Picked up a new 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI Sportswagen S to replace my Integra as a daily driver. Due to VW's EPA diesel emissions scandal the 2015 TDIs had a stop sale until recently. At which point VW made them available for purchase for very attractive deals. Breaking down the specs:

2.0 liter EA288 diesel engine with variable vane geometry turbo
150 hp @ 3000-4000 rpm
236 lb-ft @ 1750-3000 rpm
5300 rpm redline
AdBlue urea exhaust treatment system
6 speed dual clutch automatic transmission
3200 lb curb weight
31 city 42 hwy 35 mpg combined

On paper this car should be slower than my Integra but I'm not so sure that's the case. I considered getting manual transmission but the commute to RTP is getting worse by the day and I'm sick and tired of being stuck in it and constantly shifting. Besides I still have the Cayman to get my manual kicks with. Car has been getting amazing fuel mileage so far: around 38 mpg in mixed driving around Raleigh and RTP and averaged 50 mpg on a weekend trip to Charlotte. A few photos:

5/16/2017 9:36:35 AM

like, what kind of deal?

5/16/2017 9:42:57 AM

$5000 off MSRP and 0% financing

5/16/2017 9:50:52 AM

eh, not all that great. maybe good for vw.

5/16/2017 9:51:42 AM

Perhaps in general. Good luck finding a new TDI for less.

5/16/2017 10:13:22 AM

Quote :

"Due to VW's EPA diesel emissions scandal the 2015 TDIs had a stop sale until recently. "

Thanks for the hot tip dude

5/16/2017 10:47:29 AM

cute. what does your boyfriend think of it?

5/16/2017 3:06:43 PM

lol you gotta live up to that username eh

5/16/2017 3:26:52 PM

Congrats...now tint it please

5/16/2017 3:31:01 PM

Tint is on the list.

5/16/2017 3:58:20 PM

I hope that Durham tag has been removed from the hatch...

5/16/2017 7:38:22 PM

let me know when you are ready for some performance software.

5/17/2017 5:09:03 PM

I've had the car for about 5 weeks now, and almost have 3000 miles on the odometer. Lifetime fuel mileage for the car right now is around 44 mpg. Best one way trip average to date is 51.7 mpg. Commuting to work and driving around Raleigh I get low to mid 40s mpg.

Drafting on the interstate boosts efficiency, way WAY up. Even at 80-90 mph, on flat ground behind a large pickup or SUV, I get over 60 mpg. And I'm not talking about tailgating; 3-4 car lengths back.

6/12/2017 2:30:49 PM

I drove the Jetta Wagon TDI SEL manual. Nice vehicle. Excellent comfort. Very sporty feeling. Take offs felt terrible waiting for boost to build up until. The car felt like I had an anchor or had dropped half my cylinders until 3k rpm. Above 3,500rpm, the car thrives and feels great. Quite interior and drivetrain, responsive but comfortable suspension... I just couldn't get past the VW badge and the terrible feeling of taking off in 1st gear to justify buying one. Cool cars for sure. Just not for me. Enjoy your Teggy!

6/12/2017 6:08:32 PM

Hehe, peak horsepower is from 3000-4000 rpm so at 3500 rpm the party is already almost over!

6/13/2017 8:09:59 AM

^^ haha, who gives a shit about the high-RPM power delivery of a TDI? hahaha...that's like being concerned with the 1/4-mile times of my old V-10 Ram heavy duty.


^^^ I like TDIs; my buddy down here has a Sportwagen that I think is a great car...but I will say, my car will match or often beat most of those #s, with cheap & plentiful 87 octane gas. The only place it wouldn't hang is at high speed on the highway, but it would easily come out ahead in town.

Oh, and it should turn over 200,000 miles tomorrow, with zero unscheduled maintenance since I bought it with 66k, other than replacing front struts (and even that wasn't really necessary...they just squeaked some while going over speed bumps).

6/13/2017 5:12:57 PM

kinda goofy to compare a Honda Insight to a Golf TDI

6/13/2017 5:47:58 PM

They're aimed at the same market, though.

My golf gets up pretty good past 2500 rpm; 3500 is definitely in the juice, and it goes flat after 4500. If you stab the pedal before the engine is loaded up you definitely have to wait for power no matter where you are in the tach.

It actually feels pretty good down there in the 1-2 krpm range if you manage your expectations and only ever lightly press the pedal. Peak torque starts at 1800 rpm, and you have enough power off idle (1k rpm. engine shuts itself off under 800 rpm) to drive like a normal person. It drives well and gets out of it's own way if you drive in this manner. Hell, I think it's at 2k just around 70 mph in 6th gear. My rule of thumb for cruising on an even grade is 5th gear at 35, 6th at 45 and you're home free at 1200 rpm. It'll accelerate up from those points no problem (again, managing expectations).

When you want to go quick you have to get used to asking it for power before you need it. First gear launches are a little tricky because you have to let the engine load up (boost and fuel) before you let the clutch out too deeply into the friction point, and you have to have a little clutch out to load it up. One one side of that thin line you bog the engine. On the other side you get wheelspin and the tcs kicking in and killing the power (bog), or if you have tcs off you just roast the tires and people think you're speedracer peeling out making that left out of the parking lot

[Edited on June 13, 2017 at 6:25 PM. Reason : more specific]

6/13/2017 6:14:06 PM

Quote :

"my car will match or often beat most of those #s, with cheap & plentiful 87 octane gas"

It's not a VW tho.

[Edited on June 13, 2017 at 10:09 PM. Reason : It's also not a wagon]

6/13/2017 10:08:48 PM

^^Yeah first gear is also ridiculously short.

6/14/2017 7:53:54 AM

A brand new 3 year old car when you can purchase the gas version or Alltack for less

6/19/2017 4:54:18 AM

It's true, and true across the board for almost all new cars really. The market is slightly down and car makers are desperate for sales. New car prices for volume models are rock bottom right now.

My car is more like 2 years old, and if I wanted to unload it now (or in the near future) there's a good chance I can turn a tidy profit. While new 2017 gas Sportwagens are selling for as low as $17,700, that's not the case for TDIs. A lot are selling for $4,000 or more than what I paid, over $27,000. They seem to be in high demand:

https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?rd=500&mkId=20089&mdId=30003099&searchSource=ADVANCED_SEARCH&prMx=30000&drvTrnId=27101&cylCntId=28106&kw=TDI&kwm=ANY&zc=27603&stkTypId=28880

6/19/2017 8:59:10 AM

did you toss that integra then?

6/20/2017 2:10:17 PM

I did not. That was the plan, but plans change.

Stay tuned...

6/21/2017 8:48:40 AM

Quote :

" that's like being concerned with the 1/4-mile times of my old V-10 Ram heavy duty."

Which is?

^^^bet you could have sold from 3/21-3/22 for much profit

[Edited on May 4, 2023 at 2:18 AM. Reason : ^]

5/4/2023 2:18:38 AM

Well I sold my GTI for $2000 more than I purchased it for, 3 years earlier with 40k fewer miles.

5/4/2023 12:22:11 PM