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Only the Jetta meets the emissions standards of all 50 states without expensive and complicated diesel emissions technology. (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09042/948177-185.stm)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_JettaTDI.jpgMark Phelan - The Post-Gazette (http://www.post-gazette.com) - Feb 11, 2009

This looks to be an excellent option for reducing fuel usage. --Ed.

The conventional wisdom that ultra-environmental vehicles must be tiny and impractical or festooned with expensive hybrid technology got a kick in the teeth as the diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta TDI won the Green Car of the Year award at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

"The Jetta TDI epitomizes what the Green Car of the Year honor is all about," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal, which presents the award. "It raises the bar significantly in environmental performance" with EPA fuel economy ratings of 31 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway.

The Jetta TDI achieves "the kind of fuel efficiency offered by gasoline-electric hybrids but in a more affordable way," Mr. Cogan said. Prices for the 2009 Jetta TDI start at $21,990 for the sedan and $23,590 for the station wagon.

Diesels have long been the vehicle of choice for fuel-efficiency and reduced emissions in Europe, where they account for more than… http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09042/948177-185.stm

Of course, it's a Volkswagen so what you don't pay for now in fuel you'll pay for later in reliability. OTOH, my car's been fine for 6.5k miles so far. Guess I'll find out how well it holds up after the first 100k miles.

Well that review was short on... review.

On the plus side I noticed diesel was only 35 cents more than gas this morning. Seems like it wasn't so long ago it was $1 more.

Still, yes, reliability scares me away. That and last year we had an early freeze and all the diesels in town gelled with a summer blend of diesel. My neighbor's deisel Silverado ended up having the whole fuel system replaced.

nf

Noflash, why would he have to have his fuel system replaced? Diesels have gelled in cold weather since all eternity (as a native Minnesotan I've deeply familiar with this) and usually start right up as soon as things warm up sufficiently.

It's not diesel reliability that is concern. It's VW reliability. Still, I have to say we love our VWs after a year of ownership. Time will tell how we feel 5 years from now.

Divide the FE numbers by 1.17 to account for the higher density of diesel, and they don't look all that impressive. Of course, they are 08 standard numbers, so perhaps not so mediocre after all.