VW September 2019 Sales down 11.8% With 26,947 Vehicles Sold

What is up with that EPA downgrade ? I was really thinking about a Golf with that engine and 6MT.
First they cheapen their warranty , now this ?

 

The old (2019) 30/40 EPA on a 1.4 tsi manual Jetta was likely below actual -- the fuelly numbers seem to bear this out.

Seems unlikely that the actual fuel economy of this car changed for 2020 (I assume the hp/tq/weight etc... numbers are the same?)

I drove a rental Jetta with this engine and automatic transmission less than a year ago. IIRC, .. displayed mpg was around 40 mpg with no effort. Nice driving car.
/no idea what VW is up to with this "2020 lack of hindsight" move -- manipulating the EPA down for some unknown reason(?)***
*** pushing towards electric, partnering with Ford -- good luck outguessing their next marketing move

 

Probably covering their sad ass. MPG-Gate ?

 

Which trim is the big seller? The SEL wheels went up to 17" for 2020. That will drag down fuel economy. The lower trims are also getting more standard features.

Did the automatic rating also drop?

 

that mpg downgrade has to be a mistake

 

Car and Driver, 2020 VW Jetta Review/Pricing/Specs:

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
While the Jetta is less athletic than its hatchback counterpart, it's more frugal with fuel. The EPA estimates the sedan will earn 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, while the Golf is rated at 29 mpg city and 37 highway. We tested Jettas with each transmission on our 200-mile highway fuel-economy route, and they both exceeded expectations. The automatic version earned 43 mpg on the highway, and a Jetta with the manual transmission achieved an astounding 48 mpg. In comparison, the last Civic sedan we tested missed its highway rating by 1 mpg, at 41 mpg.

Highs: Hybrid levels of fuel efficiency, effortless to drive, surprisingly big cargo capacity.
https://www.caranddriver.com/volkswagen/jetta

 

I had a look at the 2019 VW Golf Sportwagen at the local dealer yesterday. It had a 1.4L TSI and 6M. I liked it a lot. 66.5 cu.ft. of cargo space with the back seats folded down. Lots of nice touches. Didn't drive it, though. I've been trying to read up on it and the reviews are surprisingly polarized. Some reviewers say it's no match for the old TDI cheater and describe the TSI as gutless. Others say the 1.4 TSI is great--makes good power, revs freely, gets great MPG. The dealer has a couple of re-worked cheater sportwagens on the lot but both are autos and I'm concerned that the "fixed" ones won't have the power or FE of the original cheater TDIs. Good prices on the fixers, though. Some have warranties, others not.

 

Unfortunately the headlights get really bad ratings. Were it not for that I'd have already bought a GLI.
https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/volkswagen/jetta-4-door-sedan/2019#headlights
https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/volkswagen/golf-4-door-hatchback/2019#headlights
Consumer Reports got 54 MPG highway in a 2019 Jetta, which renders the TDI irrelevant.

 

CR got 45 mpg highway on a turbo civic sedan -- which was most likely the 1.5t CVT(?) .. My 6MT would probably get high 40's (48?) in the CR test. I'm averaging 45 mpg overall with mostly E0. I'm going to guess I would be 50+mpg with the Jetta 1.4t 6mt.

**** EDIT**** --- I've looked around at some more numbers ,... going to adjust my comparison guestimate to probably 47 maybe 48 mpg in the Jetta (vs 45 mpg in my civic)

I thought I was probably riding the best "high speed" highway cruiser, but this might knock me out of the saddle. Would be interesting to see the steady states on the smaller displacement VW, .. I wonder if it falls off faster than the civic if you push above 65 mph?

 

The remarkable thing about the 1.4 TSI is the broad, flat torque curve. Allegedly making 184 ft lbs by 1500rpm. Gearing for the 6M is exceptionally tall. For the sportwagen, only 1722 rpms @ 60mph. For comparison, the Honda Hatch 1.5 turbo lx trim turned 2244rpm @ 60mph with the 6M (no longer offered).

 

That's a relief to hear that the 1.4 Tsi is as efficient as I had hoped.
Jay , last time I checked , you can still get a Civic hatch 1.5 6MT.
But they make you buy the Sport model to get that. And of course ,
wheels and tires are enormous.

 

Carcus , I wonder how Car and Driver calculates the MPG. I suspect it's directly
from the fcd , which as we all know , lies. Some more than others. I take their
info with a grain of salt.

 

Consumer Reports' methodology is a mystery to me as I'm not a member. Car and Driver's 75 mph cruise control highway run is more transparent, though bad economy driving as it is. I, too, suspect that they all use fcd data.

 

Consumer reports splices their own fuel meter in. Highway test -- They test on a lightly travelled highway at 65 mph (tests run in both directions) and say they don't test if it's too hot, cold, windy or rainy.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/08/the-mpg-gap/index.htm

I can't find how C/D tests fuel economy,.. but it may utilize the car's own FCD data -- which would make their numbers suspect. I dunno.

 

If somebody has a CR subscription and can read the highway numbers -- Civic sedan 1.5t vs Jetta sedan 1.4t --- that would be interesting.

 

Motor Trend works with an onboard emission testing company for their fuel consumption numbers.
https://www.motortrend.com/real-mpg/

 

Jetta 1.4T got 21 city, 54 highway. They did not test the 1.5t Civic.

 

That's about what I suspected for the 1.4T. A bit better than my 08 Civic , which would do 50-51 MPG.