# GLI vs TDI...NEED some ADVICE



## NYVWGUY (Oct 31, 2011)

I am in a crux here. New VW Motorist and I need to decide between the Jetta TDI and the GLI Autobahn. I love the GLI overall, and I would normally just go for it. I also live in upstate NY though where snowy roads are the norm for at least 5 months of the year. Is the GLI going to suck bad in the snow with the off the line torque it has, plus the low profs? I would get snow tires (Bridgestone Blizack WS probably, but am I going to regret my decision when I realize its terrible in snow, or do you think its not as bad as I am making it out to be?

The only other thing to me is the Fuel efficiency. I will get 50 with the TDI and 28-32? with the GLI, can you let me know what your getting fuel efficiency wise currently with your GLIs.

I also really love the Fender sound system being a musician. but I can also get that in the TDI Premium.

So I also just test drive the TDI this week, and it feels so underpowered to me. Probably because I have been test driving cars like the Mini Cooper S and the GLI, and they dont compare. 

Any advice or encouragement is greatly appreciated.


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## NYVWGUY (Oct 31, 2011)

Im talking the 2012 just to clarify.


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## g60rabbit (Sep 6, 2000)

NYVWGUY said:


> Im talking the 2012 just to clarify.


I have a 2012 dsg TDI sportwagen. Wife has a 2008 GTI DSG. The 2012 GLI has I believe an identical powertrain to the 08 GTI.

The TDI feels slow because it is lol. The gti is by no means a sports car but i think the 0/60 times are in the high 5s low 6 for gti and in the 8s for the TDI.

The tdi also feels like a milk truck to drive in comparison to the GTI. I have made improvements to mine. Thicker rear sway and better tires.

In the snow the GTI was great. The first year we had it we just used the all season 17 inch contis that came on it and it was fine. Next year my cousin gave me 16 inch snow tires and wheels and the car was fantastic in the snow.

Bottom line. if you NEED the MPG I would get a Jetta sportwagon. Gives you a bit more versatility then the sedan.

I get over 500 miles on a tank with the tdi. Wife gets 330ish. About the same amount of gallons.

However if you dont need the MPG get the GLI all day every day. Its just a better all around car. The steering wheel is much nicer/the interior is nicer, the handling is better, the power is FAR better. Comes with better wheel /ire packages.

Because I wanted a wagon, I will be shelling out some extra cash to try and make my car "feel" more gti/gli ish.


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## deagle (Feb 22, 2011)

the TDI is great for any commute, and teh GLI is great too (saw one at Northtown VW in bflo)

it might sound silly, but just chip a TDI or something....gives you the performance, and the hit in MPG will still be better than the regular gas models


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## 03GTI4Me (Feb 25, 2003)

You will not be getting 50MPG in a TDI, FYI. 

Maybe 38-42 but dont count on more.


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## Pizza Cat (Dec 2, 2006)

03GTI4Me said:


> You will not be getting 50MPG in a TDI, FYI.
> 
> Maybe 38-42 but dont count on more.


This. When you have a slight down-hill road trip, you can _occasionally_ hit 50 when you're staying at 55 mph, but it is by no means the rule. If you're driving 70 on the highway, expect 43-44 tops on all highway commutes, in real world situations. I'm getting 40 overall through my first 8k miles in the new TDI Golf, only because 75% of the miles thus far have been highway cruising. My best tank of an all-highway commute was 47.8, calculating by pen and paper - but again, that should not be expected all the time.

There are way too many people here that spew out the 50 mpg crap like you should expect it, and if you don't there is something wrong with your car. Just don't listen to it.

I also have a GTI - it's fine in the snow with the available torque. Just be easy with the throttle. (And that was in all-seasons every winter I've had it as well)

The TDI is extremely boring to drive in town compared to a GTI/GLI - but that's the price you pay for an economical engine. Even with the higher price of Diesel vs. 93 octane, my cost per mile is still 5 cents less in the TDI vs. the GTI, that's a very significant decrease in operating costs. And, the TDI is actually quite fun to drive on road trips, as it accelerates nicely when it's in its' rev band. But, it's a dog from a stand-still.

Hope this helps. Started using Fuelly in January of this year - and I bought the Golf TDI in late June of this year. I try to keep my highway/city percentages accurate as well.




One thing - don't become a 'dubber'. It's an epidemic around here. :laugh:


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## territorialhobo (Nov 30, 2011)

I'm kind of in the same boat. I have an '06 GLI with the DSG and I love the car (until some jerk hit it parked on a street and it's never been the same). I'm not crazy about the redesign of the Jetta and the fact you can't get the HID lights even as an option - I drive at night a lot. The reason for the switch is I work for myself now and realize gas costs do cut into my bottom line. 

