Pick my econo box

[buzzdsm]

Which would you choose? 70% of the time I'll be driving between 65 and 80mph. I'm leaning towards the Golf TDI since I had good luck with a Golf GTI. I may just say f'it and get a Mazdaspeed 3 but which one would you choose?

[mclovin.too]

Mazdaspeed 3.

[Flick Montana]

Probably the fit because I don't typically like diesels. However, if the TDI are as good as I've been hearing, you would probably get better mileage with that.

[Low J.]

I'd get the Fit...by all accounts it has a lot of room and is fun to drive if you get the "sport" model.

[ekim81]

you can buy my mazdaspeed 3. it's for sale. =)

[sofa king]

i have an 09 fit & its great for what it was made for. MPG & space. you can fit a full size washer in it. lol.

[stoffius]

I've driven all three cars and the GTI is the most fun. Plus at those speeds, I wanna believe you'd get excellent mileage compared to the other two. Maybe wrong but I don't care...I'd still take the GTI.

[LeMans 05]

I voted Fit, but the TDI was a very close second. If the mileage is as good as predicted, the TDI may end up being my next econo-crap car as well.

[cwerdna]

There's no way I'd take anything from VW. Their reliability ranges from average to total crap. Honda and Toyota reliability are far better.

Although the OP doesn't seem to care about this, so-called "clean diesels" are dirty in comparison to even many non-hybrid gasoline powered cars. They typically get a 6 out of 10 (tier 2 bin 5) on the EPA air pollution score. There are plenty of gasoline powered cars that do better.

BTW, look where the previous gen (04 to 09) Prius ended up at http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...ed-cars-1.html, http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...view/index.htm and touring version at http://pressroom.consumerreports.org...alue-list.html.

FWIW, in the owner satisfaction survey, the Fit got an 83%, which is the highest amongst small cars vs. 93% for the Prius, which the EPA classifies as a midsize and CR puts under family sedans.

It also did well in the UK: http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...spx?ID=2007069 for 2007 and http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/05...sfaction-in-u/ for 2008.

Although it's inverted right now, diesel typically has cost more than regular unleaded gasoline. See http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/diesel/ and if you're curious about historical pricing, see http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pe...dcus_nus_w.htm. Per http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/CAmetro.asp, in San Jose, CA, a year ago, regular unleaded was $4.179/gal, premium was $4.522 and diesel was $5.144.

[quiksilver38]

turbo is always fun but i would go with the least gayest car. Prius is out of the question because its the gayest car on the road. hmm tough choice...

[BaZooKa]

The Golf TDI !

[cwerdna]

Originally Posted by stoffius

I've driven all three cars and the GTI is the most fun.

Uhh... you've driven the 2010 Prius? It just started shipping a <3 weeks ago in the US. It's got a ton of changes and new features compared to the 2nd gen (04 to 09) besides better gas mileage and 24 more hp. The car feels more solid and they worked on improving the handling.

(I drove one 2x at an invite only Toyota event in early March 09 in San Francisco and was under embargo to not discuss or write up about my driving impressions until 3/25/09. FWIW, I posted them on http://priuschat.com/forums/2010-toy...tml#post819419.)

You've ALSO driven the Golf TDI? It's not even on VW's web site from what I gather (such as posts at http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread...239152&page=19), it's not even available yet.

Since the OP has a hybrid on the list, I realized the OP ought to consider three more cars:
2009 Toyota Prius - you should be able to get a deal on leftovers since the 2010 is out now
2010 Honda Insight - However, it looks like a Prius, has the least power of all these cars and worse mileage than even the 09 Prius, let alone the 2010, but it has a lower MSRP than the 2010 Prius.
2009 Altima Hybrid - Ok, not an econobox but you should be able to get it for well below invoice due to the $2K incentive and there's a $2350 tax credit (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/tax_hybrid.shtml). It's 198 hp to boot but gets mileage of much weaker econoboxes. (My mom's got an 07 NAH.) Unfortunately, it's only available in 9 states and you might not be in one of them.

You can see how some of these vehicles stack up in terms of economy in Consumer Reports testing at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...ient-cars-206/.

Personally, I think the 2010 Insight is a bad deal unless you want to compare a nav equipped one to a nav equipped 2010 Prius.

[KS0385]

TDI. I want one.

[wilson007]

TDI. It's the most luxurious, most "car like", gets comparable mpg on quick interstate driving as the Prius, and is much more stable at high speeds compared to the other cars listed. In the future, if you wanted to modify the car for speed, the TDI would be the easiest car to make "quick".

[buzzdsm]

I just put a down payment on a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3.

[4BangR-X]

Originally Posted by buzzdsm

I just put a down payment on a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3.

Ata' boy! The 09 MS3 doesn't have the updated looks does it?

[buzzdsm]

Originally Posted by 4BangR-X

Ata' boy! The 09 MS3 doesn't have the updated looks does it?

Nope, it's the old style without the smiling face.

[andycapp]

You will enjoy the MS3.

The GTI would not be as much fun as the MS3, the Fit is like a tin can, and the Prius projects an image that I don't like (unless you did something fun like suspension and different wheels).

[Low J.]

Originally Posted by andycapp

You will enjoy the MS3.

The GTI would not be as much fun as the MS3, the Fit is like a tin can, and the Prius projects an image that I don't like (unless you did something fun like suspension and different wheels).

I have to disagree about the GTI....while I love the MS3 and think it's a great choice, the GTI has better fit and finish and IMHO handles better...that's why I ended up choosing it over the MS3. It was close though because the power advantage of the MS3 is insane.....

[Entaille]

good call sir, enjoy the ride.