REVIEW: 2009 VW Jetta TDI, Fighting Off The Hybrids...

After years of undue madness, gluttony and ever-increasing vehicle size, it appears that the automotive industry has finally corrected itself. It is like the stock market; what goes up, must come down. In this case, what becomes bloated, must become efficient.

This year more manufacturers than ever are trying to trim their miles per gallon. Some have decided to introduce different alternative energy systems onto existing models, while others are working on entirely new platforms. Regardless, it boils down to who can get the job done and provide the most creative solutions to this simple problem.

Once that process has been bypassed, there is yet another roadblock: what alt. energy powertrain should be used -- diesel or electric? This is where plenty of manufacturer's are torn.

The Germans seem to have stuck to diesel motors -- although it seems a couple brands may be encountering a paradigm shift (2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Hybrid, BMW X6 ActiveHybrid). Japanese manufacturers have not turned back since the roll-outs of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. And the Italians? Well, they are still wondering when their espresso will be ready.

Source: CarandDriver

Having driven numerous hybrids and diesels, it continuously rings true: if you want more driver involvement, a diesel is your best choice.

With that said, I was able to get my hands on the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. What makes this particular vehicle stand out from the crowd of similarly priced hybrid autos is that it is subtle. Hybrids have a tendency to look very "out there" with fierce "look at me," styling. The Jetta TDI could not be any more of a polar opposite. If you are looking to impress the Joneses by saving the world, this is not the vehicle to have.

But if you are looking for something that is handsome, yet does not attract too much attention, continue reading.

Looking at the exterior of the Jetta TDI, it is likely you will not be able to tell the difference from the regular Jetta. The only genuine differences I spot is in the model badging and the exhaust. Other than that, you are looking at your run-of-the-mill Jetta.

That being said, the entry-level veedub four-door sedan has always been a safe bet, styling wise. Although the current generation took a lot of flack from VW loyalists because they thought its rear looked a bit too "Corolla-ish," it has aged well and the updated, darkened taillights improve the looks. Hint: what VW really has to do, is import U.S. models with LED taillights. Then forums would not be so jam-packed with "Where can I get LED tails" threads.

Source: Volkswagen of America

If you thought the exterior differences were slim, wait until you get a peek inside.

Get a look, albeit, there is not much to look at. Besides the revised gauge cluster to correspond with the diesel motor, I did not spot anything unique to the TDI. Equipped with the usual Jetta interior, there are amply bolstered leatherette front seats, leather-trimmed steering wheel, shifter and emergency brake, and class-leading soft-touch plastics covering the dash, doors and center console. Fit and finish was adequate, although I found certain interior door grabs felt rather cheap and loose.

What is a tremendous plus, is the new navigation unit that has found its way into the Jetta. Although it is a DVD-based unit, the touch-screen system operates relatively smooth. To my surprise, it actually worked better than the Passat CC's that I tested several months ago. There was less lag and inputs were executed speedily. Now I must ponder why Audi uses MMI, which at first is a bit overwhelming and has a learning curve, compared to this simple and straight-forward navigation unit.

Had you been expecting an exclusive TDI interior, we are sorry to break your heart. But, the differences are apparent where they matter most, for instance, in the engine bay.

Propelling the front wheels of the TDI is a 2.0 liter four-cylinder motor. It is not the kind of diesel that is uber refined; it makes some chatter and is louder than a conventional gasoline engine. However, there is something incredibly gratifying about cruising in top gear with that deep rumble resonating throughout the cabin. It reminds me of a diesel locomotive when its motors go full tilt.

With 140-horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque there is enough power to get the car rolling, but the key player is not the motor's power; it is the transmission.

Source: Canada.com

Coupled with the engine is a six-speed DSG gearbox. This pairing makes acceleration times pass by with more haste and ensures that metropolitan merging can be executed without fear or delay.

Off the line lag is a huge problem with hybrid vehicles because it takes a second for the electric motor to switch back to its gasoline partner. A second or two can make a difference when we are talking about avoiding an accident or launching a car from a dead stop.

