"When It Dawns On You (bio) Diesel Is The Way To Go"

[AMERICA 123]

This is the US spec, T2B5 - 50 state legal Jetta TDI available shortly - driven in the States on American fuel.

So 'about' a solid 20% plus highway and 38-50% city - better than EPA estimated now looks realistically possible - and likely in the 'realworld' ownership experience .

Add all that to the advantage that the EPA numbers do recognize over the conventional gasser - and you have a 40 - 67% advantage.

http://www.courant.com/classified/ot...,2667720.story

When It Dawns On You That Diesel May Be The Way To Go

By JIM MACPHERSON
July 23, 2008

We could be on the verge of a diesel renaissance in this country. Manufacturers from Acura to Volkswagen are preparing to introduce diesel-powered vehicles that can be sold in all 50 states. -

- Having already spent three days and several hundred miles driving the Mercedes-Benz diesel-powered SUVs that are coming for 2009, I was looking forward to trying entries from other automakers. (The Mercedes turned in an exceptional performance while producing, with careful driving in an M-Class, a 30-mile-per-gallon long-trip average.)

- With this new 2009 Jetta diesel, the only way to verify that a diesel engine resides under the hood is to see the "TDI" (Turbocharged Direct Injection) on the trunk lid or the steering wheel. Noise levels are tamed, vibration is absent even at idle, performance is quite good – and there is no odor or soot from the exhaust.

Even after some spirited driving, our white TDI review car showed no evidence of exhaust residue on the white bumper, just inches away from the tailpipe opening.

"At idle, you simply can't tell it's a diesel," said Jeff Cocco, a sales representative at Gene Langan Volkswagen in Glastonbury. He had high praise for the engine's power and economy, too.

- Fuel efficiency is one of the diesel's virtues. Previous-generation Volkswagen diesels have easily exceeded 40 miles per gallon, even in stop-and-go traffic.

In tests of the last-generation VW diesel with a manual gearbox, we managed 46 miles per gallon overall, with mid-50-mpg readings in highway driving. No four- or five-passenger hybrid has exceeded these numbers in our tests.

- Compared to the last one, this newest Jetta diesel is more powerful and its performance is noticeably improved.

- Fuel economy, however, fell a little short, though it should be noted that the review car came with just 200 miles on the odometer and had a six-speed automatic transmission. Nonetheless, our results were excellent: 45 miles per gallon overall and just over 50 miles per gallon on the highway.

- This latest Jetta is lively. Zero-to-60 takes 9.4 seconds. On the highway, throttle response is instantaneous and impressive. The car squirts from 40 to 70 mph with ease. "It has tremendous torque at low rpm," Cocco said.

- The Jetta is one of the best of the premium compact cars now available, and the Loyal does nothing to diminish the model's ranking. Ride and handling are exceptionally good and the interior is finished to high standards, using upscale materials.

Clean and green, the new Jetta TDI should make converts of even the most stubborn diesel doubters. It is hard not to be smitten by its comfort, its performance – and real-world economy results that trounce the EPA estimates. <29 - 40 and 33-34 combined >

Interested parties should get in line now.

Paula Says...

For the last four years I have driven a Jetta TDI with a manual transmission. So I feel that I am in a perfect position to comment on the new 2009 Jetta diesel.

The price of diesel is now about $4.97 a gallon. Gasoline is averaging $4.37 a gallon. But I get 46 miles per gallon, so the cost per mile for fuel is still less with my diesel: 10.9 cents versus an estimated 14.5 cents to 17 cents a mile for the 2.0-liter gas version.

That said, the new Jetta TDI is smoother, quieter and more powerful than mine. It is not more <fuel> economical, though it should be noted that the test car had an automatic transmission. We came close, but did not quite equal the fuel economy that my limbered-up TDI delivers.

The back seat is more comfortable and the trunk is larger in the new model.

Jim MacPherson is the host of "The Car Doctor" show Sundays at noon on WTIC-AM. Paula MacPherson is his wife and new-car review partner. Send comments, questions, suggestions in care of Special Sections, Hartford Courant, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115.

And then there is the (TDI) SportsWagon.............and the 1300.00 Tax credit......... initial price premium nets 700.00$........Break even occurs.....OMG......

But wait, there's more, bring in the bio diesel.......

[Strapping.Young.Lad]

No duh, thats why my dad bought one. He gets around that.