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. Continue reading →
Sometimes, things work out for the best. I’ve been happy as a clam this week, test driving a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen. I had initially hoped to test drive the Jetta TDI last summer when the model was first reintroduced to America, but circumstances being what they’ve been, the opportunity did not present itself until now.
And that’s a nice turn of fate.
At the peak of last summer’s gas price madness, diesel fuel was a dollar or so more expensive than regular gasoline, with prices dancing around five dollars a gallon. As gas prices crashed last fall, diesel fuel prices fell, but a large price differential remained between gasoline and diesel. At some point, that gap began to narrow. Now I’m not going to be a complete cynic and attribute the narrowing gap to the departure of the oil men from Our Nation’s Capitol, but it does seem odd. Perhaps what we’re seeing right now is a result of the switch in refinery production from heating oil to diesel fuel. Or not. I was just glad to have not paid five bucks a gallon testing a car that I was drooling to drive … for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of miles (for your benefit, of course).
This morning, with the Jetta TDI’s tank just under half full, I decided to head up the road a few miles to the next town to fill up the tank. Now some folks still cling to the thought that diesel fuel is hard to come buy.
From the looks of the mob of reporters and cameras, one might have thought that a pop culture icon had descended upon the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) floor.
But it was not a Grammy-winning diva or Hollywood actress flocked by paparazzi … it was a man in the running for the Motor City’s least favorite Washington politician, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee.
After exiting from a proverbial back room, Corker made his rounds of the NAIAS show floor, starting with the GM booth, where he received a car-by-car briefing on the latest designs and technology from the largest of the Detroit Three.
Ever wonder what a grid full of race cars look like after a hard fought race?
I wandered into the VW Jetta TDI Cup paddock with my trusty DVX after the first race of a double-header weekend at the NJ Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ last Saturday and had a bit of fun catching these scenes inside the gold mine of clean diesel racing goodness. Take a look at the shots of the racing Jettas’ brakes. Word is that they’re Audi units … while I missed shooting the logos, I distinctly remember seeing the Audi hoops.
How bad were last month’s auto sales? About as bad as it gets … or perhaps, has gotten, so far. Autoblog’s chart of automotive sales for September 2008 tells the bloody tale. These are frightening times. Every automaker, save three, saw double digit sales volume drops over September 2007, despite aggressive discounting and marketing programs.
It comes as little surprise that Audi, Mini, and Volkswagen are the three to have best weathered the September storm, with drops of 5.4, 6.7, and 9.4%, respectively. The German automakers, with the exception of Porsche, have the opportunity to gain significant market share with the overall downturn, due to their advanced expertise with clean diesel engines. If Mini and Volkswagen dealers had inventory on their popular models, they might have bucked the trend and posted sales increases last month.
Americans have turned the page. It’s the most fuel efficient vehicles that are moving off the lots and the long waiting line for fuel efficient clean diesels has begun.
I stopped into a local Volkswagen dealer to inquire about Jetta TDI availability early in the month and was quoted a January delivery: four months out. The salesman asked apologetically, “Is there anything else we have that you might be interested in?”
Word is that the Mini factory in Oxford, England is running round-the-clock with three shifts, seven days a week to keep up with the worldwide demand … and they haven’t cleared the hurdles to bring a 50-state clean diesel Mini D across the pond.
If you think you see a lot of Minis scooting about your town now, just wait. An Americanized Mini D is a surefire hit.
As we’re all hunkering down, waiting for the other shoe to drop, it’s a good time to take a look to the future. The automotive world is changing faster then most folks would have ever imagined. But for many, it’s an unfortunate circumstance.
Hundreds of car dealerships could be shuttered by year end. It doesn’t have to be that way.
There’s hope in the service departments. America must turn to fitting its rolling fleet with a more efficient means of propulsion. HEVT’s 40 MPG Ford F-150 conversion is a harbinger of what could be.
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.
