Showdown: Prius vs. Jetta Sportwagen

Edmund's Inside Line recently matched a 2011 VW Jetta SportWagen TDI head-to-head with a 2012 Toyota Prius in a comparison test.

"We all love a rivalry. Ali and Frazier, Borg and McEnroe, Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson. And now, thanks to unstable fuel prices and carbon footprint feuds, we have diesel versus hybrids," stated the editors of Inside Line.

The comparison test put both vehicles through several demanding tests to discover the better of the two. Space inside, cargo capacity, performance, responsiveness and of course fuel efficiency were all painstakingly matched and measured.

Fuel economy: "As expected, the gasoline-electric hybrid Prius V is more efficient around town, and the turbodiesel Jetta wagon is (nearly) as efficient on the highway, earning just 1 mpg less than the Prius V's 40 mpg. [However] the Prius V feels slow nearly all the time, while the Jetta SportWagen never feels underpowered, even on hills." Though the Prius may milk out slightly more economy, the Jetta was the better ride. They describe it better in the transmissions testing.

Transmissions: "Volkswagen's ultra-slick six-speed DSG automated double-clutch manual transmission (with Sport and Manual modes) does an amazing job of keeping the engine engaged with the driver's intentions and requests. When it comes to the Toyota, there's no getting around the odd sensations produced by its continuously variable transmission (CVT). The Prius is always trying to balance economy with performance, and it's often stuck in the middle." Clearly, they liked the performance of the Jetta much more, the Prius - no so much.

From 0 to 60, the Jetta SportWagen again trounces the Prius by a full 1.5 seconds. With the braking test, the Prius felt "vague and non-linear" since the regenerative braking system was influencing the stopping. During the turning and handling portion of the tests, Edmund's discovered the Prius to be "relatively buttoned down and nowhere near as refined or confident as the Jetta SportWagen when it comes to handling".

On the track, the Jetta managed the 600-foot slalom with immeasurably more poise and assurance than the Prius, and at a consistently and significantly faster speed. As for price? The Prius is far more expensive, and Edmunds warns those that think the extra price is worth the money saved at the pumps that it would take over 2 years to recoup the higher initial cost of the Prius, assuming 1,250 miles driven per month and the current average price of gasoline.

The winner? Let's just leave you with Edmund's summary:

"That said, the Jetta SportWagen TDI is simply more rewarding to drive in nearly every situation. Modern turbodiesel engines do not rattle, smoke or smell, nor are they inherently underpowered or slow. You don't have to go to truck stops to fuel them anymore either. Today, turbodiesels offer an undeniable alternative to hybrid-powered vehicles that, while providing a slight advantage in terms of fuel efficiency, also are rife with intrinsic concessions in terms of driving dynamics."

"We know it sounds like we've beat this drum before, but the Jetta drives, looks and simply behaves more like a "regular" wagon. Call us crazy, but when we press the accelerator, turn the steering wheel or even want to manually select a gear, the Jetta SportWagen actually goes, turns and shifts like we expect. It's something you can't see in the numbers, but you feel every time you're behind the wheel. So as this rivalry goes, score another round for the diesel."