Incubus

How can you say that a brand new model hybrid doesn't have potential reliability issues?

You might be right, but I'd say to give the Fusion Hybrid a year before we say it's reliable.

GT_NFR

My sentiments exactly, and diesel engines are known to be workhorses that usually log 200k miles easily. Go with the diesel.

Anrosphynx

TDI- hands down.


been seeing some of the new prius on the street. Boy, are they fugly.

Chris S

Wow, this thread certainly brought out the ignorance about VW TDI's among a handful of y'all!

My wife has an '06 Jetta TDI w/ > 50K miles, and the only problem it's had is a clock that runs fast. I've had Hondas and Toyotas give me more trouble.

Can't speak for other VW's, but most owners' reports I hear about Jetta TDI's are very favorable. The new ones are supposed to be even better.

rockville

This is a response to you and Incubus.

The Fusion is a rework of the existing car. The previous Fusion has a very strong reputation for reliability. Neither the hybrid drivetrain nor the chassis are all new. Not to mention that Ford as of late has proven to be very reliable.

The VW is a new chassis and engine (well new in '08 or something). It doesn't have any proven history. VW in general does have a proven history though it isn't a great one. That isn't to say you would avoid the VW but given Ford's track record and given that the Ford is simply an evolution of an already proven car, I would feel far more confident in the Ford than the VW. Keep in mind the Ford hybrid has basically the same record as the Prius and more history than the Honda. Both Toyota and Honda have great quality reputations (Fords is coming along) but the Insight is very new (though based heavily on existing Honda stuff). The Prius is also heavily based on the old car but technically it has no more history than the Ford.

Really, my concern with a VW isn't the engine, its the loads of small things. Least you think I just dislike VWs, my father has had two Passats (the B5 version saw 180,000 miles with many small repairs) and my brother has an '09 Jetta TDI.

rockville

As I said in my other post, my fear of VW is based on seeing lots of problems with my friend's VW about 3-5 years back. That isn't the current generation of VWs but it does give me pause. I have a friend who is a VW mechanic. Talking to him also gives me pause. That doesn't mean I don't like the cars, only that I do expect them to be more trouble prone than a Toyota or Honda (generally good luck with both but Toyota has crap dealers).

TommyDeVito

So why vent here then? Every post of yours, that I have seen, contains negativity.

dmw16

I know VW has had issues in the past, but the latest round of cars seem to be pretty good. I have a 2008 VW GTI w/ DSG that has about 44k miles and I've only had one minor sensor issue (knock on wood).

When I had the car in for my 40k service I got a TDI as a courtesy car. It was a very nice car. It had leather, seat heaters, etc.

It seems to me, that if you will be regularly driving clients around the TDI is the only choice of the 3. I really like the Prius and would be happy to drive one, but I am not sure it's an appropriate car for someone in sales to cart clients around in.

Abdizzle

Maybe because I appreciate when owners of these cars drive them as intended rather then being dumb American's and rein-acting their giant SUV days through a Prius.

I think the dudes who hyper mile and go to great lengths for every MPG are awesome.

The Gasman

I hate them. They plug up the highway going so slowly. Keep that shit out of my left lane. My carbon footprint is a size 24 baby!