camry SE hybrid vs passat tdi

[veeman]

My brother in law is selling his Mercedes E class.  He bought it certified 2 years ago for 41,500 and can get 31,500 for it from a few dealers (most won't give him more than 25).  He's put 15000 miles on it and so in two years he hasn't driven it a lot.  He's shelling out too much a month for his loan and routine maintenancy/minor repairs cost a fortune.  Plus he works in a place where he feels self conscious about driving a luxury saloon (ultra religious hospital where he's high up in administration). 

Anyways I suggested he check out a Mazda 6 and while he liked it, they weren't giving him a good deal on it and weren't giving him nearly as much for his Mercedes.  The two dealers that were really giving him ridiculously great lease rates and financing deals were Toyota and VW.  I suggested to him to check out a VW GTI but he nixed a Prius because it was too small and he thought the GTI was too small after test driving it.  (I know they aren't anything a like but size-wise they are similar).  He wants a biggish sedan.

I think now its between a Camry SE Hybrid (comes with 17 inch alloys, fog lights, and keyless start) vs a Passat TDI. 

Between the two, which would you choose? 

[SVT666]

Firing squad

[2o6]

Camry

[veeman]

Camry

that's what I was thinking too.  Although I don't like either that much they're both large comfy cars.  The toyota hybrid is pretty well sorted out.  Diesels are cool though.  Tough choice between the two.

[CJ]

The Passat is the way to go. We love our Jetta TDI. It simply feels like a better car. Nicer interior, nicer to look at, and residuals are probably around the same. VW seats are good, and I really like the infotainment  system in the VW. Good cars.

[68_427]

Camry, then  trade that in on an Accord Sport.

[CALL_911]

G37x

[Catman]

I would go with the F150

[hotrodalex]

BRZ

But seriously does he drive more highway or city? Highway = diesel, city = hybrid.

[veeman]

BRZ

But seriously does he drive more highway or city? Highway = diesel, city = hybrid.

Good point.  A mixture of both.  Long trips are taken by their minivan.  I think the Passat tdi has a 600 mile range.  I have a Beetle TDI and I don't have any complaints about the engine. 

[Madman]

If space is a priority, I'd go for a Jetta Sportwagen TDI.  It's much bigger inside than you'd think and the wagon hasn't been debased by Volkswagen's accounting department like the Jetta sedan.

The NMS Passat is also cost-cut to death and is a huge downgrade from even my 2003 Passat.  It may look nice in pictures but it feels cheap.  The Sportwagen is so much nicer, it's not even funny.  And I'd rather take a bullet to head than spend the next few years of my life driving a soul-crushing Camry.  Especially a hybrid Camry!

[cawimmer430]

Camry or Passat. Hmm.... does he like to burn rubber on the track? Because the the Accord would be a better choice! 

[veeman]

If space is a priority, I'd go for a Jetta Sportwagen TDI.  It's much bigger inside than you'd think and the wagon hasn't been debased by Volkswagen's accounting department like the Jetta sedan.

The NMS Passat is also cost-cut to death and is a huge downgrade from even my 2003 Passat.  It may look nice in pictures but it feels cheap.  The Sportwagen is so much nicer, it's not even funny.  And I'd rather take a bullet to head than spend the next few years of my life driving a soul-crushing Camry.  Especially a hybrid Camry!

I just suggested he try out the sportwagen.  Thanks.

[12,000 RPM]

Sportwagen is on the short list for wifey's next ride. Hoping they come out with a gas hybrid version of the next one instead because she does like 80% city/stop-n-go driving.

[Char]

Accord, Camry and then Mazada 6. The VW shitwagon wouldn't even be on the radar.

[12,000 RPM]

One day we will get to the root of your VW psychosis triggers, and it will be a glorious psychological teardown

[thewizard16]

Probably the Camry. The new Passat was a little disappointing IMO (admittedly, it was a rental and I'm sure it's the cheapest/worst version of one) and although I think the TDI is kinda cool the Camry hybrid will probably seem higher tech. That said, I imagine the VW's interior seems a bit more refined style wise, so they might appreciate that side of things more coming from an E class.

