The new Volkswagen TDI has been released and my friend bought one. We own a prius and I've heard it compared to the TDI so I'd like to get people who own the 2009 TDI and tell me what their experience is.

I have a new TDi Jetta wagon, brilliant, does about 40/42 mpg on a long run, about 27/30 mpg around town. It is slower on pickup than the petrol version ( I know, I have two friends that have them ) but once up to speed it will stick at 70 mph all day. And if you are looking at/have a Prius, fast acceleration does not matter. It will be noisier than a petrol, less noticeable in the cabin. I have the automatic ( which I regret ) my Jetta does not change fast enough up hill. I now use the 1. 2. 3. O/D gears on some hills. The rear seats fold almost flat for extra storage. My only complaint/observation no 4WD/AWD.

One other thing about the diesel engine Jetta. It is made in Germany, some petrol engine Jetta`s are made in Mexico which have far more problems.

I own a Golf Mk4 1.6 "2003" with 81,000 miles on the clock. I would say that I'm an average driver, don't speed but I'm not a slow/sensible driver. THIS CAR IS FANTASTIC!! A full tank is about £60 and I can get 400-500 miles out of that. It needs a service as its not running quite right but it starts every time whether its really hot or really cold. The average MPG that I get is 37mpg and that on a journey of about 15miles. I would def recommend on but the down side is that the servicing from VW is expensive.

Just re-read your question and its not about VW in general but about the 2009 TDi... sorry. VW is a good buy though