Jetta Sportwagon experiences

[algee]

Looking at buying a 2011 Jetta Sportwagon, gas or TDI, not sure which. Would like to hear from owners of 2009, 2010, or 2011 models on reliability thoughts and overall impressions. Am particularly interested in whether the car suffers from what some older model owners tell us - they are fun to drive and generally reliable, but lots of little things go wrong, and the costs mount up.

Thanks. Algee.

[ggintruckee]

Bummer no one has replied as I have the same questions and there are so many vw owners out there I figured they'd brag and complain to help us out...did you end up jumping in and buying? did you find your answers else where as I have been reading every review I can find, and of course getting mixed reviews every where I turned so that brought me to the VW forum.
Fun to drive, test drove the TDI yesterday but wondering payback time as diesel is often more expensive where we live and for a Prius the payback is 11 years. We are also looking at the Elantra (although I'd like a wagon...) have a 4wd truck that I'll keep for snow days, like today.
Would love to find out what you have found out and I'll get back to you should I find any great info as well.

[gofetch06]

Give the natives time. They'll respond.

[nitroscope8]

If you travel more than 10-15 miles one way to work then the TDI may be a better solution for you.....especially highway traveling. There really isn't anything to report on the sportwagens.....they are all quite reliable.

[algee]

ggintruckee - no other information other than the one post about a TDI making more sense for longer daily use. Have asked every Jetta driver I can find on the street, and all like the cars, though some have complained about repair issues - small stuff adding up. But that been for cars that are older than '09, and usually back to the '02 - '05 ear, when there were known to be problems. We still haven't decided on what to do. Any new info. on your part, please post it. Thanks.

[ggintruckee]

Algee,
We love the TDI Jetta (me the wagon, husband sedan) but it doesn't pencil out for us with diesel being so high priced, it's up $1.19 from last year a gallon. And the gas doesn't pencil out either after looking at fuelly.com, they just don't get the kind of mileage we were hoping for. So right now as much as we really like both, we are looking at a used Toyota 2009 corolla. Not our first choice as we have looked at everything, the elantra, civic, focus and the fact that the elantra depreciated $6000.00 the first year is hugh.
All we really want right now is a very dependable, fuel econ ride. As we own two 4wd trucks, my work truck and our play truck for living in snow country.
Good luck and I'll keep you posted if anything else changes, please do the same.

[algee]

Thanks - We've got the same concerns re: economy. Plan to look at the Ford Focus that just came back as a hatchback. Good luck.

[Marc Held]

Just took delivery of my 2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi. It was going to be Diesel, or nothing at all
The range and fuel economy is unbelievable.

[algee]

Thanks Marc - mind if I ask approx. what you paid for it, and what you are getting for mileage? Appreciate the comment.

[Marc Held]

Sure, paid about $1500 off MSRP Sticker price.
As you are aware, there are no financing programs or rebates available for TDi's
I was fortunate in getting a low rate on financing though.

All-around driving, getting 36MPG. Have'nt had it on the open road yet, but I anticipate 45MPG without any problems.
I came out of a GMC Envoy that was 16-19MPG. What a relief is all I can say.

[ggintruckee]

Hello,
well after about 60+ hours of research, and test driving corolla, civic, & elantra, looked at the 2012 focus but didn't get the chance to drive it, we purchased a 2011 TDI Jetta Sedan, white with sunroof from VW Vacaville through our Costco auto buying club and love it. So far we are averaging @ 42mpg, pretty much all highway driving, less in the higher elevations and climbing up highway 80. Took it on Mount Rose highway and handles beautifully. Comfortable ride, lots of leg and head room. We ended up getting extened warranty, which afterwards we wish we hadn't gotten...it's just the diesel thing is all new to us. We are excited about getting even better fuel mileage once she gets some miles under her belt.
Hope us making the plung helps you!

[algee]

Thanks - sounds good, and I hope it stays so - we're still looking.

[billyb2]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, but not to VWs. I own a 2010 SportWagen (Gas) which is my 5th VW over the years.

Originally, I was going to purchase the TDI because when I calculated the cost of fuel offset with the cost of purchase, it was a no-brainer. I would pay roughly $5k more for the car, but save $5k in fuel over 5 years, plus I'd get all the extra goodies!! However, once I got down to it, factoring in insurance cost differences, interest rate and incentives, the gas model was a smarter deal for me. In that regards, it will be up to you to determine which one benefits you better.