Although the transmission does have a sour point: the software for the tranny has been programmed so that it drops the car into first gear when at a stop, the problem is upon re-launching the car; it is a bit jerky. When in bumper-to-bumper traffic it can be downright annoying. Imagine a manual transmission in first gear being driven by a novice driver. This is unusual for DSG, which in previous experience, has worked as smooth as silk.

Source: Volkswagen of America

Thankfully, this is balanced out by the Jetta's surprisingly good handling characteristics. Even though the TDI is a front-wheel drive vehicle, it manages to keep torque steer at bay and corner with more precision than I expected. Essentially, it is exactly what you would expect from a Jetta, but with a different sound, more pull and better MPG.

Speaking of which, let's get to the numbers. Like a conventional gasoline motor, the diesel achieved better mileage while cruising at highway speeds and suffered while crawling in city traffic. At highway speed it got as high as 42 MPG but quickly about-faced and dropped like a rock down to 28 MPG in New York City grid-lock.

During my week of testing this came out to a combined MPG of 34 MPG real-world. Most of this driving included suburban roads and strayed from city traffic.

So, what does this really mean for the Jetta TDI? Simple. It cannot exactly compete with the MPG of today's top hybrids, the Prius and Insight, but it does offers something that they do not: A thrilling driving experience.

The Jetta can get up to speed quicker, corner better and although its interior is somewhat bland, the quality of the materials is class-leading.

Source: Volkswagen of America

It is clear that I am not the only one thinking this way. Sales of the Jetta TDI models have been helping Volkswagen out tremendously in these tumultuous times. With diesel prices beginning to undercut gasoline, it definitely makes a stronger case to get behind the wheel of a diesel. Last year when diesel prices were inflated beyond reasonable levels, it was easy to see that even if you had gone the extra mile and purchased a diesel, it was fruitless due to price gouging.

Keep an eye out for the 2010 Golf, which will be offered in TDI form from approximately $22,000 to $24,000 depending on transmission type and doors.

Now with a lower introduction price and another option to choose from, it looks as though diesel will propel VW into a bright short-term future.

~nz

rp

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Are Green Cars Worth the Gas Savings?

Drivers wary of high gas prices are choosing smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles. Last May, sales of Honda’s gas-sipping Civic sky-rocketed snatching first place from the perennial favorite, the Ford F150 pick-up truck in terms of U.S. sales.

Source: rp

Are you in the market for a new, greener, fuel-efficient vehicle? What alternative energy vehicles achieve the best bang for the buck?

Read more here.

rp

Day 5: The Mile-High City

Here it is, the final day. Sad but true, the Audi Mileage marathon is coming to a close.

Amarillo is an interesting town. Relatively quiet and people keep to themselves. I wonder how it is growing up in a place like this. Growing up in suburbia was not all that bad, how is it in the great American plains?

Anyhow, back to the cars.

The Audi Q5 TDI made for an interesting leg from Dallas to Amarillo. Although it seems like a reasonably sized auto, it does not have that much interior room. As a matter in fact, I think the new A4 has better interior volume.

Source: rp

Riding in the Q5 became downright painful at some points. Although the sport seats provide great lateral, thigh and lumbar support there is not a tremendous amount of room to “stretch out,” your legs in the floor boards. Thus, for a tall individual, it can get very uncomfortable very fast. Little over an hour of driving I mercifully scrambled for the seat controls to change my driving position – I was dying.

On top of this, the driving position is awkward. In the BMW X3, you feel more in the car, where as in the Q5 you feel like you are driving a horse and buggy. On top of the vehicle.

Furthering upon this, the seating position is quite inboard; meaning, designers placed the seats closer to the center console. Not much room to the right but plenty of room on the left.

Driving wise, the car is fantastic. Pick-up is there when necessary and the seven speed transmission is a great way to manage your miles-per-gallon effectively. One thing I love about diesels, the torque. Passing is done with ease in sixth gear; plant your foot and watch the revs-per-minute rise and whoosh, you are gone.

I cannot say enough about this drive train. I love it. The transmission and engine are perfect for each other. Say what you will about “flappy paddles,” or tiptronic transmissions; they work for these cars.

