Hi There, and Merry Christmas

[vectorskink]

Hi there!
My name is Tim, and I've joined because my wife and I are very seriously considering buying a diesel Jetta or a Mazda 6 diesel very soon, and as part of my research, I need to ask a few questions.....

Coming from owning Toyota's (current car is a 2002 Camry Altise) all my life I was concerned about the servicing/parts costs of VW's, or any euro cars for that matter. In the latest Best Car of the Year awards the Jetta beat the Mazda in "running" costs, which surprised me very much.

How are people finding the diesel Jetta's? Any long term issues? Are they expensive to own?

Thanks heaps!

[GoLfMan]

I have a Polo TDi the service intervals are long and VW has been making diesels for decades. Really reliability of a VW diesel shouldnt be an issue for many hundreds of thousands of kilometers (Talk to brackie)
And parts in reality arent that expensive, sure it's euro but you get what you pay for really.
and from what i've heard people are loving their diesel Jetta's.... Im loving my Polo Tdi

[gtimk5]

Hi Tim, welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy it here, we do!!!
I think we only have 1 deisel Jetta owner here but we have a fair few TDI Golf owners. Have yet to hear anything bad about either yet, and the Golfs have been around for a couple of years.
I would guarrantee that the Jetta would be a very solid car when compared to the Mazda. They go extremely well too. They are VERY economical as well.
Once again mate, welcome and its good to have you here, Andrew

[brackie]

Mazda diesel cars

Welcome mate. Yes, Mazda has been making diesel cars since the early 80s. Some OK and some shockers. The basic 626/Capella was an OK diesel and very conventional with distributor-type injection pump, indirect injection, alloy head much the same as VW diesel but 2.0L. I had a 929 "grey import" 1985 model and it had the S2 diesel that was used in B series utes, vans and "Ford" econovans. Good solid motor with cast iron head and would go for ever if looked after. Mazda tried to wring more performance out of the 626 motor by turbo charging it then supercharging it. They improved the "go" but killed the reliability. I know of several owners of grey imports that blew heads (not just the gasket) and mostly ruined the engines. All of the 626 diesels have a poor name for longevity, and this is one of the strengths and major buying criteria for diesel cars.
VW diesels are tried and tested and even though we all now respect Japanese auto engineering have much better build and reliability.
I'm in no position to comment or compare the new Mazda 6 diesel as I have read little about them. This is always the case with entirely new models being brought out to Oz and it's always a risk when you buy one if you intend to keep it for a long time. If it's a case of trading it in when the warranty runs out then concern yourself with the dynamics of the car...performance, economy, comforts, price and above all safety.

[Jettinabout]

I have had a TDI Jetta since August (10000kms) and had a Subaru Liberty MY02 before...Suby was a lovely car but the Jetta is a step up and I have nothing but good things to say about it(they go like ****e and you have to actively think about the speed limit)....I love my days off, so I get to drive it.....stuff the Mazda.....

[wheelzy72]

Hi vectorskink I own a golf 5 tdi dsg it has done 31000km in 14months it just keeps going better and better, its even getting better on deisel, I would have bought a jetta but they wern't out at the time, I am workshop forman at local mazda dealership and would not think of trading the golf on a mazda6, two reasons 1 the golf is a brillant car, vbut the deisel mazda is only new and reliabilty is yet to be seen? I have had a dsg problem with my vw earlier though! Hope this helps

[Dr Spine]

Hi mate. I drive the GTI so am not here to talk about the benefits of either engine. My only input is this, the VW's are a step up in build quality (they just feel more solid! Have you heard that grest soild sound they make when you close the doors?). The ride and handling are great too.
If you can afford it go for the VW. I'm not sure how much dearer the VW is than the Mazda but I'd think it likely that the investment in the better car will pay off again and again.

[vectorskink]

Thanks for your comments guys!
My wife and I have discussed further based on your comments, and we are thinking the Jetta will be the way to go. We drove past a VW dealer in Lismore the other day and saw a Jetta on the lot as we drove past. They look rather small? We have two kids - the son is 11 months old, and the daughter is 2 3/4 years old - two child restraints in the back.....will it be big enough?

