2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI: Introduction

Keep your eyes on the elecrical system--I'll bet you've got burnt out side marker bulbs and turn/stop bulbs within 3 months. Maybe when the year is up, you can install a grease system from greasecar.com and review the car again, this time running on free reclaimed veggie oil from local restaurants.

Even 177lbs of torque sounds measley. Isn't this the size of a Civic? I think a comparison to the Fit would be unwarranted.
 
Can't wait to see the vids.

Excellent! This car, or better a Passat TDI (if I can find one), have been on my shopping list. I am eager to read your reports.

That era Jetta (Mark IV) still looks fresh, especially considering it came out in 1998. But do something about that pinstripe!

Estreka, the 177 lb-ft of torque produced by the (3000 lb) Jetta TDI is better than the 162 lb-ft of the (3500 lb)'08 four-cylinder Accord, let alone the 128 lb-ft of the (2700 lb)'08 Civic.

Good long term test car choice. I agree that this model Jetta still looks fresh. I think its much better looking than the current model.
 
I've had 2 '04 TDI Golfs, so I'll be interested to compare your experiences to my own, seeing as the cars are so similar.

Is the newer generation Jetta TDI not legal in California? I see a bunch of them here in PA.

To me, the design of this Jetta is one of the artistic masterpieces of car design. It will still look great in 20 years. VW hit it perfectly with this Jetta and the same generation Passat. Shame they lost it with the newer ones...
 
I CAN'T WAIT to read about your experiences with this car.
 
One the one hand: Diesel. Not the most advanced engine (the new Subaru Boxer Diesel offers ~150 HP and ~250 torque out of 2.0 liter boxer diesel). Awesome economy. Bottom end torque-a-roo.
 
On the other hand: VW. The scorn of the reliable. And lets not forget that this gentleman got rid of this car after 2-3 years....a sign of things to come?
 
Joe

Reading the introduction sparked my interest so I checked through the local listing see what Golf TDI's (I prefer the hatchback version) are going for in my area.
 
I discovered 3 reason why I won't buy one. High price, high miles and the Honda Fit.
 
For the price of a 4-5 year Golf TDI with 100,000 miles on it, I can buy a new Fit.
 
I like diesels but the Honda will be more reliable, has as much room, gets almost as good mileage and has a warrantee.

"The scorn of the reliable. And lets not forget that this gentleman got rid of this car after 2-3 years....a sign of things to come?"
 
The dude also put 50,000 miles on the thing. Something to consider.

I'm glad Edmunds chose to add a diesel vehicle to its long term test fleet. I'm curious to see what you all think of it. I sort of did the same thing 2 years ago - I bought a '99 Suburban diesel with 141k miles on it. I needed a Suburban, but I wanted to see what it would be like to live with a diesel everyday, as I never owned one before.
 
Well, 2.5 years later, I still have it, and I love it. IMO, the pros of a diesel far outweigh the cons, at least for a large SUV application. Really the only cons I've noticed is the noise and the higher fuel price. Sometimes I like the diesel noise though - gets people's attention. Smoking people out can be fun too :)
 
Considering they don't make diesel Suburbans anymore, I decided I'm going to keep this vehicle until they start building new ones again (maybe 2011 from what I hear). I'm also thinking of just keeping it until it dies, just to see how long it will go for. I'm at 170k now, and it runs like new.

Oh, and as to that funky interior smell referred to in the introduction - I think every used VW and Audi has that same interior smell. It's really a weird smell, and I've only noticed it on VW's and Audi's. It's normal for these cars I guess, but its not very pleasant. I remember my aunt's 1975 VW microbus smelling almost the same way. A co-worker has a 2000 VW Jetta TDI just like Edmund's - has the same smell. Another co-worker has a 2003 VW Jetta gas - same smell. A friend has a 2001 Audi A4 Avante with leather - same interior smell. Must be the plastics that VW uses or something.

177 ft-lb of torque is a lot for a car in this class. Trouble is, horsepower is what matters when accelerating.

I don't think our Jetta smells that bad. A friend of mine had a 2000 VR6 with the cloth interior and it smelled like crayons (My 2000 Jetta VR6 with leather never did, though). I've read that quite a few Jetta and Volkswagens suffered from the crayon smell and my 98 Z3 does as well. I've heard its some chemical reacting with heat.

jriz - Most people don't buy high milers and get rid of them after 50,000 miles without a good reason. (I'm saying most, some people do).
I've smelled the crayon smell too in the VWs....on the other hand, the leather versions smell distinctly german (in the good way!).
 
Greenpony - That's why my 139 ft/lbs of torque (06 Civic SI) can scoot to 60 in ~ 6.7 seconds! It's all horsepower baby.
 
A friend of mine mentioned that a certain large defense contractor built an extremely compact turbine that could spin at 60,000 rpms all day long (with almost no maintenance) and develop 900 HP. It would be a one-application-fits-all type of propulsion, capable of being put in aircraft, Hummers, and other military vehicles. This would mainsteam parts, fuel, and the know-how to repair the engine. It was built and worked well...but, like so many things, it's sitting on a shelf somewhere.
 
What could our cars be like with such applications. Oh the mind wonders...
 
Joe

I would bet that the narrow power band of a diesel would be a good match for a CVT. Doesn't Audi offer that combo in a Euro-only A4? Anyone out there driven one?

stephen987 - That's a great point! I would think a CVT would work well with a diesel, keeping the engine in its peak torque band and preventing it from revving out of it. I know CVTs don't handle large amounts of torque well without breaking, but for smaller diesels such as this Jetta's I think it would work.
 
joefrompa - Small turbines have a great future, IMO. They would work perfect in a hybrid situation where the turbine only generates electricity with separate dedicated electric drive motors. The only thing holding them back is cost. I'm surprised auto manufacturers haven't pursued small turbines more for future powertrains. They can be made to burn almost anything, they're extremely reliable/durable, and compact. Component materials are expensive (titanium alloys, etc.), but you don't need an automotive grade turbine to have the same materials quality as an aircraft turbine. I'm sure they could figure out how to build them at a reasonable cost.

To answer Sabastian's question from above: No, the current TDI's are not legal in California.
 
I really WANT to like diesels because I'm a sucker for efficiency, but they are among the few devices in the world that manage to offend all five human senses. (I'm willing to concede on "taste", because gasoline must taste as bad as diesel oil.)
 
I still hold out hope that the next generation of diesels won't have the nauseating smell, the rattly sound, the visible exhaust smoke or the rough-feeling idle of current diesels. And yes, I have personally experienced all of the above with a then-new '99 Jetta TDI.

Joe.
 
Wow, it's all in the upper RPM's and not to mention it's just, dsfs.
 
Touqueless, it takes away from the driving experience considerably, but if you only get off on numbers then more power to you.
 
It's not all HP, driving almost all of Honda's 4 cyls made that VERY! apparent.

Let the problems begin.

The last cool Jetta! What happened to this cool, euro sedan styling and why did they abandon it? The new one looks like a Corolla.
 
I am anxiously awaiting TDI (both VW and Audi) as well as Honda, Subaru options in the car market. I really hope they start offering diesels in the suv/truck market- it's LONG overdue!
 
I look forward to your testing. Also, note that some pretty big power gains can be had with very little modification... I think that is a valid choice for a used, long term tester, as 2nd & 3rd owners tend to work on their own cars more.

"I really hope they start offering diesels in the suv/truck market- it's LONG overdue!"
  
I would hope you mean in the light-duty truck market.

Finally! Can't wait to hear more about this baby :)