Anyway, I've driven the Golf & Jetta TDI and I know it is going to be slower, but it feels really, really slow from off the line. Where exactly is this power band in everyday driving I am supposed to feel all this torque?


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## Pizza Cat (Dec 2, 2006)

territorialhobo said:


> Anyway, I've driven the Golf & Jetta TDI and I know it is going to be slower, but it feels really, really slow from off the line. Where exactly is this power band in everyday driving I am supposed to feel all this torque?


It's basically going to _feel_ slow everywhere compared to your GLI. The power band does come alive on the highway, it's very effortless for merging on to highways, and when you're passing at highway speed. For an efficient highway cruiser, the around-town molasses-like feel is worth it in a daily driver. (Especially when it's the wife's daily driver)


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## territorialhobo (Nov 30, 2011)

Mosbius Designs said:


> It's basically going to _feel_ slow everywhere compared to your GLI. The power band does come alive on the highway, it's very effortless for merging on to highways, and when you're passing at highway speed. For an efficient highway cruiser, the around-town molasses-like feel is worth it in a daily driver. (Especially when it's the wife's daily driver)


Thanks for the info. 

So let's say I'm driving along in a lane that's ending and there's a semi in the other lane that's ahead of me a bit (something that happened just yesterday)... No hesitation in the GLI, hit the gas and I easily cruise in front of the semi. Does the TDI have that kind of capability from a rolling start? I'm not "racer-boy" but I do like knowing I have the power to get out of the way if needed. There's only so many things you can do test driving a car with a salesperson sitting next to you.


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## Pizza Cat (Dec 2, 2006)

Yes, it can definitely get out of it's own way.


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## g60rabbit (Sep 6, 2000)

territorialhobo said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> *So let's say I'm driving along in a lane that's ending and there's a semi in the other lane that's ahead of me a bit (something that happened just yesterday)... No hesitation in the GLI, hit the gas and I easily cruise in front of the semi. *Does the TDI have that kind of capability from a rolling start? I'm not "racer-boy" but I do like knowing I have the power to get out of the way if needed. There's only so many things you can do test driving a car with a salesperson sitting next to you.


Just happened to me yesterday in my 2012 TDI sportwagen. Was going about 65mph. I was about midway bewteen a semi on my right side and concrete wall on my left. He decided he wanted to be in my lane [dont think he saw me].

I inched cloer to concrete wall and had to make a decision. Punch it and try and get ahead of him, of jam the brakes and hope he went by. I punched it. Lets just say I was lucky he saw me and went back into his lane. Because he would have crushed me and it woldnt have even been close.

This wouldnt have been an issue in the wifes 08 GTI.

After my wife calmed down she quilty said to me "can you chip this" I said yes. She said "lets do that"


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## juicemoney (Jun 22, 2006)

TDI is plenty quick for passing, accelerating from a roll and in daily driving in general, you just have to work the gearbox.

I drive a Golf TDI and I asked the same question when comparing GTI vs TDI. Ultimately the resale value, highway mileage and torque won me over. Not paying for premium also helps. Without driving both you won't be able to decide. Another determining factor was that the TDI worked out slightly cheaper yet came just as well equipped (minus HIDs). Insurance is also a big determinant... check your insurance company before you make the plunge.


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## Pizza Cat (Dec 2, 2006)

The only problem is that right now in the US, diesel is running more than premium. However, that is very volatile, and in the end probably ends up being about the same price over the course of an entire year as premium fuel. I can deal with that, with the huge MPG bump.

You are right about the pricing, the good thing about the way it's packaged in north america is that it's basically a GTI with a diesel engine. We liked that it wasn't a stripper model with the engine. However, I can see how some people do long for the days when you could get a stripper TDI.


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## zzhanzaib222 (Dec 24, 2011)

*re:*

I would normally just go for it. I also live in upstate NY though where snowy roads are the norm for at least 5 months of the year. Is the GLI going to suck bad in the snow with the off the line torque it has, plus the low profs? I would get snow tires (Bridgestone Blizack WS probably, but am I going to regret my decision when I realize its terrible in snow, or do you think its not as bad as I am making it out to be?


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## EricjJT7 (Nov 18, 2011)

If you want the extra speed, get the GLI, get the APR stage 1 chip and just get snow tires for it. I had a 2002 Jetta GLI and it was pretty good in the snow with snow tires. However, it had smaller brakes than the newer models so I could have 195/65/15 tires (a narrower and thicker tire is preferred in the snow).


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## t3n2and4 (Dec 31, 2011)

*'06 TDI vs '07 GTI*

I made a similar decision when we bought our GTI. For me it was made easier by the slightly taller cabin in the Golf/GTI over the older Jetta so I fit in it really well. (I'm too tall from the waist up.) 

