In the quest to save money on fuel, my wife desperately wanted a Toyota Prius. Upon a closer look we found that the Prius was simply an economy car (read: interior is chincy and made out of sub par materials (inexpensive plastic with faux textures)) based on an inexpensive platform with only one thing in mind. Keeping the weight down to improve fuel economy. Strong consideration to handling, braking, acceleration were all thrown out the window in favor of the scale. Myself being a car enthusiast, I was almost insulted that such items in a modern day car could be ignored. I strongly feel that the aforementioned qualities are imperative for a safe vehicle. I believe that the safest vehicle is the vehicle that can avoid an accident whether it by by accelerating onto the freeway, braking in time to avoid hitting something/someone and able to successfully maneuver to avoid a collision at speed. Deciding to ditch out on any hybrid models as any "normal" cars fitted with hybrid tech simply didn't have the fuel savings without sacrificing the quality of the car. So we moved on to diesel. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI was on the short list of diesel vehicles available in the states. I went in open minded with no expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. The Jetta was a sharp looking car on the outside. Upon getting in the car, I was blown away. My current and past cars have been BMW M's and Porsche (911TT and Cayenne TT) and have gotten used to the very high quality of materials and design. The Jetta was right up there with the other top German automakers. While our other cars were the power horses of the family, this car you could jump in and feel familiar with the cockpit, while getting excellent fuel economy (the shortfall of our other cars). The braking is excellent for a car in this class, with great modulation and feedback. The handling is very responsive and well controlled. You can feel confident with any emergency avoidance maneuvers (unlike many other cars). On the highway, the car is very solid. One of my wife's biggest complaints about the Prius was that on the highway the car felt as if it was getting blown all over the road by oncoming traffic and wind gusts (that was 2nd to the Prius's uncomfortable seats). The one thing that I geek out on is the transmission. Our Jetta TDI is equipped with the 6 speed DSG transmission. Completely seamless, instantaneous gear changes. All of the high end sports cars are moving over to DSG transmissions due to their speed, minimal acceleration losses between gear changes and smoothness. I had a very bad experience with my last BMW M5 which only had a single clutch (SMG III) tranny, and this car with the dual clutch setup was a night and day difference. I have never experienced any issues starting out from a stop or being in the right gear like I did with the M5. (The new M5 and M3 have DSG transmissions in them as an option) To sum it up, I am very impressed with this car. Decent power, excellent reliability, quiet, handles and brakes well and being a fuel miser tops off the package. All without being blown off the road and distracted by images of your car charging on the dash.

I like the precise handling and braking. The suspension is a good balance of comfort and sportiness. The manual transmission and clutch operate with precision. I got the cheapest model available and it still has all the power features, terrific 8-speaker stereo, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, stability control, traction control, electronic differential lock and heated seats. Plus, it has front seat and side curtain air-bags. I don't understand some reviewers complaining about expensive service, the maintenance is pre-paid for the first 36,000 miles! Yes, it takes more than 6-quarts of expensive synthetic oil; but for anyone wanting to take care of their car, that's a good thing. The standard 2.5L engine has 170-hp, way more than anything in its size/price category. Because of the standard safety features and anti-theft device, insurance is cheaper than my Honda!

I previously drove a 2000 VW Jetta VR6, with having the power of the VR6 I was skeptical the new 5 cylinder engine would be sufficient to the power I am used to. I was pleasantly surprised! Still has the great handling, the smooth transition between gears, more space than my previous Jetta, and stylish too!

After looking over the rest of the bunch in this class, the TDI offers the best value, and highest performance for the buck. VW touts 47mpg HWY, and 30 City. I've had it just about 30 days now, and with 1,200 miles clocked, the avg. mpg continues to improve daily from the current 33.4 (a/p the read-out). with 236Lbs Feet of Torque, she's peppy enough to keep up with traffic, and make the moves needed on the road. Highly reccomended!

My 2009 TDI SE has treated me very well for over five years and 70K, and I am still happy with it. The build quality on this generation is really, really good (unlike the dumbed down start to the next gen after): the interior is premium and the exterior is quietly upscale and distinctive in a good way. Having heard from some about VW's prior reliability problems when I bought it, I wondered whether I'd be in for some unexpected bumps in upkeep. But this car has been 100% reliable, with no time in the shop except for the regular maintenance, a new set of tires, and (just recently at 70K) a new pair of rear brake pads. And I still get about 43 highway and low 30s city MPG-- above EPA.