deepbluejh

I like the ideal of a diesel motor to save money on gas costs. I thought the "numbers" worked out better than they actually do though.

On Fuelly a 2011 Golf TDI averages 42MPG while the 2.5L gas averages 30MPG. With the current fuel prices in my area, this works out to:
TDI - 10 cent per mile
Gas - 13 cent per mile

Going to the VW website and configuring the car, the diesel option for the Golf is *five thousand dollars*. Wtf?!

At three cent per mile benefit, you won't break even on fuel costs until 167k miles. Little wonder diesel engines in passenger cars aren't making any headway in this country. Why are they so damn expensive?

North Star

Also, in my part of the country diesel is a good 10-30 cents more per gallon then premium.

deepbluejh

Same here... the price per mile in my original post reflected that.

suprmonky73

Agreed.

Also - when I hear people complain how high gas is, I ask them if they really know how the changes in gas prices affect their yearly fuel expenditures. They don't, and the numbers aren't that bad IMO..

Consider your car gets 25 mpg.
You drive 10,000 miles per year.
This means you buy 400 gallons of gas per year.

Assuming gas prices were $3.50 for the whole year - you pay $1400 for your gas in one year.
Assuming gas prices were $3.60 for the whole year - you pay $1440 for your gas in one year.

$40/year or $3.33 per month extra in gas.



Less conservative assumption - 15,000 miles / 20 mpg = 750 gallons.
Gas prices go from $3.50 to $4.00. Expenditures on gas go from $2625 to $3000. $375 difference = $31.25/month.

Nothing ridiculous. People talk about gas prices like it is burning a hole in their lifestyle. Slow down, drive less, eat out less, spend less on discretionary.

Sorry for the rant - but yes, paying extra for better fuel economy like the OP posted just doesnt really work out in the big picture, but I guess not eveyrone sits down on a spreadsheet and counts it out like I'm sure a lot of us do.

S2K-DJ

As a VW owner with the 2.5 gas engine, and having read other's mileage on the VW forums, I can tell you the EPA mileage is overrated on the 2.5. 30mpg is tough to achieve. Now unless they did something special in 2010 with the 2.5 engine in the redesigned Golf, I can't imagine things any different. We are talking 65mph tops on highway in cruise control in order to achieve 30mpg. They claim 24 city, but even driving like grandma, I, and almost everyone else cannot achieve that. That 5 cylinder is a very thirsty engine.

From what I've read on the forums from TDI owners, it actually gets better mpg then the estimates. Many achieve close to 50mpg when cruising at 65 on highway, and well into the 30s in city. Where I live, at the gas station right down the street, there is a 15 cent difference in price between diesel and gasoline currently.

Either way, I do agree. the TDI is expensive, and the price of the fuel doesn't make it worth it the extra cost. However, if you're not going to buy a TDI, I do not recommend a 2.5 VW, if gas mileage is a goal. My 06 Rabbit is a gas guzzler, unless I shift at 1500-2000rpms (which makes it take 15+ seconds to reach 60mph), and do not go above 65mph on highway.

bloodzombie

I haven't priced the Golf, but I've been looking at the Jetta Sportwagen. For the wagon, the price difference isn't $5k. The TDi is pretty loaded, so the base TDi is like the SE, only a couple grand different and the resale is much better on the TDi. Cost of ownership over 5 years according to Edmunds is almost the same and the TDi is more fun to drive.

deepbluejh

You are right. On the Jetta the diesel is a $2700 option. On the Golf, the models are not directly comparable, but the diesel + 17" wheels + bluetooth comes out to $5200 over the base 2.5L gas. So it looks like the price of the diesel engine alone in the Golf is probably closer to the $2700 of the Jetta. Only in the golf, you can't get a base level diesel, you have to buy it with the overpriced wheels and bluetooth as well.

So at $2700, the diesel option is 90k miles before break-even.

deepbluejh

I pulled the numbers directly from Fuelly, so they should be pretty representative of what people get in real life. From what I understand, the older TDIs (early 2000s) get better gas mileage than the newer ones. Those are probably the ones getting 45-50mpg.

bastanu

Its very common to see this " analysis" on the web, with the quoted miles to break even...but almost never the resale value its considered. Go Edmunds and appraise a Jetta 2.5 and a Tdi at 3-4-5 years, similar miles. You ll find out that the tdi can fetch several thousand bucks over the gasser, at ANYTIME, thus paying for itself the moment you get out of the dealer lot...The fuel economy is just the bonus. Also, the tdi has 237 lb/ft at very low rpm so its a joy to drive in traffic, the 2.5 is no more than mediocre. You also get the sport suspension, lether steeringwheel and so on...

cdelena

My neighbor thought she wanted to buy a hybrid and the husband felt their choice should be a diesel so my advice was to drive them and buy what they liked... when that did not resolve the issue and they were still arguing economy I suggested a spreadsheet to calculate the real cost including the purchase, value of the funds, miles driven, fuel costs, and resale value (based upon current lease deals), When they got done there was no contest... neither the hybrid nor the diesel made financial sense for them and they bought a gasoline powered car.