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By Twain Mein
Diesel: what’s old is new, only better
I’ve been unintentionally green for a few weeks now; my beloved 2000 Audi A6 is in the shop getting major surgery including a transmission rebuild, new power steering rack, and catalytic converters. So I’ve been cycling and train-riding to work for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the train station is quite a ways from work, so I’ve been riding a minimum of 9 miles, and sometimes 40 miles a day (if I forego the train). You can imagine there are times I’m pretty tired.
Luckily, my backside got a welcome break with the chance to test the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. But the “green” didn’t take a break with this frugal VW. It’s a fantastic car that offers plenty of room front and rear, fold down seats to easily fit the bike into the trunk, excellent handling, and a thoroughly entertaining diesel engine. Entertaining? Diesel? Yep-this sucker features a turbocharger that kicks in for some prodigious torque. While the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder has only 140 horsepower, it packs a whopping 236 foot pounds of torque. While it lags a bit off the line, at highway speeds, the torque makes passing a joy. It is an ideal highway cruiser. Even more impressive, despite my notorious lead-footedness (I infamously logged just 22mpg in the ’08 Honda Fit), I averaged a stunning 37.5 mpg!
Then and now
In 1990, the president of the company I worked for swore by two things-PC’s instead of Macs and diesel instead of regular fuel. He drove a gargantuan Mercedes diesel 300 SEL and kept it for 15+ years. And he forbade Macs in the workplace. Years later, PCs have definitely dominated while diesels are just now coming back in to vogue. Back then, diesels were stinky, slow, and pumped out a lot of pollution. However, as my favorite mechanic points out, because of the trucking industry, getting diesel gas is relatively easy because the network of stations exists throughout the nation.
With the advent of the recent energy crisis and heightened awareness of conservation, European car companies, such as VW, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz, are now re-testing the waters here in North America with diesel offerings. Reportedly, over 50% of cars in Europe run on diesel, so the technology has already been widely deployed. Better still, diesel is now much cleaner; ultra-low sulfur diesel now burns 97% less sulfur and is widely available. And the CO2 emissions of this Jetta, while not the lowest, compare favorably to the miserly and clean burning Honda Civic, as seen in the chart below (statistics courtesy of : www.fueleconomy.gov)
Tons of CO2/Year | City MPG | Combined MPG | Hwy MPG | Base MSRP | |
2009 Jetta Diesel | 6.2 | 30 | 34 | 41 | 22,270 |
2010 Toyota Prius | 3.7 | 51 | 50 | 48 | 22,000 |
2010 Honda Insight | 4.5 | 40 | 41 | 43 | 19,800 |
2009 MINI Cooper | 5.7 | 28 | 32 | 37 | 18,550 |
2009 Honda Fit | 5.9 | 28 | 31 | 35 | 14,470 |
2009 Honda Civic | 6.3 | 26 | 29 | 34 | 15,505 |
2009 M-B E320 BlueTec | 8.1 | 23 | 26 | 32 | 52,900 |
The only real concern with newer “clean diesel” is the addition of ammonia (urea). Clean diesel engines require a separate source of ammonia which breaks down Nitric Oxide, a common air pollutant, into harmless nitrogen and oxygen. The concern is with maintenance issues and car owners making sure the ammonia is refilled. VW Clean Diesel engines have advanced emission-capturing technology, drastically reducing the amount of CO2 they release. This means what comes out of the tailpipe is much cleaner than diesels of the past. The dirty diesel smoke associated with old diesel engines resulted from unburned or partially burned fuel. VW TDI Clean Diesel engines use computerized fuel control and common rail fuel injection to virtually eliminate this diesel smoke with higher injection pressures and therefore better atomization. The Jetta uses a NOx-storage catalyst, which is basically a reservoir that temporarily holds the noxious emissions, like a particulate filter, until they can be burned off during one of the engine cycles.
What about alternative fuels?
Here in the U.S., though ethanol was broadly marketed, it’s nearly impossible to find a station that provides it. Elsewhere in the world, ethanol is popular and common-place in Brazil, and propane is used widely in India. But here in the US, we don’t really have another choice except electric or diesel. The vaunted hybrids such as the Prius and pure electrics like the Tesla, while very economical, pose a new question. What do we do with the batteries once they are “used up”? How long will they last? And how much will they cost to maintain? More importantly, how do we dispose of them? Suddenly, once stinky diesel seems appealing. With the pre-existing fuel network, lower emissions, excellent fuel economy, and the prospect of bio-diesel, diesel does have a lot working for it as a new standard of economy and efficiency. Perhaps there really is something here.
Life with a diesel
So what’s it like to live with a diesel? This VW is impressive. While there is a slight “dieseling sound” at start up, it is not much louder than a standard engine. No smoke and no smell. Once underway, the diesel “clatter” is mostly muted and hardly noticeable. When I did have to find a station that offered diesel, it was slightly problematic. I visited three stations before I found one that carried diesel. If you are planning a trip in a diesel vehicle, it might be a good idea to look up gasbuddy.com to find stations along the route. Regardless, once at the station, I found the price to be $2.75/gallon, the same price as regular unleaded. Mid grade was $.10 more and premium was $.20 more per gallon. Only at the station did I detect the faint smell of petroleum jelly that is characteristic of diesel. In any case, the price of diesel has come down, which is yet another reason to consider it. Additionally, with the VW’s 14.5 gallon gas tank and 30+mpg, you won’t need a fill up for close to 500 miles – that’s impressive!
So would I buy it? The Jetta was a very impressive car. It has great handling, plenty of space for four, and is a great freeway commuter. If I had to do long commute miles and used this car primarily for commuting, it would be extremely tough to beat.
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Official website for Volkswagen of America – www.vw.com |
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how long does the volkswagen jetta run in electric until it kicks into diesel
What the heck are you talking about? The TDI is powered strictly by a diesel engine. This is not an EV with a small diesel motor for backup.
Great,this 2009 TDI car sounds good.It has smooth driving,plenty of space inside the car which is great.Its all features are good.I also like Volkswagen Crafter is fantastic car.Its all features are mind blowing.This van is made with the collaboration between Volkswagen and Mercedes which is fabulous.This car offers soft drive and smooth drive which is really good for long journey.There is an electric sunroof which protects the car with the sunlight.You’ll feel roomy climate inside the car.So overall this car rocks.for more detail refer http://www.automotivecraze.com/new-volkswagen-crafter-2-5-tdi-109-mwb-van-car-review/
Editor’s note: The information about the injection of urea has been removed and replaced with the correct engine technology. VW TDI engines use a NOx storage catalyst, which captures the noxious emissions, like a particulate filter, until they can be burned off during one of the engine cycles.
Steve, you are absolutely correct that the TDI does not require urea. I stand corrected!
The 2009 TDI does not require urea. The engine periodically burns off pollutants that have been stored. Because of its great performance, it’s easy to drive the TDI hard (it likes it) and so not benefit from the fuel economy it’s capable of. I have 10K on my 2009, mostly highway, and I regularly get over 50 mpg. The trick is to slow down. But even at 70+ on the interstate I get over 40. The other day I turned on to a 10 mile stretch of back road that has no stop signs and a speed limit of 45. I set the cruise to 45 and at the end of 10 miles I had averaged 65 mpg. The TDI is not so good in stop and go traffic, however, or idling in traffic jams.