The thing that really sold us on the Jetta was that it had ESP as standard - very important, AND reverse parking sensors as well.
We hope to have a test drive in the next couple of days....

Both the Jetta and Mazda6 diesels are the same price for the configuration we want. The standard inclusions on the Jetta blows the Mazda out of the water!

[GoLfMan]

then Jetta is deceptively small on the outside... the boot is absolutely massive and a someone who i know recently bought one and he's about 6" 4' and he fits in with lots of leg room to spare for his kids.
go and check it out is the best option mate, but i seriously think the VW will be just a notch above the Mazda on refinement and build quality, also resale value!

[vectorskink]

I've been reading about 'modding' or 'chipping' the ECU of the TDI's to gain extra kW's and torque. Sounds good, but what are the long term ramifications of this? Why wouldn't have VW used these extra oomph settings as standard?
If it could be done safely, is it worth the extra money to get it done? Sure there is extra zip, but what about fuel economy?
Thanks guys.

EDIT - grammar

[wheelzy72]

I have 2 children a 7 year old girl and 5 year old boy and the golf has more than enough room for the four of us, I am sure the jetta is bigger than a golf, my previous car was 2004 falcon and the vw are suprisingly roomy.

[Jettinabout]

Just for the record .... when deciding between Golf and Jetta ...when the Jetta was first released many of our illustrious motoring reporters made the statement that the Jetta was a Golf with a boot...wrong(big time)...there are no body panels or fittings(such as headlight protectors etc) on the Jetta that fit a Golf(shows how much reporters know ..not very)..yes the engines are the same in some configurations ....the same that all other manufacturers do also

[Dr Spine]

I've not been in a Jetta...Yet, but I'd think it likely that it's bigger inside than the Mk5 Golf which is what I drive. I have to agree with Wheelsy, the Golf's are supprisingly big inside. It's like Dr Who's Tardis, much bigger on the inside than you'd think.
I'm impressed by how the Golf rides on the road. It feels like a much bigger car than it is.

[GoLfMan]

I've been reading about 'modding' or 'chipping' the ECU of the TDI's to gain extra kW's and torque. Sounds good, but what are the long term ramifications of this? Why wouldn't have VW used these extra oomph settings as standard?
If it could be done safely, is it worth the extra money to get it done? Sure there is extra zip, but what about fuel economy?
Thanks guys.

EDIT - grammar

the people that do these 'mods' for power gain for the diesels are well researched and ususually come with a warranty of some sort. There is a forum member that has a chip in his TDI golf and there are multiple members that have chipped their GTI's with absolutely no adverse effects. fuel economy stays the same in most casses.
VW didnt use the extra oomph standard because they didnt need to, the have performance versions of the diesel in europe (of the 1.9 anyway) where they sometimes match what the chips usually extract from the engine... Also mass production purposes and erring on the side of caution. Its just like saying Holden could have safely and reliably got another 100-150kw out of their big V8's but choose not too... they know they can but they dont...

[LS1 Cobra]

We've had our TDI Jetta since the end of August and have put 8000KM on it already. We're very happy with the car. It looks great is well built and has a great bunch of features. I'm always fascinated by the gadgets on this car and the way it does things.

Performance isn't lacking at all considering it's a deisel. The DSG box keeps the revs in the fat of the torque and this car gets up and goes. They say it's slightly faster than the 2.0 Petrol Jetta to 100KMH. I reckon it's loose on the start line because it has a bit of turbo lag but once it's on boost it'd haul the petrol jetta in. I reckon it'd significantly faster in the gears and in roll on acceleration.

Brakes and handling are great and it gobbles up the open road and round town trips smoothly and in comfort with no fuss.

It's got plenty of room inside. I'm a fairly big bloke 6'1" and about 100KG and it's plenty roomy for me. We have a 6 year old and there's plenty of room in the back for kids and or adults.

Cheers

Michael