The TDI Sportwagen Replacement Saga Concludes

Over the past ~6 months I've been looking at all kinds of options, Saab SportCombis, VW CCs, Mazda 6 & 3 hatch, '80s Mercedes Diesels, Jag X-type wagons, BMW 3 Series wagons, Mk4 VW TDIs, Cadillac CTS Wagon, and anything else that popped up on craigslist or made it through my search filters on Cars.com. A few of those options lead to related threads here, so thanks for putting up with me and playing along.

We've driven seven or eight cars looking for a Sportwagen replacement, and efficient commuter, but just couldn't find anything we liked at a price we were happy with. We'd decided to wait until the fall, hoping for better deals, and I'd been checking craigslist regularly as well.

Then we found out, New 2015 Model Volkswagen TDI Diesels Are Once Again on Sale!

I actually informed my dealer's sales staff that they'd be selling their '15 TDIs before their management did. I was apprehensive, since they've all had their ECM tuned before they could be sold, and there's an extra catalytic converter to be added at some point with a future recall, when parts are available.

I did a bunch of research, watched some youtube videos of testimonials from folk's with re-tuned '15s, and Humble Mechanic had a good video breaking it all down.

The dealer had been hounding me about a pair of '15 TDI Golf Sportwagens they had on the lot, we finally got around to stopping by and test driving. Neither were optioned how we wanted, but we were considering dealing with the lack of features, if the price was right. The dealer had a glut of '15 TDI Passats, we obliged, and sat in one, no offense to any Passat owners, but that is one homely looking car, not for us.

At the end of the row of TDI Pasats was a single TDI Golf SE, nicely equipped, DSG, leatherette, heated seats, sun roof, "Fender" audio, etc. Only problem, it's red.

We sat in it, drove it, talked about it. We knew VW was automatically knocking $5K off of sticker price and decided if the dealer could get to our magic number we'd be buying a red Golf. I guess we should have tried for even less, but being the end of the month helped I'm sure, they hit our price point with out a whole lot of push back, $8500 off sticker for a "brand new" '15 TDI Golf, 3/36 & 5/60 warranty started the day we bought it.

They say a sucker's born every minute. We've got a red '15 TDI Golf now.

They say a sucker's born every minute. We've got a red '15 TDI Golf now.

That's the most perfectly ambiguous way to end the post that i could have imagined!

Congrats on purchase!

Holy crap, did not know they were selling again! Congrats!!

What was the out the door price if you dont mind sharing??

Any word on how the power or fuel economy might have changed with the new emissions compliance?

Why is the color red a problem?

Vigo wrote:

They say a sucker's born every minute. We've got a red '15 TDI Golf now.

That's the most perfectly ambiguous way to end the post that i could have imagined! Congrats on purchase!

Thanks!

Slippery wrote: Holy crap, did not know they were selling again! Congrats!! What was the out the door price if you dont mind sharing??

Thanks! I set 30% off as my goal, based on reports of other's purchases I read online. We achieved our goal, plus made them subtract the cost of the B.S. "document fees" from the price of the car. VW is offering $5K off on all '15 TDIs to begin with, so it's not like the dealer is adsorbing the entire discount.

Thinking back on it, I didn't get a ton of resistance, I know they were pushing cars out the door at the end of the month, and if you can believe what the salesman we'd been working with the most said, they were falling short of their numbers for the month. They didn't put up much of a fight. Maybe I should have tried for 35% or 40%?

STM317 wrote: Any word on how the power or fuel economy might have changed with the new emissions compliance?

I drove a '15 TDI Jetta back-to-back with our '14 TDI Sportwagen back in Dec. of '14 before we bought the Sportwagen. On paper the '15 had more power, but I couldn't tell. Friday, I drove a '15 TDI Golf Sportwagen and a the '15 Golf that we bought, granted it's been over a month since we sold our Sportwagen back to VW, but I couldn't tell a difference.

The Gen 3 TDI in the '15 was supposed to make a little more power, and be a little more efficient than our previous generation TDIs (had an '09 and a '14 previously). With the re-tune, I'll be surprised if mileage is worse than our previous car. I'm sure if I had a '15 to begin with we'd notice a drop, but coming from a '14 I don't expect to notice much/any difference, other than having to add DEF.

