04 Jetta TDI or Subaru Legacy GT?

Go with the TDI. It is a superb car and I think that you will find that it is a worth sucessor to your Subarus. Granted, you may have a few more minor problems with the car then you would have had with your Subaru's, but that's what a warranty is for!

- Peter

I think that the Legacy will be majorly redone next year (or did that already happen).

We have a Jetta wagon with the 2.0L and it has been good so far. 33,000 miles with no problems so far. I couldn't find a TDI when I was shopping...wish I waited.

I think both cars are great. I have owned both and have found them to be reliable cars...I think it comes down to your personal preference.

One question you need to answere is how far is your average trip? Unless you drive a lot (30k a year) then skip the tdi! I have a 99.5 jetta tdi and a 96 passat wagon tdi before that. Great cars both of them but it takes my jetta

4 miles to warm up on the freeway and winter is just starting in Ohio. By the way unless your in Canada and talking imperial gallons your mileage will be in the just shy of 50 mpg range most of the time. The jetta tdi is fun to drive, even at 111k miles.

Joe R

This is not accurate. I have a 2001 Golf TDI rated by EPA at an average of 49 mpg/highway. The 2004 model year will be the first to use a newer type of TDI engine. This will result in slightly more power, but at the price of a very modest reduction to fuel economy (something like one or two miles per gallon less).

I love my TDI and recommend you test drive one.

Yes I am in Canada, Our gallon is = to 1.17us Gallon thus 50mpg x 1.17 =

58.5mpg. The Transpot Canada rating is 4.4litres/100km hwy, 5.6litres/100km city. This equates to over approx 64mpg hwy.

This is a good argument to prevent further legalization of marijuana. The tops you will see is low 50's and expect in the 40's

--TW Rumours of 64 MPG are greatly exaggerated.

I drive the piss out of my 4 speed automatic diesel, and she still gets

6.4-6.8L per 100kms, most of that city driving. My highway figures are a lot higher then the EPA rating because I don't drive 100kph in the highways (I don't like 100kph... its too slow, 130 is more comfortable). I get around 5.5 on the highways.

Your numbers are a LOT lower than what I see. I haven't done the calcs on the current TDI (02 Jetta) but on the 2001 Jetta TDI that I had for just short of 2 years I got 50.5 average MPG (Imperial gallons) over 30,000 KM. (That is total distance divided by total fuel, not just a single fill.) I am in the Kitchener area of southen Ontario.

If you are seeing lower numbers, it may be related to your location. I find a significant drop in economy in the winter months, when they start using winterized fuel. Maybe the blend you get has even less oomph...

Anyway, I don't have any trouble getting over 50 from mine, and I've got a lead foot.

I'm getting about 6L/100km on my Golf TDI (5-speed manual). This is mixed driving to/from work mostly. About 40km/day, I've put ~8000km on it since May. I tend to use most of the dynamic range of the engine (from 2krpm to 4krpm). I'm sure if I shifted more conservatively I would get better mileage.

It does take a while to warm up now that the cold weather has started (I'm in Toronto), but that's what the heated seats are for.

As a diesel, you should know that acceleration isn't the greatest (even with a manual).

Sorry, I'm talking US gallons; they are about .5l less than Imperial or 1.2 US gal. to 1 Imperial gal.

--TW Death to non-metric measurements.

steering wheel with radio buttons on it.... nice car.

Did those changes make it to the wagon too? I know that the wagon escaped the other changes that the sedan got (chrome trim on the moldings, new rear lamp lenses, etc.).

The wagon still has the old style cluster....

However, the Wagon with Premium Package has the multi function steering wheel. The MFS is not standard on every model, but is included in the luxury package.

- Peter

I have an '01. Unless they've made some astounding changes, you won't get 65 miles per gallon. I regularly get 44, regardless of driving style. On the freeway I get up to 50. It's given me fine service so far, though I have to replace the annoying timing belt soon (mandatory at 60,000--80,000 for the newer ones). Supposedly they didn't use a chain "because of the noise." Right.

Regards,

Mike Beede

According to my product source book, the only wagon's that have steering wheel controls either have it as a standalone option, or as part of the leather package.

The wagon does not have the new cluster.

- Peter

According to the 2004 brochure I have the multifunction steering wheel comes standard on the GLX, is unavailable on the GLI and is an option on the GLS. Wagon or sedan does not appear to matter.

Well, the GLX is no longer available in Canada. It's been discontinued.

- Peter