Entries Tagged 'vw' ↓

MPG-o-Matic Volkswagen CC Review Summary: The four-door Volkswagen CC Luxury Sedan delivers a positively delightful fuel-efficient driving experience, with ample power and surefooted handling wrapped in a unique design.

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What a difference half a year makes. At the peak of the gas price bubble last summer, hybrid vehicles were in short supply. Some dealers were tacking on thousands in “market-adjustment” ploys. And here we are, six months or so later and there’s a glut of hybrids sitting on dealer lots. An article in today’s LA Times spells it out in detail.

But in these crazy times, it seems, there are still vehicles that are commanding premiums over the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). We’ve heard numerous stories about Volkswagen dealers charging well over the MSRP sticker price for new Jetta TDI clean diesels. And needless to say, it doesn’t make us very happy.

We can understand the demand. Our week-long 2009 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI test drive proved the point … this is one of the best vehicles for the money in America today.

For the good of the brand – and for clean diesel’s acceptance in America – market demand must not be allowed to provoke greed.

If Volkswagen is to market their cars as the People’s Cars, they must exert pressure on their dealers to stop the unfortunate practice of selling Jetta TDIs for above MSRP. We fully understand that it’s tough to be a car dealer at the moment, but a smash and grab sales tactic sullies the brand over the long run, purely for short-term dealer gain.

It’s been half a decade since I killed a tree (and I’ve killed more than my share in my day), but that might come to an end very soon. I’m getting ready to shop a book/documentary proposal, with the working title “Bent Over a Barrel” … it’s the story of how Big Oil’s actions and influence have driven this country’s economy to its current state.

Influence is just as important as action (or inaction).

Here’s a specific case in point …

Last April, Newsweek published a piece entitled Miles to Go, with the far more descriptive yet entirely misleading subhead, “Why automakers don’t sell a car that gets 50 MPG.” Never once does the article mention fuel-efficient diesel engines, yet the article begins with the chestnut:

Wouldn’t it be great if you could drive a car that gets 50 miles per gallon? Well, you can. Just hop on a plane and fly to Europe, where all new cars average 43mpg, or Japan, where the average hits 50mpg.

Well, gee … why do European cars get such great mileage? Lets guess … it’s not just because they are often smaller then their American counterparts. It’s not because Europeans are driving hybrids (which they largely dismiss). It’s because more than fifty percent of the new cars sold in Europe use far more efficient diesel engines.

Can we blame the article’s omission of fact on editorial ignorance or something more heinous?

Ah, but all hope is not lost.

Earlier this month, Newsweek woke up and ran an article entitled Diesel vs. Hybrid, with the subhead “There’s more than one way to build an environmentally-friendly car.”

Could it be? The oil men have left the building and only weeks later Newsweek wakes up to the facts?

The piece opens and closes with the word from Volkswagen. The 2009 Jetta TDI is flying off the lot. VW put in the work to bring a clean diesel engine to the States and the gamble – rather, the investment – is paying off.

The vast majority of Americans have absolutely no clue how wonderful the new clean diesels are to drive. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time test driving clean diesel vehicles over the past year, at my own expense. (My research and coverage is not influenced by corporate overlords, though it is constrained by current economic conditions.)

The German automobile manufacturers absolutely have it right. Bringing fuel-efficient fun-to-drive clean diesels to America takes a lot of guts … and smarts.

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI’s optional automatic transmission is one of its best features. While it doesn’t provide trendy paddle shifters, it does provide complete control with a Tiptronic slapstick shifter and six speeds that allow you to get the most out of the engine. While we normally prefer manual transmissions, the six-speed auto only added to the pleasure of reviewing the 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen.

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MPG-o-Matic Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen Review Summary: . The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen raises the bar among the most fuel-efficient cars, by virtue of its wonderful clean diesel engine, delivering a winning combination of performance, utility, and fuel economy, in a fun-to-drive package.

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI is the first small car in America to offer a highly-efficient and powerful clean diesel engine, and is available in both 4-door sedan and Sportwagen variants.

All 2009 Jetta TDIs are equipped with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbocharged clean diesel engine, mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The Jetta TDI’s common rail direct injected inline four produces 140 horsepower (HP) and 236 foot pounds of torque.
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