Power AND fuel economy in the 1.9L TDI Golf

Have owned this Golf 1.9L TDI since August 2006. It has met every expectation since I bought it.

Positives:
- Power and acceleration climbing steep hills and onramps. 1.9L TDI has 177 lb-ft of torque @ 1800 RPM, compared with 122 @ 2600 for the gasoline version. The higher torque at lower speed means >40% more acceleration and power than a gas engine, comparable to a Saab. It's like driving a truck engine with a small car.  No problem racing up a 20% incline with 5 passengers.
- Great fuel economy. ~7.7 L/100km = 30.3 mpg city, ~4.9L/100 km = 48.0 mpg highway. Multiply that by the lower cost of diesel and it saves me about 30-40% on gas compared to my 2001 Jetta. L/100km measures are in dash display, along with L/hr, distance remaining in tank, and ability to set alarm for excess speed.
- Service has been great. Oil change is every 10k km instead of every 3 months. I don't drive much (~6k km past year) and have been told not to change it. Had a strange electronic malfunction (loss of power steering and ESP (electronic stability program) braking) which still allowed me to drive and was repaired within 48 hours. No other malfunctions.
- 6 airbags (front, passenger, all four sides), ESP (electronic stability program) braking, along with antilock brakes and solid frame makes this an exceptionally safe car. NHTSA gives it 5/5 stars for driver and passenger frontal crash test, and 4/5 stars for front and passenger side impact test. IIHS gives it the highest possible safety mark of 'good', with the only exception being the 2nd highest mark of 'acceptable' for structure/safety cage.
- Large rear storage area (12.36 to 46.09 cubic feet, depending on whether the rear seats are upright or folded flat)
- Rear bumper distance sensor works great, parallel parking is no problem

Negatives:
- Audio system sounds like listening to a muffled speaker compared to my 2001 Jetta. Poor fidelity/distortion at lower frequencies, some odd bias at high frequencies.
- Occasional and predictable ~0.5 sec 'turbo lag' when applying the accelerator in the city, due to recompression of air in turbo engine. Gear shift has normal 'D' and sporty 'S' mode along with electronic manual shifts. Lag disappears in 'S' mode. Lag hasn't been a problem in nasty Taipei city driving.
- Side mirrors only fold in about 50 degrees and are manually adjusted, problematic in crowded Asia

Other:
- A/C works well in Taipei heat & humidity. I added intermediate-strength 3M filters on the windows which helps keep the interior cool.
- Seat tilt is by a slow annoying rotary mechanism as in previous VWs.
- Came with excellent wipers and tires
- Beware of electronic lock on radio. It activates when battery is removed. Look in owner's manual for how to set secret code. You get ~2 tries then the radio is locked out for 1 hour of continuous driving.
- TDI engine is louder than a gas engine, but I hardly notice it with the window up.

Standard features:
Anti-Lock Breaks, Electronic Stability Program, A/C, Front & Rear Electric Windows, Remote Central Locking, 6 Front & Side Airbags, Front Fog Lights, Power Assisted Steering, Fully Adjustable steering Column/Wheel, Driver Information Computer, Both Front Seats Height Adjustable, Both Front Seats with Lumbar Support, Front & Rear Head Restraints, Sunroof.

2-20-2009, 20k km city driving
Car is still running great.  No additional mechanical problems except one bulb burnout.  Dealer service still very good.  Fuel economy remains about 50 mpg on the highway.  The car came with an iPod connection in the glove box, which makes the car immensely more pleasurable to drive and seems to correct the audio problem.  One more thing -- no moldy smell!  My '01 Jetta and '03 BMW occasionally had a moldy smell when I turned on the A/C.  I've never had a mold problem so far with the '06 golf.