If it turns out the mileage is unsatisfactory, Malone Tuning can fix everything.

Dr Ribs Revere wrote: Why is the color red a problem?

We're generally not "red car people." My Wrangler is red, and SWMBO had a red Cavalier when we met, but every car we've bought together, that we've been able to pick the color out on have been White or Silver.

We closed down the dealership on Friday night, storms knocked power out at my Credit Union over the weekend and Monday, so it took an extra day to get the dealer paid. Since they had an extra day, I had them tint the windows while they had it. We picked it up after work yesterday.

My butt dyno says this is spunkier than the Jetta Sportwagen was. KermaTDI shows a 7 HP and 13 Ft Lb, INCREASE in power after the mandated, VW dealer service performed reflash "fix." Linky

So far I only have a couple minor gripes. Having to put your foot on the brake to start it is annoying, it's not a push button start, it has a key you turn, but you still have to press your foot on the brake to start it. The MDI-in cable provided is for a pre-lignthing iDevice, no big deal, my work phone is an ancient iPhone, and I used the same cable on our old Sportwagen to stream Slacker, Pandora, and whatnot. When I plug my iPhone into the Golf, it shows up as an iPod and tells me there's no media present, so I can't stream and control the iPhone via the MDI port on this model.

I've never had paddle shifters before, kind of a novelty, but fun with the DSG, I doubt they'll get used much in my daily commute though.

I thought the Fender audio was a gimmick at first, but I'm actually impressed, how do they get that much bass from a subwoofer small enough to fit in the spare tire?

I'll start a Fuelly profile for this car too when I have my first fill-up, so far the MFD says I'm at 41.1 MPG average.

Interesting about TDIs returning.

I'm not sure I would be bothered about pressing the brakes to start. Coming from a manual and having to press the clutch to start, for me, the instinct is already there. Thinking about it, I habitually do that on the occasion I drive an auto.

As far as red, not a deal breaker, but it is my last choice of car color. Black is second to last, but the car I wanted, and bought, just happened to be black. I regret it every day of summer.

Enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoy it.

That looks sharp!

I went Monday to my local dealer and they did not have any TDIs. I sat in a GTI with the plaid seats ... what a mistake that was!

Congrats! I like it

yeah all the old stock TDI's in any trim anybody actually wants went fast.

Congrats on the Golf!

I really like red cars (my current BMW wagon is bright red). Yours looks great!

bigdaddylee82 wrote: The MDI-in cable provided is for a pre-lignthing iDevice, no big deal, my work phone is an ancient iPhone, and I used the same cable on our old Sportwagen to stream Slacker, Pandora, and whatnot. When I plug my iPhone into the Golf, it shows up as an iPod and tells me there's no media present, so I can't stream and control the iPhone via the MDI port on this model.

Don't all iphone's... even the really old ones, have Bluetooth?

So I am checking my local guys inventory right now. Looks like $10K off gets you into the $16K territory, though I see 0.6% financing, not 0%. Pretty good either way.

I want a red one and they only have silver!

Would one search under new inventory or used inventory?

My Dad has a 135k mile 2012 Sportwagon that he was set on selling back and buying a Mazda CX5. He just worked out a deal for a straight across trade for a 2015 Sportwagon with 15k miles. He is pretty excited about the transaction.

dyintorace wrote: Would one search under new inventory or used inventory?

Found my local ones under new.

Just select new and 2015 and they are all TDI.

tuna55 wrote:

dyintorace wrote: Would one search under new inventory or used inventory?

Found my local ones under new. Just select new and 2015 and they are all TDI.

Weird. When I search new cars near me and choose 2015, not TDIs appear. I guess they don't have any in stock nearby.

Brian wrote: Interesting about TDIs returning. I'm not sure I would be bothered about pressing the brakes to start. Coming from a manual and having to press the clutch to start, for me, the instinct is already there. Thinking about it, I habitually do that on the occasion I drive an auto. As far as red, not a deal breaker, but it is my last choice of car color. Black is second to last, but the car I wanted, and bought, just happened to be black. I regret it every day of summer. Enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks!

