[DenverJayhawk]

If you were replacing your aging SUV with one of these two, which would you choose? The replacement will need to have a full time toddler seat in the back and be able to handle typical Denver weather with moderate snow/ice on a regular basis.

[Ron1n]

Obviously one of your chief concern is gas mileage, and both do tremendously.

My suggestion is stick with German...the TDI is a solid car, and worth it.

[smack]

Stick with German. The tdi will have so much more power than the fit also and still return great mileage.

[redfred18t]

TDI all the way. Although the Fit is a great car, you just cant compare it to the sportwagen tdi

[DnA Diesel]

They're not even in the same league.

TDI, hands down!



(although to be fair, perhaps I'm biased with 220,000k on my 55mpg TDI...)

[asus389]

Audi A3 TDI

[jopa489]

I'd take the Fit. It's the biggest bargain on the market today - not many $16k cars are as flexible, spacious, and well equipped as the Fit. I love German cars, but it's still tough to beat the overall reliability of a Honda. And it's actually pretty fun to drive too.

[BMWDAD]

Baby in car VW is safer

[David9962000]

The TDI will give you great resale & lots of low end torque. I also think the DSG gearbox is fantastic, the shifting speeds are amazing.

[John 070]

If it came down to just those two, the Fit. But I would seriously consider an Elantra.

Personally I'm not very impressed with VW's repair record or the cost of them. Granted, I'm only basing my opinion on four friends who have them, but 4/4 who have problems with new cars isn't a great track record. We're talking 2008+ cars too.

[samej]

Seriously? The two are not in the same class. The TDI is a more car but it will cost you thousands more. If I were money sensitive I'd go with the Fit, and at least consider the Hyundai Elantra touring wagon which is the same size as the TDI and comes with that Hyundai warranty, if you can live with driving a Hyundai. Otherwise it's the TDI and I'd be I'd be cross shopping a CRV or other mini-ute.

[DenverJayhawk]

I already have an SUV and really don't want another one. But I'm also considering a Rav4 with the V6. C&D got 24mpg combined on a 1000 mile road trip, which isn't too bad. Believe it or not, I'm also thinking about a mini van. I like the idea of a FIT, but not sure how well it would work with the toddler seats and more than 2 passengers on a regular basis.

[John 070]

One car that really intrigues me, esp when AWD is a consideration, is the 2010 Legacy. The base price is $19,995, and it can be had with a 6 MAN. I sat in a wagon that had the 6 MAN, but the wagon is like 3k more. Again, it strikes me as a good looking car, it's a Subaru, it's as big as an Accord, and the sub 20k price is a joke (I don't know if stripped models like that can be had, the wagon I saw was 27k and it was the base motor).

[cotmfk]

TDI for sure. It will be better in the snow as well.

[Brad427435]

I thought the Fit was about the best value out there, with the best interior storage design, until I test drove one. Now I think it's still the best value out there, if you don't mind a lot of noise and are somewhat shorter than 6' 2". I just could not fit in it. I had sore legs after sitting in it, twice, for 15 to 30 minutes, which I can't say has ever happened in lots of other cars.

The TDI wagon was wonderful when I test drove it, the engine, interior, lack of noise, and so on. It has a much longer load floor, and about 12 more cubic feet of storage. But it's at least $5K more than a Fit, if you can find one.

[Ti335]

Originally Posted by jopa489

I'd take the Fit. It's the biggest bargain on the market today - not many $16k cars are as flexible, spacious, and well equipped as the Fit.

Not many cars on the market today are quite as ugly, either. Also, after witnessing what happened to the occupants of Civic after it was T-boned (at a relatively low speed) by a Buick, I have little faith in Honda's compact cars.

Not a big fan of the tractor-ish sounding TDI engine or VW's in General, but I'd still take Jetta over Fit any day.

[JakeN5]

TDI. The sportswagen's higher luggage capacity makes it more practical, and it is probably safer for ferrying a toddler. Another benefit is that DSG box, as someone already had mentioned. But since you also considered the RAV4, that should be on the top of your list given you live in the snow belt and need 4WD. Believe it or not, the RAV4 V6 is the most sporty in Toyota's lineup for now and is rated the top small SUV in a comparison test in the latest issue of C&D.

In the same price range as the RAV4 or for a little more is the VW Tiguan (ranked second in the above comparison). The popular VW 2.0L turbo 4 has been a staple in Audi/VW community with plenty of available tuning options, so I would look at it too if I can afford it. I believe it also is available as TDI, but I'm not sure. Keep in mind, though, that VW's reliability record is below average according to Consumer Reports.

[mshahidz]

TDI.

my brother has a fit, and I personaly dont feel that its all that great on gas.
The VW will be a better built car IMO.

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by JakeN5

In the same price range as the RAV4 or for a little more is the VW Tiguan (ranked second in the above comparison). The popular VW 2.0L turbo 4 has been a staple in Audi/VW community with plenty of available tuning options, so I would look at it too if I can afford it. I believe it also is available as TDI, but I'm not sure. Keep in mind, though, that VW's reliability record is below average according to Consumer Reports.

+1 on Tiguan. Sounds perfect. Of course, more money....

Edit: Well, I just looked at the VW website, and found out they don't offer the Tig in TDI, very strange. I guess they decided the Egg deserved the new TDI engine and the Tig would survive on its own without the TDI because it is so new. I would guess that the Tig will get a diesel engine soon. Maybe you can hold out, or lease the Jetta in the meantime.

[SpaceGhost]

TDI. VW diesels are pretty much bulletproof. A friend has a 99 golf TDI with nearly 200k. Never had a problem, starts right up and runs quiet (for a diesel) and still gets just under 50mpg hwy.

[brinkmann]

go German.

[rolling18]

Originally Posted by Alpine Blur

TDI. VW diesels are pretty much bulletproof. A friend has a 99 golf TDI with nearly 200k. Never had a problem, starts right up and runs quiet (for a diesel) and still gets just under 50mpg hwy.

id vote for the TDi as well (i had an 06 Jetta 5sp for a year) almost 50 MPG, you can run Bio in it, you can get ecu tunes and flashes, lots of aftermarket support, so you can make it as fun and good looking as you want.. better driving feel, included maintenance, nicer electronic features. "feels" like your driving a more expensive car.