Does the 2.5L use a timing belt vs a chain? I know the TDI uses a belt, which has put me off in buying one. What good is it to save A thousand bucks a year on fuel from my (still reliable) '99 V6 Taurus, if I have to spend $1K to replace it. I won't even consider the 2.5L if it has a belt, but if I can get a good deal on a NEW TDI wagon, I might go for it.
VW does overprice themselves, but just like BMW, they get away with it. Jetta is priced more in line with a base mid size, such as the Camry, Fusion and Accord. However, these cars have all grown over the years to the point where they're intruding on the size of previously made Lincoln full size model sedans from the early to late 90's. The VW grows gracefully in size without adding 500lb for each redesign.
The other thing that's put me off in buying a TDI this moment, besides the added maintenance costs down the road (I buy to own the thing until the frame rots out, by the way) is that I'd have to get the DSG. I'm sure the bugs have been worked out, but dealer support seems to be lacking in newer cars that dealers won't update as the update doesn't cover the newer models even though some people have stated claims to VW that they either take off slowly, or like a bat outta hell with the same throttle input. As much as I'd prefer the 6 speed manual, my wife can't drive it. ...perhaps that'd be a good thing!