One day we will get to the root of your VW psychosis triggers, and it will be a glorious psychological teardown

I swear he was molested by one as a child.

[Northlands]

One day we will get to the root of your VW psychosis triggers, and it will be a glorious psychological teardown

[Raza]

Probably the Camry. The new Passat was a little disappointing IMO (admittedly, it was a rental and I'm sure it's the cheapest/worst version of one) and although I think the TDI is kinda cool the Camry hybrid will probably seem higher tech. That said, I imagine the VW's interior seems a bit more refined style wise, so they might appreciate that side of things more coming from an E class.

The new Passat is huge and soft.  It's like driving a mattress.  Better resolved than the last Camry I drove; the Camry left you with that floaty seasick feeling, and while the Passat was numbing and comfortable, it still felt better to drive than the Camry.  Far removed from the B5 and B6 Passats though; it doesn't feel like it belongs to part of the same family tree. 

[Madman]

The new Passat is huge and soft.  It's like driving a mattress.  Better resolved than the last Camry I drove; the Camry left you with that floaty seasick feeling, and while the Passat was numbing and comfortable, it still felt better to drive than the Camry.  Far removed from the B5 and B6 Passats though; it doesn't feel like it belongs to part of the same family tree. 

That's because it doesn't belong to the same family tree.  NMS is a Toyota Avalon clone with a German accent.

[AutobahnSHO]

Sportwagen is on the short list for wifey's next ride.

me= super want

Hoping they come out with a gas hybrid version of the next one instead because she does like 80% city/stop-n-go driving.

how about a diesel hybrid?????

[12,000 RPM]

Diesel hybrid Jetta will be like $50K and I don't like diesel. But I'd rather a diesel wagon than a hybrid sedan

[Laconian]

The upcoming TDI has auto start/stop.

[Char]

Diesel cars are stupid. They cost more, are dog shit slow and really don't do anything better other than give you fanboys something to froth about.
News flash - No one cares. They aren't going to bring it, and for good reason -


Americans hate wagons (estates/Tourings/Avants), we hate diesels, we hate soccer and hopefully  soon we'll hate VW and it's shit powertrains, shit cars and shit drivers. I'm tired of this.

[2o6]

The Passat TDI has been on sale since the Passat's inception.

[Char]

The Passat TDI has been on sale since the Passat's inception.

And it's always been a POS. What's your point?

[veeman]

So as a follow-up, he's sitting tight with his Mercedes... for now.

A friend of his convinced him that buying and selling a car within two years was dumb.  When talking about how it looks to drive a luxury car in a conservative religious place we were laughing about how the CEO of the religious hospital system he works at makes 3 million a year.  And that's just in salary.

[12,000 RPM]

Diesel cars are stupid. They cost more, are dog shit slow and really don't do anything better other than give you fanboys something to froth about.
News flash - No one cares. They aren't going to bring it, and for good reason -

Lol. TDI Jetta/Rabbit has been here for years.

And they get really good gas mileage, without sacrificing performance compared to the competition. Cost is legit but a Jetta TDI wagon is a class above something like a Corolla.

Americans hate wagons (estates/Tourings/Avants), we hate diesels, we hate soccer and hopefully  soon we'll hate VW and it's shit powertrains, shit cars and shit drivers. I'm tired of this.

There is a long, long list of car brands shittier than VW, if being shit is your rationale for hatred. But it's not. It's just your coverall for whatever teenage PTSD relapses that are triggered when you see a VW badge.

[Char]

Lol. TDI Jetta/Rabbit has been here for years.

And they get really good gas mileage, without sacrificing performance compared to the competition. Cost is legit but a Jetta TDI wagon is a class above something like a Corolla.

There is a long, long list of car brands shittier than VW, if being shit is your rationale for hatred. But it's not. It's just your coverall for whatever teenage PTSD relapses that are triggered when you see a VW badge.

There is nothing shittier than VW, with the exception of Chrysler. Even the buyers are clueless, at least Chrysler buyers know their cars are crap - VW drivers are on a whole different level of being tools.

[12,000 RPM]

Sure thing.