What you want is this.

Hey... i was born during that time....

And wtf... how did i become a reference point.....

By doing something conceivably rational but totally unexpected. :party:

I do. Does it come in the Q5 version? Where can I buy this?

Jetta TDI wagon can be an awesome and stable tow vehicle for light things. Like I said, having done this once, I wouldn't again unless I had no other plausible choice. If I have to bring that dMn Volvo back from the shop on a trailer I'll borrow my dad's truck. But I would not hesitate to tow the Miata behind one.

Tiguan not available in a TDI. I used to sell VWs and that frustrated me to no end. The new CR140 TDIs are some of the sweetest engines on the road for a DD.

They don't make a Q5 version of the Touareg shown above, but they make a Q7 version. You can buy either the new Touareg or Q7 with a 3.0 V6 TDI with something like 240 HP and around 450 lb ft. Audi offers a v12 TDI with over 700 lb ft but I don't believe that's coming to the states :)

I love that vid Dillon. Good stuff.

I saw a test of the new Touareg TDI. Guy got just over 30 mpg highway at 70+, averaged over 24 around town, and over 18 towing 6000 pounds (7000 pound tow rating). Epic.

I have a TDI wagon and love it. I even tracked it for a year after selling my R32 and before I got the miata. Tow capacity is only 2500 lbs though. Has the power, but not the weight to properly tow. For highway I see 45 - 50 all the time in the summer.

You have to go with a Touareg to get a TDI SUV with VW in the states. When looking for one, I ended up going with the V8 with Air Suspension. It was almost $15,000 less on the used market than the same equiped TDI. I was not going to see a gas savings offset the cost of the car. The air suspension is awesome if you tow. Auto levels and it's like nothing is back there. You also get a factory rated 8500 lb capacity. Albeit assume 80% of that for saftey. I don't like the newest Touaregs though as they lose the bad ass AWD and don't offer air suspension. However, you can get them at a cheaper price.

Nevermind. I thought the video title was "V10 TDi Tiguan vs Chevy..." and it was some crazy sleeper swap.

Don't mind me.


I thought the newest Tiguan had the diesel, but I guess I was thinking of the European option. 2.0L turbo diesel, 140 bhp and 236 ft-lb. Available in Europe with AWD and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

yup, that's the same exact engine you get in the TDI Jettas and Passats. Would be perfect for the tiguan. I truly don't understand why it's not offered, since that engine is already certified for the U.S.

^ Conspiracy. Thats why we don't get all the cool Diesels. At least VW brings us something.

So, that video is awesome. I already sent it to all my coworkers in Atlanta and really butt hurt some hillbillies.

"Well it's AWD and a V10!"
"Well that's just a simple 4wd and probably only had it in 2wd"

I just remind them that a 3/4 ton truck is marketed for towing and power. That Touareg is a luxury Mid Sized SUV and it just pulled that truck like a bitch. :)

That's awesome. I've always wanted a Turbo Diesel VW.

They're tow pigs from the factory it seems!

The silverado probably would have fared much better if it still had stock suspension/wheels/tires, but I think the better traction of the AWD would still have won.

Simple 4x4 traction is not great. At one time we had a 95 4x4 GMC pickup as well as our Forester. It had much less traction in 6" of snow than the Forester.

Edit: V10 Tuareg makes me excited, since you can park it in reasonable places, get good mileage, and pull a couple of boats if you need to. The Duramax/Allison transmission combo is awesome though, the frame will rust out on the truck before they break down. My father in law just purchased his second. The first one is still running like a champ at 12 years / 190k miles.

Been loving my Jetta TDi wagon, good to know it can tow a bit.

I installed a hitch on it a while back to put a bike rack on because it's more aerodynamic having bikes hanging off of the back than on the roof. Even loaded with luggage and bikes I still pull MPG figures in the 40s on the highway. Great car.

Just wanted to resurrect this a bit... The Q5 is now available in a diesel. it's not the V10, but it IS a V6 with about 230 hp and 440 lb-ft. Very nice.

Also, Mazda is bringing diesels, and I'm selling Mazdas now... can't wait.

I'm looking into the 01-03 Jetta TDI manual. Word on the street is the are the best years. Thoughts?

I hear the same word on the street. Just prepare to buy something with a lot of miles or pay a lot of money for it. Also, be prepared to do an intake manifold clean out procedure unless the previous owner has specifically stated that they have done so, or had the EGR disabled since nearly new. They plug up. The photos are fantastic.

They really do go forever though, and as long as you can fix the minor things that go on high mileage vehicles you'll have super cheap transportation. Are you a member of TDIclub forums?

lol no

Go MK3 before MK4

Problem is, VW didn't sell a whole ton of MK3s here. What's more, the '01-'03s are already 10-12 years old. An MK3 would be a '97-98 so now you're looking at a 15 year old car minimum. Not a whole ton made to begin with, and most that were made have about 2 million miles on them and/or have been destroyed.

If you can find a clean, low miles '96-97 those are a good option too but IMO the MK4 is the better car.

You are right about the limited number of sweet MK3's. But the MK4 is NOT the better car.

As someone who has spent extensive time fixing tons of broke-ass MK4's, I'd say just avoid VW altogether. It's not that the engines aren't great, they are, it's everything else that is a brittle plastic shit heap. I've seen everything from axles exploding at the trans, headliners falling completely off (and causing accidents because the car was moving), tons and tons and tons of coolant leaks from the 19 or so plastic junctions that VW uses in the hot ass engine bay, sunroofs not closing and then OPENING back up and getting rained in, nearly every plastic piece of the interior snapping or falling apart, etc... I could never convince myself to buy one. Not after having a miata. There is no excuse for stuffing a great engine inside of a piece of shit body.

Tell us how you REALLY feel. Haha!

I agree that they could learn a lesson in resilience from Japanese manufacturers. But I dunno, as long as you accept that it's an old-ish car to begin with I don't think there will be too many surprises. Also, because TDIs have such a cult following, EVERY ISSUE has been covered and recovered, with pictures and stories and love notes.

Our has almost 150k now. Total issues: alternator pulley, serp belt tensioner, right rear window regulator, blower motor resistor pack, and the turn signal pack is dirty so sometimes you get random turn signal click sounds lol!

I can't wait for other manufacturers to build diesels. But until they're built, then depreciate, the only way is VW in small diesels. No regrets here that's for sure.