it takes a lot longer to warm up on cold days, but recall reading that 2011 TDIs had a heating element in the dash that provided warm air within 30 seconds of starting the car. that's what mine did. i seem to remember reading on a forum that not all TDI Golfs had this brilliant piece of technology.
6
Why Do So Many People Switch To TDI?
- Thread starter lilfleck
- Start date
it takes a lot longer to warm up on cold days, but recall reading that 2011 TDIs had a heating element in the dash that provided warm air within 30 seconds of starting the car. that's what mine did. i seem to remember reading on a forum that not all TDI Golfs had this brilliant piece of technology.
Thanks man.
It's hard to put an honest word out sometimes, because sometimes fanboys act offended if you say anything negative or critiquing.
I got hounded in another forum because I said the TDI suspension sucks compared to the GTI, but if you've driven both cars the way they're designed to be driven, it's apparent.
My only advice to GTI owners, when you need to buy tires, buy harder rubber. It makes the rear end just a tad looser, and the car is much more fun to drive. I had a blast in mine with them.
Just to add, I miss my MKV GTI every single day.
MM48
Saabstory
.:R32 OG Member # 002
I drive a '12 TDI now; my previous daily driver was a MKV R32 for 100K+ miles; and my wife's daily is an '09 GTI DSG (TSI). So I think I have a pretty good assessment of all 3 as well 
I'd say most of your points are pretty good MM48. Our opinions are a little different but not by far, I'd say overall you pretty much summed up my feelings as well. The Steering wheel does annoy me, I already have a Golf R wheel to swap in, just working on getting the needed airbag for that one. :thumbsup:
I don't really care so much about handling these days, which is why I went to a TDI among other reasons; but for a FWD car I think it handles pretty well. Most of your complaints about handling are due to the tires more than the suspension (other than body roll). A simple drop, RSB and quality tires would make a world of difference with this car. Considering most performance minded GTI drivers do these to their car anyway; seems to be a wash as far as I can tell.
1 thing, however, is the seats. The TDI seats are the exact same "Sport" seats as the GTI interlagos; just have different cloth on them. the Autobahn leather seats are "Top Sport" seats and are better bolstered and more supportive. Did you have leather in your MKV GTI? If you have cloth GTI seats, you have the same seats in the TDI.
I loved the hell out of my R32. Other than fuel economy it was the all around best car in the world for a daily driver. But I certainly can't complain; the TDI is about 80% as much car, but is saving me $500 or more a month in fuel alone :iono:
I'd say most of your points are pretty good MM48. Our opinions are a little different but not by far, I'd say overall you pretty much summed up my feelings as well. The Steering wheel does annoy me, I already have a Golf R wheel to swap in, just working on getting the needed airbag for that one. :thumbsup:
I don't really care so much about handling these days, which is why I went to a TDI among other reasons; but for a FWD car I think it handles pretty well. Most of your complaints about handling are due to the tires more than the suspension (other than body roll). A simple drop, RSB and quality tires would make a world of difference with this car. Considering most performance minded GTI drivers do these to their car anyway; seems to be a wash as far as I can tell.
1 thing, however, is the seats. The TDI seats are the exact same "Sport" seats as the GTI interlagos; just have different cloth on them. the Autobahn leather seats are "Top Sport" seats and are better bolstered and more supportive. Did you have leather in your MKV GTI? If you have cloth GTI seats, you have the same seats in the TDI.
I loved the hell out of my R32. Other than fuel economy it was the all around best car in the world for a daily driver. But I certainly can't complain; the TDI is about 80% as much car, but is saving me $500 or more a month in fuel alone :iono:
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xytbyk
Go Kart Champion
Nice review. By and large, I concur. I definitely agree that the contis aren't very good, but haven't really experienced the type of scrubbing you describe and I've driven the TDI pretty hard a lot. There's body roll, but it's predictable, and as long as I take a reasonable angle and stay smooth, the car is compliant through turns.
Maybe you're hammering it so hard that ESP or some other nanny is intervening? It sounds like we're in the same area, so we can probably fix at least some of that nonsense in VCDS if you want.
I think the suspension on my TDI feels much closer to my (stock) GTI than a 2.5, maybe 85% of the way there with the same tires. It's certainly not a race car, but, as you kind of say, it also is nowhere close to Prius/Versa/HHR territory (traveling for work allows me the luxury of driving some of the least sporty cars sold in the US, so I know all too well what a shitty handling car feels like).
squashbear
New member
74mpg
Yup, as the title states I can average 74mpg @ 70mph in a 2009 2.0TDI. This is NOT the BlueMotion version, just a regular TDI. Plus I have all the usual Golf refinements. I had a 2012 petrol TSI last week, it barely made 35mpg. Not a difficult choice in my mind
Yup, as the title states I can average 74mpg @ 70mph in a 2009 2.0TDI. This is NOT the BlueMotion version, just a regular TDI. Plus I have all the usual Golf refinements. I had a 2012 petrol TSI last week, it barely made 35mpg. Not a difficult choice in my mind
toproy
Ricer hunter
Well thought assessment.
