I'm going to be buying a new compact, and I've narrowed it down to these 2. Both are all but identical in size, price, looks, fuel mileage, interior, and style. I really like both cars. They both have what I consider to be one negative. On the Corolla it's the CVT Transmission. You would think they would be cheaper because they are simpler. They're not. They are very expensive to repair if they go south out of warranty. And from what I've been able to research, their long term reliability is somewhat questionable. There have been a lot of problems and growing pains thus far. Toyota's seem to have the best reliability as far as CVT Transmissions, when compared to say Nissan, which has the absolute worst. So the Nissan Versa is off the table.
I've never driven a vehicle with one. But watching videos of CVT Transmission acceleration, the engine revs way up, then stays there until you get off the throttle. There is no "shifting" like a regular automatic with gears does. They operate similar to the variable speed head on a Bridgeport vertical milling machine. With a system of cone pulley's and a drive belt. So I list the CVT Transmission as the Corolla's negative. They are the future in small cars, and in 10 years all compacts will have them. And they will have the cost and reliability dialed in by then. But now I feel it's too much of a gamble. I'll be keeping this vehicle for a long time. The Volkswagen Jetta has a standard automatic with gears that shifts like most all automatics do. And I'm comfortable with that. The Jetta's negative, (as far as I'm concerned), is it has a turbo.
I know a lot of young drivers like them, but I'm not a big fan of turbochargers on cars. Much like the CVT Transmission, they're a big money pit if they go south out of warranty. Yeah, you get better performance and more overall power. But it's at the expense of that turbo, that you hope and pray doesn't go away. I will admit that today's turbochargers have a pretty good reputation for overall reliability. I'm not sure if the Jetta's turbocharger is liquid cooled or not. I'm hoping it is. So my thinking is the turbo is not as large of a negative as the CVT Transmission is. Advantage Jetta.
In overall vehicle reliability Toyota scores better marks than Volkswagen. Always has. But that and a buck buys a cup of coffee at the counter at Denny's, when it comes to individual vehicles. I had a Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel, and it was one of the best cars I ever had. Totally reliable. So I'm not uncomfortable buying one. And the whole "Dieselgate" mess is pretty much behind them. Volkswagen certainly isn't going away because of it.
So I would like to hear if any of you guys drive either of these, and what you think of them. I'm replacing my 26 year old 1991 F-150. Since I bought my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, I really don't need two big full sized vehicles. So it's time to downsize. More room in the garage as well. I'm getting tired of walking sideways between 2 cars, and having to squeeze in and out of them!
I've never driven a vehicle with one. But watching videos of CVT Transmission acceleration, the engine revs way up, then stays there until you get off the throttle. There is no "shifting" like a regular automatic with gears does. They operate similar to the variable speed head on a Bridgeport vertical milling machine. With a system of cone pulley's and a drive belt. So I list the CVT Transmission as the Corolla's negative. They are the future in small cars, and in 10 years all compacts will have them. And they will have the cost and reliability dialed in by then. But now I feel it's too much of a gamble. I'll be keeping this vehicle for a long time. The Volkswagen Jetta has a standard automatic with gears that shifts like most all automatics do. And I'm comfortable with that. The Jetta's negative, (as far as I'm concerned), is it has a turbo.
I know a lot of young drivers like them, but I'm not a big fan of turbochargers on cars. Much like the CVT Transmission, they're a big money pit if they go south out of warranty. Yeah, you get better performance and more overall power. But it's at the expense of that turbo, that you hope and pray doesn't go away. I will admit that today's turbochargers have a pretty good reputation for overall reliability. I'm not sure if the Jetta's turbocharger is liquid cooled or not. I'm hoping it is. So my thinking is the turbo is not as large of a negative as the CVT Transmission is. Advantage Jetta.
In overall vehicle reliability Toyota scores better marks than Volkswagen. Always has. But that and a buck buys a cup of coffee at the counter at Denny's, when it comes to individual vehicles. I had a Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel, and it was one of the best cars I ever had. Totally reliable. So I'm not uncomfortable buying one. And the whole "Dieselgate" mess is pretty much behind them. Volkswagen certainly isn't going away because of it.
So I would like to hear if any of you guys drive either of these, and what you think of them. I'm replacing my 26 year old 1991 F-150. Since I bought my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, I really don't need two big full sized vehicles. So it's time to downsize. More room in the garage as well. I'm getting tired of walking sideways between 2 cars, and having to squeeze in and out of them!