Finally got my 2010 Golf TDI ... so I thought I'd "introduce" myself...

[jkp1187]

How are you liking the TDI? We're starting to get a little more serious about a new car, and the A3 TDI keeps popping up on the radar....

[MaxHedrm]

I enjoy it so far. The mileage seems to continue to improve a bit, so it costs about half what my other car did to run. I got my first door ding though. It's also been handy to have to haul stuff. From an IKEA entertainment center, to a friend's big screen TV, to a wheelbarrow. I haven't had any problems with it.

[jkp1187]

Thanks. We're going to try both the A3 2.0T and the A3 TDI. The decision is my wife's, since it will be her primary car, though.

There are only three things that have appeared on my radar that I'm a little concerned about:

1.) There's rumors of HPFP trouble with the TDI powertrain swirling on TDICLUB.com. I already have one car whose achilles' heel is the HPFP, not sure I want another one!
2.) THe possibility of (expensive) gasoline mis-fueling. (Neither of us have ever owned a diesel before.)
3.) We live in a colder climate, and I've heard that it takes a bit longer for heaters to blow hot b/c the engine doesn't get warm was fast as a gasoline engine.

I'm also kind of wondering about the Toyota Prius, since it seems to be a shade bigger, although I'm sure the driving dynamics of the Audi will be 100x better.

[MaxHedrm]

1) That's what warranties are for. All new cars have expensive parts that will eventually break. From what I've read, the pump does seem to fail in a bad way, but I don't think of it as a real worry.

2) Just pay attention to what you're doing. Pennsylvania isn't one of those annoying states where they make someone else fill it up, is it?

3) That is what I've heard as well, but VWs (& I would assume the A3 as well) have a heat strip in the heater that will turn on to at least warm the air a little. I got mine in March, so I haven't had much of a chance to test it.

The Prius may appear larger, but I'm not sure it really is from a usable interior space perspective. And I think it might be more like 1000x better.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by MaxHedrm

1) That's what warranties are for. All new cars have expensive parts that will eventually break. From what I've read, the pump does seem to fail in a bad way, but I don't think of it as a real worry.

Fair point, hope you're right. The thing that worries me isn't the part failing so much as that it seems to go spectacularly when it does. Guess I might just start changing my own fuel filter and religiously checking it...

2) Just pay attention to what you're doing. Pennsylvania isn't one of those annoying states where they make someone else fill it up, is it?

No, but the car's for Mrs. JKP1187 and she has to drive to NJ sometimes, which is just such an annoying state.

3) That is what I've heard as well, but VWs (& I would assume the A3 as well) have a heat strip in the heater that will turn on to at least warm the air a little. I got mine in March, so I haven't had much of a chance to test it.

Yeah, and not like you'd be able to give me some true cold-weather feedback from Texas anyway! The TDIClub people seemed to think it was no big deal, and I suppose a lot of people from Canada drive them anyway. It's just that I'm the one who suggested diesel to my wife, and it'll be bad if there are some 'comfort' issues that she doesn't like.

The Prius may appear larger, but I'm not sure it really is from a usable interior space perspective. And I think it might be more like 1000x better.

You may be right -- we'll see. She's going to test the A3 and Prius this weekend.

Thanks again!

[jkp1187]

We just got back from test-driving an A3 TDI, an A3 2.0T Quattro, and a Prius.

We were very impressed with the A3 TDI. It drove and handled very well -- in fact, I noticed a significant difference between how the A3 TDI drove and the Jetta Sportswagen TDI we test-drove last week -- which surprised me. (The Jetta felt a bit wheezy in acceleration and a bit sloppy in some turns, the A3 hugged the road very nicely and hat lots of pickup.)

The 2.0T Quattro was just as nice. Clearly a 'faster' car, but we both walked away from it thinking that, all things considered, we'd rather have the diesel, both for the lower up-front price, and the lower fuel cost in the long run.

We also test-drove a Prius. I know a lot of people interested in eco-driving swear by them, but frankly we weren't as impressed. The interior just seemed...cheap compared to the Audi. It was a brand-new Prius still in the plastic wrapping, but we could hear some interior rattles during the test drive. The lack of power seats was a minus. And I think by the official numbers, the Prius has slightly more cargo carrying capacity than the A3, it didn't look that way from our eyeball test.

So overall, I think the TDI sold us! Looks like we have the 'car buying' bug, so we may be making a purchase sooner than we thought.

[MaxHedrm]

Nice. That's good to hear.

The improved handling of the A3 over the Jetta doesn't surprise me. If they were both DSG the A3 may also have different programming than the Jetta. I know my manual Golf feels a lot peppier than the DSG Jetta I drove.

I think there is often a big difference between numerical cargo capacity & useable cargo capacity.

[jkp1187]

Yep, the Jetta and the Audis were all DSGs.

[GaryTDI]

I just bought a 2012 Golf TDI in July and I'm curious if you are seeing the same thing I am with the overall fuel economy reported by the computer. Mine is reporting about 3 MPG better than I am calculating at the pump. Even my best tank average on fuelly is about 1 MPG under what the computer is telling me my average is. I'm wondering if something is up with the computer or if this is normal. Thanks.

[MaxHedrm]

For me the computer tends to be between about .5 and 1 mpg optimistic. I'm not sure what makes the difference other than possibly not filling it to the same level every time (though I cheat & fill it til visible in the neck, so it should be pretty close).