It is now two weeks into 2014, and I am now six weeks the owner of a new VW Passat TDI, aka turbo diesel, in a glorious color called Opera Red.

I transitioned from a 9 year old BMW X drive that was beginning to go through its first round of many things breaking/wearing out. Now some would argue that a BMW is just beginning to break in at 100K, and could easily have gone for another 100. True, but I was also looking (with the help of my mechanics) at series of replacements that would have made 2014 an expensive year in BeamerLand.

Here’s the thing: after a few weeks of driving the new car, I don’t miss the Beamer at all, and I think my wife is even happier with the Passat than I am. I came to the BMW from the Passat and have now returned, but with a difference: diesel and not a traditional six-cylinder gas engine.

To compare:

• The Beamer was fast and quick with spectacular handling/the Passat is quick with very Germanic, but not brutally stiff handling
• The Beamer was comfortable, but unforgiving: I could seldom drive for more than 90 minutes before my hips and back began barking/the Passat is very comfortable: I recently drove more than 400 miles with only two brief stops and had no back or butt issues
• The Beamer wasn’t particularly quiet, even after replacing the run-flat tires with a more traditional tire/the Passat is markedly quieter
• The Beamer had the infamous iDrive system which I never found to be a problem, but it had its quirks/the Passat has an easier system to use (and of course more modern), but it too has its quirks, so this one’s almost a tie
• The Beamer had superior lighting for night driving/the Passat is OK, but nothing special (but then I don’t do a lot of night driving any more)
• The Beamer got 19MPG in the city, 28 on the road/the Passat is getting 38 in the city, 43 on the road. I figure I will spend upwards of $700/year less on fuel, so over the life of the car close to $10K less, with the price for equivalent model already around 10K less

What about electric or hybrid, you ask? In fact, as much as I love the idea of an electric car, it’s hard at this point in time to understand why anyone would want one

• on the basis of fuel economy — pretty close to a draw as the Passat (or like-minded diesel sedans) are larger and more comfortable than their e-car counterparts, and get very close to the same milage
• on the basis of range — the Passat has a range of almost 800 miles. I might be refilling if I’m just commuting once every six to eight weeks. Can’t be said of electric vehicles.
• on the basis of eco-friendliness — the modern diesel is very clean and would only be slightly less better than a hybrid, pretty nearly the only choice on the e-front that competes

So if you’re in the market for a new car, consider one of today’s diesels from makers like VW, BMW, or Audi (why is it always the Germans that do this?), they have much to recommend them.

And would I have purchased a diesel BMW if price weren’t a consideration? Maybe, but the Passat is closer in size to the 5 series which just added at least another 10K to the price differential, so probably not.

I think they are an excellent choice until we get our NEXT car. That of course will be the one that drives us to our destination while we’re reading, knitting, or watching a movie (if we’re not of a mind to actually be steering the puppy ourselves). That’s certainly my wife’s next car…