I had a MKV Tornado Red GTI. Mine had the 18" Hufeisen and sunroof with interlagos seats.
I owned a MKI back in the day and I wanted a GTI that was reminiscent of that original beauty. I am the kind of guy that did not had a Countach on a poster, I had a "Caribe GT" which was the Mexican version of the Golf GTI.
There are no words to describe how much I loved my MKV, up to the point that this car really saved my life. On Christmas eve 2011, a drunk teen driver on his daddy's Tahoe hit me on the side rear, my car was launched to the other side of the road and a lady on a Lexus hit me on the front.
I had non but a minor scratch on the forehead and some neck pain. But I had to be taken out of the car by cutting the door because it would not open and the one on the other side was melted in since this is near where the criminal hit.
With my insurance check, I went to the VW dealer, and behold they did have those new MKVI GTI, the old CC (not the super cool new one with the LED tails and HID heads) and a shark blue, manual TDI with the exact same set up as my old GTI as far as equipment (plus the touch screen HD radio with the very nice Bluetooth thing).
Truth to be told, I think the biggest difference between my TDI which has already 12K miles, and my old MKV GTI is that it is a MKVI.
You see, the old MKV was designed and made in an era where VW did not put so much impetus on profits, ergo their cars were a lot more beautiful and a lot more fun.
The MKVI has "improvement" that are gimmicks and marketing tricks but in reality it is a cheaper car.
The paint on the MKV was a pain, it chipped way to easy, and it had to have a sacrificial layer of tick wax all the time, but gosh is it beautiful. And I mention the paint because that is the only complain I ever had about it.
Yes, the Dunlops were not that great but once I changed them for softer tires, that car was a riot. And it was not just the superb TSI 2.0 which unlike the FSI required less maintenance and did not eat oil. It was the passion with which you can tell it was built.
DSG? I do not intend to insult, but are you serious? The manual can not hold a candle to the DSG, what lag? It is one of the fastest shifting transmissions on earth. If you were not shifting faster on a DSG than you could ever on a manual, then you were driving it wrong.
And lets move away from the handling, because it is absolutely unfair to compare a Diesel with a Gaser. And yes, the handling on the TDI is not as sharp as on the GTI nor the turning as precise, but on long haul drives, the softer set up is much appreciated.
But the interiors, lets check that. Our GTI had dials in blue and red which I though twas the coolest thing. And that set up was there since 2000 or so, since the MKIV. Why did they went to a boring white that looks like anything else out there, beats me.
The glass on the dials was glass, not plexi that gets scratched. It was not just glass, it was tempered glass with a non reflective coating, like a Porsche.
Down to the hazard button it was cooler. The MKV hazard button was a red triangle that looked awesome, the new one is just an old fashioned painted rectangle.
The wheel made you feel you were driving a Lambo. The flat dash with that thing in the middle, the grille that I never knew what it was for, looks a lot more interesting than that curbed thing we have on our MKVI.
And the Xenons were standard even on the cheapest set up.
I even liked those things that looked like handles next to the shifter.
Its not just the handling, because today's MKVI GTI is as good in that department if not better than the MKV, but the biggest difference between what you compare here is that your GTI was a MKV and your TDI is a MKVI.
And yes, the TDI is a fine vehicle, and I wish we had access to the GTD. But you can make a TDI look really cool (on the outside) and perform as a GTD with relatively cheap mods (in the order of 3-4K dollars). And in that, if you do it, I think it would be superior (although not faster) than a MKVI GTI.
The longer distances you can drive with the same tank and the amazing TDI torque make up for the 0-60 time.
But to compare it to a MKV GTI is nearly futile because in my opinion, the MKVI GTI can not compare with the MKV GTI in overall happiness and the R comes close, but not quite. It is a lot more expensive, in a price range that you could look into getting a used 911 or a Cayman, or a nice Boxter or an S4, or an S6 etc. etc. And even that super expensive Golf R has less of those small details that make a large difference than the MKV GTI had.
In conclusion, I will stay with my TDI until the wheels fall off. It is a fine car, but I will never love it nearly as close as I loved the GTI. I have not even washed my TDI since I bought it... I let the rain take care of that.
The TDI for me its an appliance, the MKV GTI was a dream come true.