With that said, I love this car! I was concerned with getting the base model 2.5, but let me tell you, this is one of the funnest VWs I've ever owned. My last car was a Passat 1.8T and I didn't want to give up the turbo, but this 2.5 is a mean little motor! Put the trans in Sport mode and it shifts like nobodys business. Plus, I've added an intake, and exhaust so far, and now the engine can breathe and has quicker response. And with the Sport setting on the trans, as well as the suspension upgrades I put in, this car handles great! It's a great car for hauling the family, or hauling ....!

Whatever you choose, you will not be disappointed.

[PAJetta]

I very recently took delivery on my wagon TDI - decided on the RED!
still on first tank- about half highway, rest in town- averaging 42 mpg so far- they tell me it will get better after 10k miles. Dealership has gotten reports on economy- best so far is 54mpg.

[jlk]

I have a TDI wagon only about 3200 miles. I love the 33mpg around town and over 42mpg on the highway. I not crazy about the position of the seat cushion and there is a little hesitation in " D " before the turbo kicks in. But take off in " Sport " and holy crap it's a whole different car. Handles well, plenty of room mine has that sun roof that is basically the length of the car. i tried finding one without it but the better deal was with it. It can get a little warm in the car down here in FL. All in all i thinks it's alot of car for the money.

[Hobopoet]

I followed this thread with interest. The Sport Wagon (gas) is on my short list. The diesel is attractive, but as several posters suggested, the entry price is too high. If it was in the $1000/$2000 range, that would be different, but even with the amount of driving I do (30,000+ yearly), I can't justify the price difference. So, I'm waiting for the 2012s to appear on my local dealer's lot. I haven't driven one yet but everything I read seems very positive. This is beginning to look like the right choice!

Many thanks to the people who posted here...very useful information and insights!

[Marc Held]

Hobopoet: May be me, but I didnt understand your thread. Please rephrase.

Meanwhile, the TDi package comes with the panoramic sunroof, 17" rims and the 110v A/C Converter. I would venture to guess that if you tried to add these options A-La-Carte to a gas version, the diesel engine would probably add up to less than $400 additional. Still, doing 30K miles a year, its a no-brainer. I now save $5000 per year on regular gas that I would have put into my previous vehicle.

I now have 10000 miles on my Sportwagen. Just finished a short road trip from MD to NY and back. Got 46mpg. Thats 600 miles on 13 gallons of fuel. If i didnt get stuck in NY traffic, I would have easily hit 50mpg or 650 miles on the 13 gal.

[jlk]

I have my Sport Wagon TDI now since April, I'm averaging 36mpg Around Town. Haven't really taken any real long road trips, maybe 190 miles one way from Boynton Beach to Orlando FL. Price for diesel here in FL is now about 3.87 which is about 5% more then regular gas. I am easily getting 10-14 miles more per gallon then the Volvo I traded in, so for me it is a no brainer.
I have only 2 complaints, one is that the seat cushion is not all that comfortable for me but then neither was my Volvo. The second is the huge sunroof, down here in FL it get hot, so you need to point the ac vents up.
In the sport mode the car really shows some balls so it is fun to drive. My wife's EOS has a bigger set of balls...figures.

Bottom line is that I really miss my Chevy Tahoe.

[PAJetta]

I purchased a new 2011 Sportswagon TDI about four months ago. So my history is minimum. I absolutely love the TDI- fuel economy has been very good for a new engine, I average around 35mpg of which 90% is in town and cold engine. My complaints about the vehicle probably would not be "average" - I strongly dislike the blue tooth - can't get the thing to shut up. I do not want or need it, but it is part of the "package", so I am kinda stuck with it. I have to be very careful with shifter (I have the auto, but one will knock it into manual mode- which all of the sudden I have higher RPM to discover I have it "stuck in a lower gear". The sound system is excellent, road noise is minimal, seats are comfortable. It does take a little while to understand how to make the dash readout provide information that is useful to me. More selections and modes than I would ever need. I committed to expecting more time/money in maintaining the vehicle, but I felt l the long life of engine was worth the effort. I have read some people are not pleased with the "road feel" of the new Jetta, but I happen to like it very well, and handles like a quality car should. If I were to purchase a second vehicle now, it would be another Jetta TDI.

[Marc Held]

Hi PAJetta: Not sure why you would not want the blue tooth. Im on the road alot and this system is by far the most advanced I have used to date. It seamlessly transfers all the contact phone numbers from my blackberry into the car. When someone calls me, I can clearly see their contact name on the dash.
Considering less and less states allow hand-held cell phones, I cant use the bluetooth ear-pieces.

Meanwhile, if you talk to the dealer, they can hook up a laptop to your on-board computer and "turn-off" the bluetooth feature.