Source: rp

As I said in an earlier post, the interior is typical Audi, the best. Top-notch materials and design make it an appealing atmosphere. Far from the juxtaposition of a Chevrolet Malibu.

Yeah, I said it.

Overall, the Q5 feels solid, as if it was created from one solid chunk of metal. There is a confidence-inspiring heft to the vehicle.

One thing that was interesting was the steering. Surprisingly heavy. Enough to make one’s arms tired after spending a sizable amount of time in some twisties. It reminded me of an E46 330Ci with 18s and a sport suspension I used to pilot. I wish the Q5’s steering was not as numb but it is an Audi, so, I should not be surprised

Rolling through New Mexico was a trip; it is the equivalent of driving on Mars. No one is around, no buildings and no stops. Just you and your two lane road ahead of you.

Source: rp

It was awesome.

The more we pressed on the more I realized how much open land there is in the Great Plains. My German co-pilot muttered several times “My, what a big country.”

Just outside of Denver, the crew and I stopped off at Pikes Peak International Raceway. What a great time! Peculiar driving in an oval but it was certainly memorable.

Arriving in Denver, we were so late that we did not get the opportunity to fill up with the IMSA officials. So, we do not know our last day’s traveling worth of miles-per-gallon. Does that bother me?

No, the trip computer insisted we yielded over 30 MPG.

rp

Day 4: Amarillo, Here We Come

On the road to Amarillo.

Setting off from lovely downtown Dallas, I notice things are not quite normal. People are driving around the town in convertible Jeep Wranglers screaming, flags are flailing and there are an abundance of specific colors.

It is the big event of the week: football. You know, I have been to a few football games in my day and I have tailgated for certain events; however, nothing could prepare you for Dallas style football. Essentially, the whole city is transformed into a gigantic tailgate party and everyone adorns the garb of the team they are rooting for. I have never seen anything like it.

Something more important, at least in my world, comes up. Starting on day four, I now have the opportunity to drive the new Audi Q5 3.0 TDI. This is a big deal because the Q5 will not be released in North America until spring 2009, according to Audi executives.

Source: rp

Where does the Q5 place in Audi line-up? The Q5 is Audi’s answer to smaller sport utility vehicles, such as BMW’s X3 and Infiniti’s EX. So, you can presume pricing will slot in higher than Volkswagen’s Tiguan and hopefully lower than BMW’s X3 – in an effort to remain competitive.

Give or take a $35,000 base price.

It is a rather interesting juxtaposition of exterior design. I see a Volkswagen Tiguan which has mated with a Q7, really.

The interior is what you come to expect from Audi. Top grade materials positioned in an appealing A4-like set-up. I have yet to see a firm with the ability to trounce Audi’s interior design and usage of quality materials.

Source: rp

Motoring on through northern Texas, the flat land continues on.

One of my fellow journalists remarked “If Christopher Columbus sailed and landed here, he would have certainly thought the world was flat.”

Passing through small towns with populations smaller than an apartment complex was rather humbling. Population 566, population 1,600, population 2,455. Tornado Alley is a peculiar mix of homes, people and shops.

I suggest that everyone take this trip at least once. Not only is it an awe-inspiring experience but you get to see what the real Texas Chainsaw Massacre looks like!

No, but seriously, the stopover in Wichita Falls was interesting. The grilled chicken and baked potato dish I received was tremendously good. Perhaps, I should fly down there and steal their recipe.

Source: rp

After arriving and settling in at rainy, windy Amarillo, the event headed over to something classified as only Texas – a rodeo. Needless to say, these people must be out of their mind. 15 year-old boys hopping on bulls and mustangs in order to see how long they can hold on for? It is wild!

Oh yeah, and our Q5 obtained over 32 miles-per-gallon.

The cars are managing to impress all of the journalists. As the daily reports come in at breakfast, joined by gasps, the results continue to draw much attention. Strategies are still varied; however, it seems many have begun to enjoy the landscape and vehicles more and more as Wave 2 progresses.

