anti Touareg sentiment

yes

Well, if I were indepently wealthy I might consider a Touareg just because I'm a VW fan. But looking at the EPA 12/18 sticker in the window, I just don't think I could justify it.

I don't understand why VW couldn't come up with a more fuel-efficient powertrain for the Touareg. From what I've read, the 24 mpg V-10 diesel is one the way to the US, but my guess is that it will cost $5000 or $10000 more than the V6 model.

To tell you the thuth, I can't understand why any company would design a V10 for a passenger vehicle. Or a V12 for that matter. Other than for just plain old bragging rights, of course. Are they really so more efficient than a V8 or a V6 that it's worth it to add all that complexity and extra parts (and COST)? I suspect that if VW could come up with a straight 6 or V6 diesel powered Touareg for a reasonable price they'd sell a ton of them.

Bill

78 Rabbit...10/77 - 4/02 82 Convertibles(s)...since 93 95 Golf GL...since 11/99 02 Passat 1.8T Tip GLS...since 4/02

Ditto. My full sized truck gets 18-20 mpg the way I use it daily... that's about the mimimum mileage I can bear, and it still hurts some. ;-)

IMHO, bragging rights is the answer. The typical American consumer doesn't buy for practicality or efficiency, they buy to impress the neighbors. Take a look/listen to recent Dodge truck commercials for example... One of them has a song with the chorus "intimidate without even trying..." Uh, whatever. It's almost embarrassing. Of course none of them will admit that that's why they buy. ;-)

And to be fair, my wife's jetta wagon is a 1.8t. A 2.0 or TDI would've been more practical, but the 1.8t is more fun... Obviously I'm not above buying for reasons other than practicality myself, though I do think I give it a bit more thought than the average consumer.

Yep. When the next planned addition to the family comes along, I'm going to "need" something that can seat 4 and tow a few thousand pounds. I'd like for that vehicle to be reasonably priced and fairly fuel efficient. My options are pretty slim at this point.

Craig

I'm well aware of the fact that many SUVs slip through loopholes in safty regulation because they qualify as trcuks, not as cars, which are held to different standards. However, take a look at the crash-test scores on the Toureag and Cayenne, Volvo XC90, Acura MDX and BMW X3/X5. You'll notice all of them scored highly and none of them are prone to rollovers. If these vehicles cause accidents, it's the drivers faults. Steve Grauman

Don't feel bad, the 1.8T and 2.0 actually get more or less identicle gas mileage, that's one of the reasons the 1.8T is such a great engine. Only the TDi would've been more fuel effcient, and it's understandable why you wouldn't want that slug to drive everyday. Steve Grauman

Umm the TDI is not a slug.

0-60 in 9.0 + seconds from a compact car isn't sluggish to you? The 1.8T Jetta gets very good gas mileage and is capable of 0-60 in 7.1 seconds with a stick. The TDi may be "useable", it's certainly not any slower than the average SUV. But it certainly won't make anyone's heart race. Steve Grauman

0-60 in 9 sec. in a car that also gets 65 MPG (Cdn) gets my heart racing.

Compared to a 1.8T it is :) Of course compared to a 1.8T a lot of nice cars are somewhat slug-like...

nate

D. Dub wrote:

I'd love to get 9 seconds from my Diesel... ive got the old 4 speed automatic TDI - I probably just break the 10 seconds (ie under 11 but more then 10) with my PSI tuning box.

There's certainly something said for economy, but that's a little ridiculous. The Toureag TDi V10 is amazing, great gas mileage, awesome torque and 0-60 in under 8 seconds. But it's also $55k. And no other Deisel I know of can match it's performance. Steve Grauman

Don't worry, I don't feel bad... ;-)

And FWIW, I would have preferred a TDI, but my wife really wanted the

1.8t/5spd. I was driving an A2 diesel jetta at the time, so the TDI felt like a ferrari in comparison.

Craig

Aw quit your complaining (;^D)...the only way my 52 HP or 48HP diesels could do

0-60 in under 10 seconds is if I drove them off a cliff.

I have been doing a daily commute in a diesel for 25 years, and rarely has acceleration been an issue.

0-60 times are only a big deal to young guys that read lots of car buff magazines, but have actually owned few vehicles and have limited driving experience.

Lots of talk...little connection to real world driving.

Having owned several diesel cars myself and driven thousands of miles in them, including the Sierra Nevada and Rockie mountains during ski trips, the power of a diesel is "enough" if you're a good smart driver, that anticipates traffic conditions and thinks ahead.

Somehow professional diesel truck drivers manage to get coast to coast, with very slow 0-60 times...

I agree. When I read magazines, I am amused by some comments that the writers make. They bitch about poor 0-60 times in a pick-up or mini-van. Acceleration times should be an issue in a sports car, or even a sports sedan...but what relevance is there in big luxury cars, economy cars, or utilitarian vehicles like vans.

The only issue I had when I hit the big mountains out west, was that the engine got HOT going up those big old mountains, and cooked some already near death glow plugs. It was a good thing I stayed on top of a hill that night, as I needed a good downhill coast to get the car fired up on a cold day with no glow plugs! (1 or 2 may have still been working)

I leased one for myself. Then I made the mistake of letting my wife drive it.

So I went out and purchased a new 2003 GLX Jetta for me, now we are both happy.

I get positive comments all of the time on the Touareg, it is a very nice vehicle, absolutely no complaints in the year we have driven it.

If you read the messages at this site I don't think many of the posters are in a position to acquire a $40,000+ vehicle.....yet.

LOL

Does anyone else see the extreme humor in those lines.

"leased one"

The classic way the auto industry gets folks you can't really afford a vehicle into it...

Sorta like "rent to own"

Amazing how many $40,000+ vehicles are parked outside cheap rental housing...

P.S. Pete, you don't have a clue about each posters real financial situation here...but you certainly gave some clues to yours...

We've had a few (expected) issues with diesels in the COLD mountains.

Once had an auxillary Racor fuel filter located too far from engine heat, and it got so cold the diesel fuel "jelled" in it. Had to be by-passed along side the road to get the car running again.

And once got so cold in Jackson Hole, WY, we had to leave the diesel running all night to have any hope of getting it started the next morning without extreme efforts. The locals all had some sort of auxillary heaters for their diesel...we didn't coming from a generally warm climate area.

The key to driving a diesel fast in the mountains, was trying to maintain momentum. Actually, far more challenging and fun than just mashing a gas pedal.

There is quite a bit of irony in Pete's post. I always thought of leasing the way JH indicates. It allows you to drive a car you really can't afford to own. Not a bad deal, but it means you are fowever making payments. Most modern cars will go a minimum of 100,000 miles with few issues if properly maintained. That means after the payments stop, I have 4 or 5 years free from that burden. I like that.

If one does a google search, I came up with one offer of $0 down, and $439 a month. Not too bad, especially if someone lives at home with mom and dad. I see plenty of young people in my area driving fancy cars. They probably have few or no other financial obligations, and sink most of their money in a car.

Hey, I bought a 79 Rabbit with my life savings in 1979, the year I finished high school...so I understand the pursuit of luxury! (;^P) Of course, I didn't have to give it back after 3 years, and drove it daily for the next 20.