, and I was thrown an offer I couldn't refuse. Mine has the MZR 2.5L. If I had the Skyactiv motor, I wouldn't have started this thread.

SF: The whole reason I am following this is I am thinking (not serious just stupid thoughts) about eventually approaching a TDi (tit-ee) SportWagon. The math supports it but I have your fears about what makes VW a VW

In reply to Flight Service:

If I got one, it would have to be a Golf or SportWagon. I don't like the sedans, unless it's a TDI-Cup car, which are purely constructed of unobtanium.

I'm leaning toward a Golf, because the seats look nicer. But wagons are cool too, and I haven't had one in a long time. Hmm....

There are a handful of TDI CUPs on autotrader though CL would probably find more and better deals. If you're looking for a used car,get the vin and go to the dealer and get a service history so you can see what type of problems it's had

He has a Mazda3, not a 2. That's the main cause, right there.

Im either an idiot, or i pointed out a typo which made me look like an idiot after it went away. Ive seen it happen both ways.

Anyway, im not surprised the 2.5 gets such crappy mileage. When i had a 2.0 i noticed that the 2.3 traded away an egregious amount of fuel economy for a very mild performance benefit, and it stands to reason the 2.5 would be even worse.

I've long said that if i got another mazda3 it would have to be a 2.0 sedan. Ours averaged 30 with a 4spd auto and got 35-37 hwy on a 'normal' day (a/c on and lots of hills) and 40-42 on a 'good' day (a/c off, flat land, consistent speed, etc).

In reply to Vigo:

My wife has a 2010 3 i Touring sedan with the 2.0L MZR engine and the 5-speed auto. She gets around 30mpg on average or a little better with it with mostly highway driving. It's been a good car so far with very minimal issues, and it's coming up on 80k miles. When it's time for it to go, it's probably going to get replaced with a CX-5.

The MZR engines are great engines, but they are not as efficient as their Skyactiv replacements. When a new Corvette gets better mileage than my 4-cylinder econobox, that's bad.

Still on the fence on whether the TDI is the right move for me right now.

Anyone have experiences with the DSG cars? How are those to drive?

I don;t know much about the cars, other than my father's older Jetta being nearly flawless, even when run on Veggie oil.. but VW has teamed up with Mercury to produce a line of Marinized TDI engines

Mercury (VW) TDi Marine Engines

mad_machine wrote: I don;t know much about the cars, other than my father's older Jetta being nearly flawless, even when run on Veggie oil.. but VW has teamed up with Mercury to produce a line of Marinized TDI engines Mercury (VW) TDi Marine Engines

Not exaclty (you will have to translate)

VW has contracted with Mercury to sell their already marinized engines in the US. VW has tried many times in the US with their engines and they do not understand the marine market. This was also part of the Cummins/Mercruiser split as VAG had tentively agreed to let Cummins sell the engine as the small engine in its lineup since Cummins and FPT had parted ways.

Mercury swooped in at the end of the CumminsMercruiser venture and stole the TDi brand. VW went with them as they didn't see any cross competition in the diesel market and Mercury being a marine company. The investment power and expertise of Brunswick in the recreational marine industry was also cited as a reason. There was alot of bad blood between Cummins and Mercury over the TDi deal.

FWIW, I was involved with the TDi V8 Mastercraft protype that was at Miami Boat Show. The holeshot is unreal.

SilverFleet wrote: When a new Corvette gets better mileage than my 4-cylinder econobox, that's bad.

Do you really believe that?

In a very limited set of circumstances the Vette might better an old school 4 cylinder but in real world driving conditions that's not going to happen often. Double overdrive transmission (which means top gear is of limited use) and the skip shifter, which everyone disables, gives them that capacity under certain conditions but don't really expect to buy a Vette and get 4 cylinder gas mileage because you won't enjoy the Vette if you did.

In reply to carguy123:

All that is true, don't get me wrong. I do see people with C6's knocking down better numbers and many times similar numbers to what I get with my car. Not saying that I'd buy a Vette for the fuel economy, that's just plain ridiculous.

carguy123 wrote:

SilverFleet wrote: When a new Corvette gets better mileage than my 4-cylinder econobox, that's bad.

Do you really believe that? In a very limited set of circumstances the Vette might better an old school 4 cylinder but in real world driving conditions that's not going to happen often. Double overdrive transmission (which means top gear is of limited use) and the skip shifter, which everyone disables, gives them that capacity under certain conditions but don't really expect to buy a Vette and get 4 cylinder gas mileage because you won't enjoy the Vette if you did.

My parent's 94 C4 LT1/6spd can easily get high 20s - low 30s in highway driving, without resorting to hyper-miling tricks. Even with a .5 overdrive, 6th is still a very usable gear on the highway. The skip-shift disable has no impact on highway MPG.

The combination of high torque at low RPM, relatively low drag (small frontal area and decent coefficient of drag), light weight, and tall gearing make for pretty impressive mileage.

Yup - that matches my experience. My LT1 6-speed C4 Corvette averaged better fuel economy than my protege for my commute (mostly highway, 65mph)

Mostly continuous state Highway driving. Now let's get off the highway into the city streets and stop and go traffic. Or let's decide to have a little fun.

You can have a LOT more fun in a Vette than a TDI.

The point is the overall average MPG of the Vette won't even begin to match the MPG and therefore it's a red herring to this thread. if you look hard enough you can find a certain set of circumstances that can negate ever advantage to a TDI car, but I don't believe you can put them all together into one package that will equal it.

i have a 2009 tdi sportwagen that i bouhgt new in feb 09. its now a little over 80k miles. this was my first diesel and i also have a 2002 1.8t jetta i bought in 2001. i really enjoy the sportwagen and my gas mileage varies from about 40 in the winter to about 42 in the summer. diesel prices vary widely and i have found some places that i frequent that are always 20-30 cents a gallon less than others i pass by. the tdi torque is very satisfying. but the power is notceably less than the 1.8t. its comfortable commuter car. i do all my own maintenance and the fuel filter needs replacement every 20k miles. passing is no problem if you plan ahead and remember your arent driving a sports car. im so happy with this diesel im seriously considering a future diesel purchase. the fuel tank range is quite satisfying. the sportwagen is a keeper and i plan to drive this thing forever. if you are going to trade in in in 3 to 4 years maybe a diesel isnt the best choice, but if you want to drive the heck out of the car as cheaply as possible forever the tdi is a strong contender. mine is a manual, so i cant provide any dsg feedback. but i do like my manual!

carguy123 wrote: Mostly continuous state Highway driving. Now let's get off the highway into the city streets and stop and go traffic. Or let's decide to have a little fun. You can have a LOT more fun in a Vette than a TDI. The point is the overall average MPG of the Vette won't even begin to match the MPG and therefore it's a red herring to this thread. if you look hard enough you can find a certain set of circumstances that can negate ever advantage to a TDI car, but I don't believe you can put them all together into one package that will equal it.

I told you, for MY use, the AVERAGE FUEL MILEAGE (IE: over 6 months) was better for me in the Corvette. A 20 year old, old-tech Vette. Not one highway trip, not hypermiling, no jokes. My TDI was much better yet, but this is about you telling Silverfleet that he's wrong about average fuel mileage. I'm telling you that it depends on your use. We're both off topic.