I think you meant an inline 4, not a v4.
This is getting to be like "what's better, my chebby or yur furd" debate. I've done the math and I know that for ME, the best value is a diesel but then again, I don't buy things brand new either due to the depreciation. I own four diesels, which all serve various purposes. So, you have to sit down and compare what has been given to you here. Phatty, myself and others gave you info on the TDI. I can tell you in depth about the issues with a Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel) and I've owned cummins and powerstrokes too. Others can tell you about their trucks but when it all comes down to it, how much do you want to spend, where do you drive it and what's your personal preference. Some of those things we can guess but you need to be happy with it. We all sacrifice a little here and there to make ourselves happy with the purchase. No one vehicle will do it all well.
Like I said, my little Liberty CRD will haul butt all day long and do it well. To haul an open (or closed for that matter) two place, the Liberty will do it just fine. It will go up and down the passes all day long. Oil changes are a tad over 6qts with Rotella synthetic and you can go 7500 miles on an oil change (the Jetta TDI is a 10K mile intervals). It has 2wheel, 4wd part time, 4 full time, and 4 low. Plus, you can pick a good used one up for about $14-15K. If you buy an 05 from the original owner, you will still have the 7yr/70K mile powertrain warranty.
I wish diesel was still cheap so I could afford to drive the big Cummins 1600 miles+ several times a year to my riding spots. But, what we need and what we want are two very different things. Good luck with your decision and if you do buy a Libby, let me know. I'll get you hooked up and make sure you know what to look for and what you need to do to get it running right for a long time to come.
Tim