Bought a TDI

Want one in the worst way, but love my truck too much!

I got fuel today 45.2 mpg calculated by fuelly.

TDI SportWagon is the wife's new car, as of two weeks ago. Seems terribly dangerous... I can't manage to keep it under 80mph once I get on the highway. Trying to convince the wife I should get the Jetta and she should take the '01 Insight... for her own safety, of course.

branchburner said:

TDI SportWagon is the wife's new car, as of two weeks ago. Seems terribly dangerous... I can't manage to keep it under 80mph once I get on the highway. Trying to convince the wife I should get the Jetta and she should take the '01 Insight... for her own safety, of course.

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Good luck with that argument. I can't wait to give my wife back the keys to her 2006 Jetta TDI (sedan) tonight, and go back to driving my car. Seems like every time I drive her car, it's on the hairy edge of being out of fuel. When I left for work yesterday, I filled up my '04 Jetta Wagon TDI, so I had 600+ miles of range left on mine.

For some reason, driving my wife's '06 does make me want to put a few more turns toward firm on the Koni adjustable suspension under my wagon. The stock '06 is definitely firmer than my '04 wagon, and just feels better.

Regarding your issue with your wife's new SportWagon, I found back in 2006 when I got an '06 Jetta_TDI company car that I stayed closer to the speed limit if I just used the cruise control. Otherwise the speed creeps up before you know it. I use it almost all the time to keep me out of trouble, especially in the '06 because it is quieter inside than my '04, so it seems like it is going slower.

I had an '06 TDI Jetta Sedan which regularly got 40-42mpg on the open road if you can keep your foot out of it. The '09 TDI Jetta Sportwagon I have now will get ~44on the open road but that'll go down quickly to the high 30's if you push your speed. Locking my cruise in @2200rpm (69mph) is the sweet spot. If I'm cruising @ 77mph I lose something like 5mpg.

Both cars have/had the 6 speed DSG. I wonder if the gearing in 6th is different for the manuals.

CombatChris said:

Both cars have/had the 6 speed DSG. I wonder if the gearing in 6th is different for the manuals.

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According to factory window stickers, the gearing of the DSG in the '06 was good for 42mpg highway where the '06 5spd was 41mpg, not sure how the later 6spd manuals stack up. I had the pleasure of putting 90k miles on an '06 Jetta_TDI_DSG as my company car until 2012. My commute was 32 miles door to door, mix of 6 miles city, 26 miles interstate with 70mph speed limit. I regularly got 39mpg in it. I could coax 41mpg out of the DSG if I ran closer to 65mph (which was 70mph on the optimistic speedo). The TDI had the lowest fuel bill in the company fleet.

My wife's '06 (5psd manual) will do 46-47mpg on our summer trips from Florida to Maine at interstate speeds. Best I have ever managed to do in it was 688 miles on 13.263 gallons filled up to the brim of the filler neck [51.9mpg]. (I did it on twisty, mountain, two lane back roads through NY, NH, VT with the A/C off and sunroof open. It was 43°F when I filled up the tank). Optimal speed for the '06 5spd is ~42mph where it gets 60+mpg according to the geeks on TDI club. I've got an Ultragauge EM in my '04 and keep meaning to pick one up for the wife's '06.

Still driving my 82 VW diesel pickup.
Mileage usually high 40's and sometime in low 50's. Winter running fuel oil(North Dakota) with additive it can drop into low 40's.

Paid for a few decades ago and runs well. Sure wish VW would bring in the TDI pickups they sell in Europe.

Biggest problem is getting high Cetane diesel fuel here in the US. Most stations don't know what they are selling and some don't even know what 'cetane rating' is.

Deardorff said:

Still driving my 82 VW diesel pickup.
Mileage usually high 40's and sometime in low 50's. Winter running fuel oil(North Dakota) with additive it can drop into low 40's.
.

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Dodge just came out with a half ton getting about 28 Hwy. There is still a need for a compact pickup that would do much better. Toyota used to make one in the 80s. I think ill wind up going straight to electric by the time anyone fills the gap.

begreen said:

My '94 Ranger can get 30+ on the freeway if I drive at 60mph. It's 5th gear is definitely overdrive.

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Iv never heard of any non-diesel truck getting in the 30s. The ranger is not rated for that kind of MPG so your doing pretty good.

Seasoned Oak said:

Dodge just came out with a half ton getting about 28 Hwy. There is still a need for a compact pickup that would do much better. Toyota used to make one in the 80s. I think ill wind up going straight to electric by the time anyone fills the gap.

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Chevy is bring the Colorado back, and it's supposed to have a diesel. I haven't seen any official numbers yet, but I think a midsized pickup with a 4 cylinder diesel stands a decent chance at 30+ mpg.

I cant do manual tranny anymore. Bought a tacoma a few years back from a guy who said he was selling it cuz shifting was too hard on his knees. I sold it soon after for reliability issues but it was (shifting)definitely too hard on the knees. All auto for me from here on out.

begreen said:

2nd one that I've had that can do it. The previous one was a '93, manual everything including steering. 4 cyl with a tall 5th gear and under 3000 lbs. Minimal accessories and no A/C also helps. I keep the tire pressure up around 38 lbs.. Cruise at 55-60mph in 5th and it will deliver low 30s as long as it's not pulling or hauling a load. Newer models put on a couple hundred pounds or more and have a bit lower 5th gear.

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I thought they stopped making the ranger? The ranger was #! for fuel efficient pickups, even beating the little toyota minitrucks. It's a shame to see them stop production.

nate379 said:

Calculate the fuel mileage by hand just to make sure that the computer is somewhat accurate.... I wonder if it hasn't had a chance to "calibrate" being it's a new car?

I don't mean to sound like a debbie downer, but I'd be very surprised if it's getting that good of fuel mileage. Most people average high 30s-low 40s with the newer models.

I have a 2005 Mk4 Jetta, and it has averaged about 43mpg over the 4 years I've had it. ( I keep track of every fillup) BEST tank I ever got was 48mpg and worst was 37mpg. Mine is the pump doushe (hehe) BEW motor, not as good as fuel mileage as the older mechanical pump mk4s.



Matt... a truck is WAY too handy to not have one! I just use the Jetta as the "beater" for commuting. Also have a diesel truck, but at ~15mpg I'd go broke driving it 500 miles a week to work and back.

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your always a debbie downer nate! is this something new? nope.

I've had a Toyota Echo for 14 years, not a diesel of course but it gets 45-50 mpg consistently on the highway but less in the winter. It has 212,000 on the clock and still runs like new. I've always had a gas sipping car and a old truck on the side.

WiscWoody said:

I've had a Toyota Echo for 14 years, not a diesel of course but it gets 45-50 mpg consistently on the highway but less in the winter. It has 212,000 on the clock and still runs like new. I've always had a gas sipping car and a old truck on the side.

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We have friends with an Echo with 300k+ on it. They say they double the value of it every time they replace the tires on it! They keep driving the Echo and are looking forward to getting an Elio to replace it.

Picked up a used hitch for our '06 Jetta_TDI sedan the other night from Craigslist. Might as well put the diesel torque to work.

In the event anyone is interested, I will probably be selling my 99 tdi jetta (193k miles on it) in the next few months. Need an automatic car for the wife, yadda yadda yadda. PM if interested.

Probably will put on the grill block insulation this weekend, getting cold. Still getting 52mpg in this temp.

For sale: 1999.5 Jetta TDI - $2500 - Philadelphia
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=428256

thats the link for mine if anyone is interested, good car, but the family life forces me into a different one.