Stay tuned for day five, which takes the trip from Amarillo to the mile-high city, Denver.

rp

Day 3: Dallas-bound

Arriving in Memphis at nearly 8:00 p.m., we soon realized we were the townspeople. So quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Downtown Memphis was reminiscent of a bad western movie.

Needless to say, there is not much else to expand upon about Memphis.

Following a night’s stay in The Madison, my partner and I soon found out that we had taken second place in our A4 3.0 TDI. Surprisingly, the vehicle obtained over 37 miles-per-gallon. Considering we were not trying the last half of the leg, we were happy with our results. I estimate if we had not been filming, the A4 could have easily topped over 40 MPG for the day.

Source: rp

Not bad for a 3700 pound pseudo-luxury sedan.

Following our announcements, we packed up our auto and headed directly for our next stop; Little Rock, Arkansas. The three hour jaunt was quite enjoyable. Even in top gear, the A4 can pull well for passing – no need to downshift. When we reached our destination, I had the opportunity to open the windows and give the A4 some gas in first gear. Wow, the sound is astonishing. The turbo makes a glorious whistle while resonating this powerful, truck noise.

Source: rp

After a brief lunch, we left the colorful city of Little Rock and motored on to Dallas. Much greater distance than anticipated. Thankfully, passersby managed to entertain us throughout.

One guy, just outside of Little Rock, happened to notice our camera crew. Trust me, it is not that hard when you have two individuals following in a Q7, hanging out of the sunroof and doors, videotaping and photographing. Our mystery man made sure to pose for our cameras and continued to make a total fool of himself. It was great.

Source: rp

It was these moments that I came to love on the marathon.

Onward bound. You would be surprised how many cows there are in Texas. Quite shocking, actually. I am convinced the entire United States receives a vast quantity of their beef from the Lone Star State.

After being harassed by inpatient drivers and truckers, we soon became within three miles of our stopoff for fueling. Unfortunately, it appeared that Dallas has quite a traffic problem, although, it is nothing compared to New York jams.

Source: rp

This gave us a chance to make friends in traffic. After all, everyone wants to be on television. So, we gave that chance to several people we spoke with while in the jam.

Eventually, we made it. The hotel where we stayed, The Joule, must be one of the finest hotels in the land. Even turning on my room’s lights was as magnificent as one of Beethoven or Mozart’s symphonies. Like the Audi, it too had a ridiculously amount of useless technology. You have to love it.

If you have the means, I highly suggest spending the night.

End of day three.

If you would like to see more pictures and videos from the journey, go to UnitedPictures and download the items.

Source: rp

rp

Day 1: Audi Mileage Marathon

You know you are at an Audi event when you hear those lovely, German accents. Let me tell you, these guys know how to treat the media.

Throughout the next several days, I will be participating in the Audi Mileage Marathon. Essentially, the gist of this event is to help introduce Audi’s latest diesel technology to the United States. I am in Wave 2, which means, I will be traveling from Chicago to Memphis, Dallas, Amarillo and Denver.

As journalists, we are the best force to get out Audi’s message. The new diesels are here and they are not like the old diesels Americans are used to.

Arriving in downtown Chicago, I was greeted by a team of individuals affiliated with Audi AG. After going through the paperwork process and making sure to outfit us with plenty of Audi gear, we were turned loose like a bunch of kiddies at a carnival. Forget about the cotton candy and the clowns, however.

After settling in, I made sure to take in my surroundings – I have never been to Chicago before. It was during this time the participants from Wave 1 arrived at the hotel and W. Adams Ave. was filled with silver, stickered-up Q5s and Q7s.

There I was, at the corner of an intersection, when a Q5 TDI pulled up. Once the light changed to green it made, what must be, one of the finest sounds I have heard from an auto in a long time.

The only way I can describe it is a small diesel truck motor with a significant turbo “whooOOsh.” It sounds majestic. I must make note, it is a very subtle, diesel sound. Not loud, not the clatter diesel’s typically make.

I hope I can get sleep tonight; I am eagerly awaiting the keys to my own A4 3.0 TDI. I have a good idea of which strategy I will try to employ to achieve the highest miles-per-gallon. Wish me luck.

It’s Christmas eve all over again.

rp