I was very surprised by the overall feel of the Golf TDI. It just felt very well sorted in just about every sense. It's the only car close that I like and have experience with the dealer service department that I'm comfortable with; except for maybe the Ford Focus, but that car is only a few grand less than the TDI so it really makes no sense.

Hm..

If this is a compliment to a Passat why not something a bit more on the fun side and a little less worry about practicality?

Also, FWIW, the Mazda 3 doesn't have the full compliment of Skyactiv technologies yet. Only the engine. The full suite of goodies is debuting on the Mazda CX-5 and will be rolled out on future Mazdas with:

- More efficient engines (lighter and better mpg)
- More efficient transmissions (lighter, lower friction)
- Light weight rigid chassis
- Improved, lighter suspension and steering

In any case if MPG is the bar, what about a Mazda2 (35mpg) or a Ford Fiesta (40mpg)?

The MINIs would be something I'd look at if I wanted seating for four and high-ish MPG. . . aren't those getting in the mid-to-high 30's?

The Mazda 3 is at 40mpg and better than the Mazda2 and Fiesta. I live in a land with no curves, fun only happens in a straight line and that kills MPG. Practicality is fun around here. :D

mazda3 is supposed to be the most fun of these econo boxes:dunno:

The Mazda 3 and Ford Focus actually get better mpg than the Mazda 2 and Ford Fiesta respectively... they can afford to put some fuel-saving features in the more expensive cars that they can't quite build into the pricing structure of the smaller ones.

Took further test drives yesterday. Unfortunately, the Mazda dealer did not have a manual skyactiv.

The Golf is fantastic. The Good:

• Seats (Front are cloth, but very good side bolsters)
• Noise / Vibration / Ride (At BMW levels, IMHO)
• Fit / Finish (Better than our 2006 330i)
• Radio (touch screen, better than good sound, easy to use)
• Controls (everything was intuitive and well weighted)
• Suspension (Sport suspension is standard, fantastic)
• Wheels (nice 17" alloys standard, very nice)
• Extra's (3/36 maintenance, heated seats)

The one gripe would be the transmission. I never missed a shift, but it is vague and rubbery. This is where I expect the Mazda to trump the VW. All reports claim the skyactive manual to be on par with the Miata transmission and to be the best in a non-sports car; universal praise.

I took both cars for a 16 mile drive, mainly focusing on NVH. There is a good chance I'll be driving a lot for work over the next year and it will be a lot of boring interstate driving; I'll also be on the phone a bit while driving so I wanted to try out the bluetooth over broken concrete in very windy conditions. The Golf won again, although it wasn't a fault of the Mazda's bluetooth; the Mazda has a harsher ride and more cabin noise which comes through over the bluetooth and causes you to raise the volume in the cabin.

I won't be able to judge the handling of the Mazda until I drive one with a real transmission, but it has promise. The Mazda3 is at least a notch below the Golf in every category (except potentially the transmission) Two things that really bugged me were:

• Controls (not intuative at all)
• Fit / Finish (fairly low rate, and the radio / info screens look very slapdash espcially the fact that the two different info screens are different types (LCD v LED) and different background and typeface colors and different sizes, right next to each other)

That all being said, the Mazda3 is just under $20k and should return 40+ on the highway and 30 around town. The Golf is $25k and will return better MPG (+10 or so) but Diesel is extremely expensive now in comparison to RUG.

One other thing I really liked about the Golf, was the transmission info. In the upper right corner it displays the gear you are in and a little dot if you are in the right gear. If you should shift to another gear an up or down arrow will appear. I found this very helpful since the TDI engine has a fairly unique powerband in comparison to most gas motors. I found myself wondering, "should I could shift up now?" and then the arrow would confirm. I think this would be great for the wife as she would often ask for shifting advice and this seems fairly well sorted.

I also compared the two cars side by side at the Mazda dealer. The Mazda is a wee bit longer, but has worse rear seats and rear seat room when the driver seat is where I'd keep it. The Mazda has a noticeably larger trunk floor, but the usable space is only slightly larger due to the highly sloped rear hatch of the Mazda3. Again, the fit and finish was obviously better all around on the Golf.

I won't make the decision to buy for at least 3 week, maybe as late as February. It will depend on the Wife's and My pending promotions and the determination if I'll be driving a lot for work.

I'd recommend the Golf TDI to anybody looking for a good commuter type car on a relative budget.

Keep resale in mind. That TDI will shock you at how well it'll hold it's value.


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Going to test drive the exact same cars, found a skyactiv 6mt sedan to test drive and a local dealer has 5k off a golf TDi 6mt

Also the idea of owning a vw scares me but I have heard of the TDI resale values. That why I was kind of surprised to see 5k off but it is a 2011 with a manual.

The TDI sounds like an absolute no brainer, even if it is a bit more expensive.