I had a MKV Tornado Red GTI. Mine had the 18" Hufeisen and sunroof with interlagos seats.
I owned a MKI back in the day and I wanted a GTI that was reminiscent of that original beauty. I am the kind of guy that did not had a Countach on a poster, I had a "Caribe GT" which was the Mexican version of the Golf GTI.
There are no words to describe how much I loved my MKV, up to the point that this car really saved my life. On Christmas eve 2011, a drunk teen driver on his daddy's Tahoe hit me on the side rear, my car was launched to the other side of the road and a lady on a Lexus hit me on the front.
I had non but a minor scratch on the forehead and some neck pain. But I had to be taken out of the car by cutting the door because it would not open and the one on the other side was melted in since this is near where the criminal hit.
With my insurance check, I went to the VW dealer, and behold they did have those new MKVI GTI, the old CC (not the super cool new one with the LED tails and HID heads) and a shark blue, manual TDI with the exact same set up as my old GTI as far as equipment (plus the touch screen HD radio with the very nice Bluetooth thing).
Truth to be told, I think the biggest difference between my TDI which has already 12K miles, and my old MKV GTI is that it is a MKVI.
You see, the old MKV was designed and made in an era where VW did not put so much impetus on profits, ergo their cars were a lot more beautiful and a lot more fun.
The MKVI has "improvement" that are gimmicks and marketing tricks but in reality it is a cheaper car.
The paint on the MKV was a pain, it chipped way to easy, and it had to have a sacrificial layer of tick wax all the time, but gosh is it beautiful. And I mention the paint because that is the only complain I ever had about it.
Yes, the Dunlops were not that great but once I changed them for softer tires, that car was a riot. And it was not just the superb TSI 2.0 which unlike the FSI required less maintenance and did not eat oil. It was the passion with which you can tell it was built.
DSG? I do not intend to insult, but are you serious? The manual can not hold a candle to the DSG, what lag? It is one of the fastest shifting transmissions on earth. If you were not shifting faster on a DSG than you could ever on a manual, then you were driving it wrong.
And lets move away from the handling, because it is absolutely unfair to compare a Diesel with a Gaser. And yes, the handling on the TDI is not as sharp as on the GTI nor the turning as precise, but on long haul drives, the softer set up is much appreciated.
But the interiors, lets check that. Our GTI had dials in blue and red which I though twas the coolest thing. And that set up was there since 2000 or so, since the MKIV. Why did they went to a boring white that looks like anything else out there, beats me.
The glass on the dials was glass, not plexi that gets scratched. It was not just glass, it was tempered glass with a non reflective coating, like a Porsche.
Down to the hazard button it was cooler. The MKV hazard button was a red triangle that looked awesome, the new one is just an old fashioned painted rectangle.
The wheel made you feel you were driving a Lambo. The flat dash with that thing in the middle, the grille that I never knew what it was for, looks a lot more interesting than that curbed thing we have on our MKVI.
And the Xenons were standard even on the cheapest set up.
I even liked those things that looked like handles next to the shifter.
Its not just the handling, because today's MKVI GTI is as good in that department if not better than the MKV, but the biggest difference between what you compare here is that your GTI was a MKV and your TDI is a MKVI.
And yes, the TDI is a fine vehicle, and I wish we had access to the GTD. But you can make a TDI look really cool (on the outside) and perform as a GTD with relatively cheap mods (in the order of 3-4K dollars). And in that, if you do it, I think it would be superior (although not faster) than a MKVI GTI.
The longer distances you can drive with the same tank and the amazing TDI torque make up for the 0-60 time.
But to compare it to a MKV GTI is nearly futile because in my opinion, the MKVI GTI can not compare with the MKV GTI in overall happiness and the R comes close, but not quite. It is a lot more expensive, in a price range that you could look into getting a used 911 or a Cayman, or a nice Boxter or an S4, or an S6 etc. etc. And even that super expensive Golf R has less of those small details that make a large difference than the MKV GTI had.
In conclusion, I will stay with my TDI until the wheels fall off. It is a fine car, but I will never love it nearly as close as I loved the GTI. I have not even washed my TDI since I bought it... I let the rain take care of that.
The TDI for me its an appliance, the MKV GTI was a dream come true.
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troyguitar
Go Kart Champion
The main reason I would like to switch from my GTI to a TDI if I could do so at no cost is that my lifestyle changed 2 months after buying the car. I went from driving 5k miles per year to 25k miles per year, 95% of which are using cruise control on the interstate for hours at a time. Getting 30+% better fuel mileage would save me a lot of money.
I would even trade for the 1.6 BlueMotion TDI if it were offered here.
