Faults:

What has gone wrong: absolutely nothing so far.

General Comments:

Pros:

Smooth ride.

Extremely quiet (first time I've seen a diesel make so little noise).

No soot, smoke, or diesel smell.

Very low wind noise.

Very peppy when you need it (manufacturer states 8.2 seconds to 60 mph), but I don't use the pep - I drive for fuel economy.

Comfortable seats.

Fuel economy: reaching 47 miles per US gallon, and still going up (the break-in is not fully completed yet). Average May 2009 consumption is 45 MPG.

6 speed manual transmission: revs at 1900 rpm when you're traveling 65 miles per hour.

Cons:

FM radio receiver could be better.

Back seat head room just barely enough for 5 feet 8 inches.

Continental tires hum when inflated to recommended pressure (36 psi).

I've been driving diesels since 1984, and this is the best I've seen in 25 years! Motor noise is imperceptible on the highway. In fact, the only noise comes from the tires. They hum in the 40 to 60 mph range. Dealer says it's because the tires are overinflated, but this is the manufacturer's recommendation, and I get better fuel economy that way.

I tried a 2005 Toyota Corolla for 5 months, but I was really disappointed with the comfort and fuel economy, so I decided to go back to VW, and I replaced my diesel Beetle with this Jetta. And it really was a good decision!

I tried a 2009 Chevrolet Impala car rental, and drove it 600 miles. I must admit the Jetta is as comfortable, and the ride is better.

I'm very glad I bought this car.

Faults:

Had clutch replaced at around 3500 miles, due to dual mass flywheel malfunction.

General Comments:

We got ours on October 2008. We have driven the car a little over 10K miles, had the first scheduled service, have to say the service department was great. This Jetta replaces the Touareg. We're looking forward to the summer so we can take our first long trip. I think it's going to be from Los Angeles to Seattle and back.

One could never tell how comfortable this little car is just by looking at it, power wise you could not ask for more.

We're amazed with our diesel; so amazed that we're planning to add the new soon to be released Golf TDI or the Polo TDI, I will update my comment every 10K miles.

By the way we're considering replacing the dual mass flywheel with solid flywheel I hear comments that the dual mass is problematic across the board; by that I mean on all brands of cars. My mechanic told me that BMW dropped it after only two years and is using the solid flywheel on their new cars.

Faults:

No problems with the car so far.

General Comments:

We have now owned our 2009 Jetta TDI for one month. Our first tested tank of fuel since the break-in period ended netted us 40 mpg. We were averaging 42 mpg in the 2007 Prius we owned before this car.

The 2009 Jetta is a constant surprise. Quiet and fast, you would never know you were driving a diesel. It's lightening quick at takeoff and passing. It has a smooth and firm ride to match its sporting personality. I love the driving position, which was a problem with our Prius. It's loaded with tons of features like a sunroof, heated seats, 10 speaker stereo with satellite radio, and an amazing DSG transmission.

The transmission isn't a regular automatic, but an automated dual clutch manual. Six speeds that shift so quickly and smoothly that without the tachometer you can't detect the shifts. It seems to read your mind and works brilliantly with the torquey engine for optimal driving. The transmission also downshifts automatically when descending long hills to help with braking, which I find incredibly useful.

I love the styling of this model of the Jetta, even though many have compared it to boring compacts. It has generous chrome features and a sporty look. The interior is very solid and well put together - feeling like a much more expensive car. It's substantially roomier than the previous Jetta design and seats four comfortably. The seats are leatherette, but are very comfortable and supportive - our first long trip was not punishing at all.

I was equally impressed with the size of the trunk, which at 16 sq ft is sized similar too many mid and full-size trunks. The Civic's trunk is just over 12 sq ft. This Jetta weighs 3300 lbs, compared to a Corolla which weighs around 2700 lbs - accounting for its planted driving characteristics and solid feel.

We decided to give this TDI a try despite reading about issues with reliability with many VW models. The most recent Golf/Rabbit has been scoring higher marks for reliability and we hope to experience similar results with this model.

I'll update this review periodically with any issues or surprises.