While I hope they do return, and VW claims that the Gen 3 EA288 engines didn't use the defeat device to trick the EPA, like the previous generations did. I fear it's too little too late. Diesels have been pretty well demonized over the past couple years, going to be hard to right the public perception. This Golf is just a 2 year old "new" car that the dealer finally got the go-ahead to sell, not necessarily a return of the TDI.

The foot on the brake thing to start is going to be more of an annoyance in the Winter, when we go out to start the car to warm up.

Slippery wrote: That looks sharp! I went Monday to my local dealer and they did not have any TDIs. I sat in a GTI with the plaid seats ... what a mistake that was!

Thanks!

I too was swayed by the siren call of the GTI. Same dealer we got the TDI Golf from had a left over '16 Performance Pack, DSG, SEL, Autobahn, in Reflex Silver. I drove it the day we sold our Sportwagen back, made the salesman in the back seat nervous. I wanted it, but I couldn't get them low enough on price, there wasn't enough incentive from VW for them to move it, like there was for the new cars. The sales manager wanted to talk price again on the GTI, when we came back to look at the TDIs, but we decided for our 70 mile a day commute, the TDI was the more practical, and obviously the more budget friendly option. Besides, as much as I like diesels, I don't hold a candle to SWMBO, when I told her the '15 TDIs were going to be sold, I pretty much put the nail in the coffin on the GTI idea.

Billy_Bottle_Caps wrote: Congrats! I like it

Thanks!

xflowgolf wrote: yeah all the old stock TDI's in any trim anybody actually wants went fast. Congrats on the Golf!

Thanks!

I think it depends on where you are. There are still a pair of S Trim, DSG, Sportwagens on my dealer's lot. Honestly, if they'd had heated seats, we probably would have bought one, and lived without the sunroof, and other bells and whistles. The Golf in SE trim, just had all the features we considered "must haves," and then some. We bought the only/last Golf they had, but there were several Passats, and at least one Jetta left.

dyintorace wrote: I really like red cars (my current BMW wagon is bright red). Yours looks great!

Thanks! I looked at a few BMW wagons, I look forward to the day of <$15K 328d wagons, I think.

xflowgolf wrote:

bigdaddylee82 wrote: The MDI-in cable provided is for a pre-lignthing iDevice, no big deal, my work phone is an ancient iPhone, and I used the same cable on our old Sportwagen to stream Slacker, Pandora, and whatnot. When I plug my iPhone into the Golf, it shows up as an iPod and tells me there's no media present, so I can't stream and control the iPhone via the MDI port on this model.

Don't all iphone's... even the really old ones, have Bluetooth?

Yeah, but I use my personal phone (Blackberry PRIV) 98% of the time, and my antique work iPhone is mostly just for text notifications from remote water monitoring stations. I do get the occasional work related call on my "work" phone, so I usually have both with me. The advantage of the work phone is that it has unlimited data, so it was great for streaming stuff on road trips. I could plug the work phone into the MDI port, have Slacker streaming, and have SWMBO's or my phone connected via Bluetooth. I haven't tried, I might be able to have multiple phones connected to Bluetooth at once on this system, but on our Sportwagen, you had to manually select the Bluetooth device you wanted to use.

tuna55 wrote: So I am checking my local guys inventory right now. Looks like $10K off gets you into the $16K territory, though I see 0.6% financing, not 0%. Pretty good either way. I want a red one and they only have silver!

We did 1% for 48 months, but put more than 1/2 down, only stipulation was that we keep the note for 1 year before paying it off. See we wanted a silver or white, and they only had red. Buy one and we can swap.

dyintorace wrote: Would one search under new inventory or used inventory?

Dealer we bought from hadn't bothered to put any of the TDIs on their website at the time we bought. Might be best to call.

2002maniac wrote: My Dad has a 135k mile 2012 Sportwagon that he was set on selling back and buying a Mazda CX5. He just worked out a deal for a straight across trade for a 2015 Sportwagon with 15k miles. He is pretty excited about the transaction.

Nice!

This forum really needs a muti-quote function.

Good luck and hopefully it lasts you a long time.