I would even trade for the 1.6 BlueMotion TDI if it were offered here.
troyguitar
Go Kart Champion
Yeah I mean if I could switch over at no cost then I would. I'm not going to switch in reality because it would not be possible to do at no cost.
maxtdi
Go Kart Champion
Yep, ppl do a lot of irrational things when it comes to cars. If you already purchased a GTI it makes no sense getting a TDI.
Lets just say you do a trade straight across... and only pay for tax and reg. $2300
Now lets say one drives 15,000 miles a year
At 3.80 a gallon for premium and 26mpg. $2200 in fuel per year for the GTI vs
At 3.80 for diesel and 38mpg, $1500 per year in fuel for the TDI.
That's ~700$ a year in fuel savings... or $58 a month.
It would take over 3 years to recoup the tax/registration fees alone... :lol:
Hey,
I would agree as far as the upgrades to the car's suspension, unfortunately I don't have a car play budget at the moment. I'm not so sure about the seats, both were cloth, but the GTI's seats were different. Even the first time I sat in the TDI, it felt weird to me, and I had to get used to it. The GTI seats simply held me in better.
I really miss the detroits too, the stock 17" alloys on the TDI are ugly to me.
Can't complain about the mileage though, with how much I drive, since it's our main family car. Don't really care how many miles go on the odometer either as these things are bulletproof. I use the gasbuddy app on my phone to check up on the price of Diesel whenever I need to fuel up. I'm averaging about 35mpg overall. I take the freeway to work 10 miles, but take side streets home because of the traffic. Thats what kills my mileage.
One day I'll do the suspension upgrades and probably be happy with it. I learned too, the TDI does not have a rear sway bar like the GTI, and that's a huge factor in the handling. I REALLY enjoyed my MKV GTI, it was like driving a car in a video game.
I wish sport mode shifted into 6th, because it would be a lot more fun to drive around in that. Feels much more like the gas engine. I'll look into the APR mod eventually.
I did make sure I get bi-xenons on my TDI, couldn't imagine driving around with incan's after driving the GTI!!
MM48
-- Just re-read my own post, I sound like I'm 19 again! Oh well, I've had wheels on the brain since I knew what a wheel was. Eternally a kid at heart when it comes to cars.
I would agree as far as the upgrades to the car's suspension, unfortunately I don't have a car play budget at the moment. I'm not so sure about the seats, both were cloth, but the GTI's seats were different. Even the first time I sat in the TDI, it felt weird to me, and I had to get used to it. The GTI seats simply held me in better.
I really miss the detroits too, the stock 17" alloys on the TDI are ugly to me.
Can't complain about the mileage though, with how much I drive, since it's our main family car. Don't really care how many miles go on the odometer either as these things are bulletproof. I use the gasbuddy app on my phone to check up on the price of Diesel whenever I need to fuel up. I'm averaging about 35mpg overall. I take the freeway to work 10 miles, but take side streets home because of the traffic. Thats what kills my mileage.
One day I'll do the suspension upgrades and probably be happy with it. I learned too, the TDI does not have a rear sway bar like the GTI, and that's a huge factor in the handling. I REALLY enjoyed my MKV GTI, it was like driving a car in a video game.
I wish sport mode shifted into 6th, because it would be a lot more fun to drive around in that. Feels much more like the gas engine. I'll look into the APR mod eventually.
I did make sure I get bi-xenons on my TDI, couldn't imagine driving around with incan's after driving the GTI!!
MM48
-- Just re-read my own post, I sound like I'm 19 again! Oh well, I've had wheels on the brain since I knew what a wheel was. Eternally a kid at heart when it comes to cars.
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maxtdi
Go Kart Champion
^^^ You need to brush up a little more on the GTI/TDI.
The suspension is very very similar as are the seats, and the TDI does have a rear swaybar.
If you wanted to firm up the ride and make the car handle better the single best mod is 18" wheels and summer tires. But you will give up some ride quality. This car is still very firm.
And these cars are not bulletproof, the 2.5 I5 is bulletproof.
The suspension is very very similar as are the seats, and the TDI does have a rear swaybar.
If you wanted to firm up the ride and make the car handle better the single best mod is 18" wheels and summer tires. But you will give up some ride quality. This car is still very firm.
And these cars are not bulletproof, the 2.5 I5 is bulletproof.
CoNGLoMeRaTeGTi1
Passed Driver's Ed
The Jetta TDI is solid rear. No sway bar.
Love my Jetta TDI. I average 40-42MPG. Mainly highway driving @ 80MPH
maxtdi
Go Kart Champion
Who is talking about the Jetta? :laugh: That poster states that he has a golf TDI.