The suspension tuning differences probably would have been enough to push me into the GTI/GLI all other things being equal. The 'nice' features of leather seats and xenons were the final 'push' to GTI. The stability control was more than enough the few times I've encountered ice and snow, but I had all-season tires on at the time which had better grip than the summer tires it came with originally. We live so far south, snow is a very rare thing so we don't need winter/snow tires at all here. 

My suggestion is decide if the efficiency or the 'joy of handling' is more important. The diesels are much softer sprung and less sporty in my opinion.


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## RogueTDI (Dec 12, 2002)

I know this is a bit of ressurection, but I had to add my .02 "in defense" of the TDI. 

As to power, yes, it's not going to be as quick, especially at highway speeds, but the TDI is quicker than a lot of vehicles on the road, and a competent driver will have no problem passing and accelerating for emergency situations. I'll put it this way - if it's so close that the extra power of the GLI/GTI makes the difference, it's probably unsafe to be using power instead of brakes, anyway. 

On liveliness around town - I think the TDI shines in urban driving. Plenty of torque/power readily available from 1600-4500rpm, very zippy, easily capable of catching other cars/drivers off-guard, and plenty fun. Yes, I agree, off-the-line isnt the strongest, but rolling starts are never a problem whatsoever. So generally speaking, I dont know why people keep suggesting the TDI is a dog or whatever. Yes, I've driven the Mk6 GTI before, as well as other more powerful cars. 

On mileage, yes, the TDI will probably average around 40mpg - fuelly.com will demonstrate this as more or less the center of the distribution. However, the TDI, especially the Jetta (vs Golf) is easily capable of getting 50mpg and even better, *when cruising in top gear.* The MT6 will do better for highway mpg than the DSG (MT6 has taller gearing, a little lower drivetrain losses). This is not driving like grandma either. Simply keeping speeds at or below 70mph will net 50mpg or better. Mileage falls fast though, to about 41mpg when increasing speeds to 80mph. So, for a lot of highway driving, you can "bank" on getting 50mpg on trips that at least dont spend a large portion of drive time with a cold engine. And of course, this also assumes one knows how to drive for fuel economy - primarily that is, avoiding unnecessary use of brakes, and such. 

Even when not just cruising in top gear, an experienced knowledgeable driver can extract excellent mileage from the TDI. I once pulled nearly 50mpg driving through a beach town in So Cal with a fair amount of stop and go, using appropriate techniques. Just today, on a short 3mi one-way drive, round trip (same start and end point, 6mi total), i got 50mpg for the trip, which included mostly "highway" and a little stop and go. My engine was warm the whole time, but it shows what can be done. 

All in all though, I generally have tank averages from 38-44mpg, depending on how aggressively I drive on the tank, and how much city driving i'm doing. Even with mostly urban/city, I can usually keep mileage in the high 30s. If it's all city though, truly constant short distance stop and go with lots of idling at lights, mileage can easily fall to as low as 32mpg. 

Oh, and I typically pay less than premium gasoline, for Chevron diesel, annually speaking. When you get 35-60% better mileage, a few percent increase in fuel cost isnt a big deal. And the higher resale of the TDI makes up for the initial cost, something many people overlook. 

I'll also add that, between Golf TDI and GTI, the handling differences are minor, and both are very nimble, stable, "tossable" and predictable. The GTI basically has stiffer sway bars. Cant speak to 2012 Jetta TDI which is a different animal. 

Anyway, just wanted to clarify what I felt was a bit of undue bias against the TDI. 





Mosbius Designs said:


> This. When you have a slight down-hill road trip, you can _occasionally_ hit 50 when you're staying at 55 mph, but it is by no means the rule. If you're driving 70 on the highway, expect 43-44 tops on all highway commutes, in real world situations. I'm getting 40 overall through my first 8k miles in the new TDI Golf, only because 75% of the miles thus far have been highway cruising. My best tank of an all-highway commute was 47.8, calculating by pen and paper - but again, that should not be expected all the time.
> 
> There are way too many people here that spew out the 50 mpg crap like you should expect it, and if you don't there is something wrong with your car. Just don't listen to it...


 
I'm guessing you just drive a bit too aggressively, likely relatively high speeds and or unnecessary braking. Some simple changes would probably make a big difference. But this is just a guess. 

Many people have no problem achieving 50mpg in their TDIs, and they dont have to "hypermile" it either. 70mph on freeway routinely nets me about 48-51mpg. I've achieved 52mpg on a tank, just doing the speed limit of 65mph, and that included 10% city driving. It all depends on situation of course. 

Driving at 55-70mph in Southern California traffic, with the slipstream of other traffic, I often see mileage in the mid-50s. This isnt hype, but repeatable fact. I keep tires at about 40psi (reporting for all seasons with decent rolling resistance, currently Conti DWS; summer UHP tires will drop me from 51 to 48mpg pretty easily). Warmer air temperatures also help a lot.


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