bagwell

is this a brand new ad????.....why didn't VW use the 3G Prius if they want to really compare....

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

Because the new one has potential to beat it.

Och

iTrader: (3)

The new one will beat it, and in fact if you look at this whole comparo, they stretched these bars to to show as if the VW had a huge performance advantage, while in fact the advantage was dismal.

bagwell

Edmunds' test numbers for the 2010 Prius

Performance
0 - 30 (sec): 3.6
0 - 45 (sec): 6.3
0 - 60 (sec): 10.1
0 - 75 (sec): 15.4
1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 17.3 @ 79.7
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 9.7
30 - 0 (ft): 30
60 - 0 (ft): 118
Slalom (mph): 59.1
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.78

Acceleration Comments: Using "power" mode doesn't change wide-open throttle performance. It does, however, seem to improve transient response. Otherwise, Prius hates power braking. Just wood it and go.

Handling Comments: Skid pad: Nondefeatable stability control makes the skid pad an exercise in wood-it-and-steer. The electronics do the rest. Slalom: Same story here. Keep it smooth and stability control remains at bay. Start chopping at the wheel and it gets slower.

Braking Comments: Long-travel, somewhat awkward pedal still doesn't feel "normal." Performance, however, is on par for the segment.




09 TDI
Performance
0 - 30 (sec): 3.1
0 - 45 (sec): 5.6
0 - 60 (sec): 8.9
0 - 75 (sec): 13.6
1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 16.6 @ 82.5
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 8.6
30 - 0 (ft): 32
60 - 0 (ft): 130
Braking Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor): Poor
Slalom (mph): 64.2
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.79
Handling Rating (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor or Very Poor): Average
Db @ Idle: 47.7
Db @ Full Throttle: 72.8
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 70.0

Acceleration Comments: Hardly any acceleration from 0-10 mph, but from 10-30 mph there's a surge of torque that's pretty entertaining. The car shifts furiously and often, reaching 4th gear before 60 mph. No chance of raising the turbo boost for a good launch because it won't allow throttle/brake overlap at all.

Handling Comments: Skid pad: Decent grip, but as expected, the Jetta exhibits heavy understeer on the limit. Throttle has no influence on the overall balance of the car on the limit. Slalom: Again, throttle has very little effect on the chassis. Precise entry speed is critical for a fast run because there's so little throttle response at these speeds. A great deal of suspension "wind-up" and "spring-back" can make the Jetta a wild ride between the rapid transitions in the slalom - especially with the ESP shut off and if the entry speed was too high.

Braking Comments: Spongy pedal and erratic stopping distances don't inspire confidence. The ABS cycles moderately fast so there's little buzz or shudder. Considerable forward pitch and moderate fade resistance. Not sure what VW was going for here with poor brake feel and inconsistent power, but overall, the brakes are subpar.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

While marketing is often very out of touch with how real consumers will treat, use, or drive their cars....this is probably a real stretch.

Regardless of the Jetta's performance advantage, how many people buy Jetta TDIs or Priuses to do 0-60, quarter mile, hard braking, and slolam tests?

Maybe if they had shown which one goess further on a tank of gas, gives off less harmful emissions, and has more advanced technology (you know, the things that people who actually buy these cars care about) I would be interested.

Come on...

LexFather

How many people go to a VW dealership to ask to see a new Jetta, the sales guy brings them to the car and the customer says "I said show me a Jetta, not a Corolla"

SLegacy99

I like how they made the Jetta look fast. 0-60 in 9 seconds is not fast.

bad co

youre right, but name one eco car that will give you the same mpg and performance in the same package.

IS-SV

Agreed, boring.

JHStrange

I saw a "commercial" on MythBusters last night where Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, Tory Belleci tested the noise level and diesel smell of the new Jetta. VW was clever to imbed a commercial in the show with the same characters, a little confusing at first.

SLegacy99

The EV 1.


...Just discovered that Penn State has one of the five that weren't dismantled.

bad co

nurburgring laptimes?

and the ev1 is pure electric so theyre is no mile's to the gallon

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

Actually that's wrong, it's INFINITY miles to the gallon.

Anything divided by 0 the result is infinity.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

0/x = 0

x/0 = Infinity

Thus an EV has Infinity mpg, not 0 mpg.