Posts
2009 Volkswagen Jetti TDI
Just up the road from my favorite book store in the center of town looms the interstate. I-70 will take you west, young man, to Denver at a legal-like 70 miles per hour.
The six-speed manual snicks through the gears aided by a light and responsive clutch as the Jetta rolls quickly up the entrance ramp on a sunny spring-like day, never once making noises that would let on that it's a diesel. Then the Jetta warrior surprises in two ways.
One, is the no muss, no fuss way it gets up to highway cruising speeds more quickly than anyone would expect of a diesel. Second, in sixth gear at 75, I must admit that this diesel is one of the quietest cars that I have ever tested.
Welcome to the wonderful world of 50-state certified, 21st century diesel power. The Jetta, and the recently tested Mercedes GL, should lay to rest any negative notions anyone has about today's diesel-powered vehicles. See previous Auto Review on the Mercedes GL.
They are very quiet, do not smoke, they do not rattle, and they do not shake. Older diesels were the Conestoga wagons that carried the pioneers west to Denver where I-70 goes. The Jetta is as modern and comfortable as this class of cars gets, and its emissions are much easier to take than those of a horse. See slide show.
With the 140-horsepower, turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder diesel there is lots of torque -- 236 lb-ft at just 1,750 rpm. So there is great pickup around town and on entrance ramps to high-speed highways. This has to be great car on its home autobahns and I was pleasantly surprised how quick it would pick up speed in fifth gear for passing. You can be sure that passengers will certainly ask: "This is a diesel?"
Let me throw you one more positive trait and that is the price. The test car, with just one option, bottom-lined at $23,169. For the dough, you get one of VW's (VLKAY: undefined, undefined, undefined%) beautifully done interiors, all-day comfortable seats, good storage space, and the diesel's promise of long life. Plus, there is a federal tax credit to the tune of $1,300. Check with your dealer.
The standard audio system cranked out some good sounds; the car did not have a navigation system. So right in the middle of the dash were simple little knobs just like our grandfather intended for off-on volume selection, tuning, and customizing the sound. Not to mention real push buttons for storing your favorite station. The younger set might have to look at the manual to run it.
The Jetta is not as roomy as it could be in the back for two full-grown adults, but two can fit back there for short periods. There is good storage space in the doors, center console and glove box. The trunk would haul home more beer and groceries than I wanted to buy.
One small carp. On a very cold morning with the wind chill around zero, the Jetta was slow to warm up the interior. Yet, seat warmers that would toast English muffins, if you brought the jam, took some of the edge off the cold rather quickly.
Handling was fine, and you can hustle the Jetta along a back-country road. It would lose out to its brother, the GTI, but still, the Jetta would hold its own.
Diesel data
The diesel Jetta is EPA rated at 30 to 41 miles per gallon. I got 32.2 in city, country and interstate travel while not babying the throttle. Many Jetta owners have told me they routinely get over 40 mpg on a trip.
Even with the higher price of diesel fuel in some parts of the country, if this is what the future holds for drivers seeking durable, economical and fun-to-drive transportation, then sign me up at the Volks garage.
Parked one day out in the country, the Jetta brought back great memories of my first new car, a black '69 Bug with white walls, AM-FM radio and priced less than $2,000. Over time I owned Karman Ghias, Sun Bugs, and the best ski vehicle ever made, the fastback wagon of the '70's. OK, heat was another matter, yet all were built like little tanks, and they all sipped gas, were great in snowstorms, and never let me down. (Historical note: My first car was a great used Peugeot 404.)
A few notes to readers
I had promised a test of the BMW 3-series diesel, but due to circumstances beyond my control (there is an original phrase), I will not be able to test that car. However, if you are a BMW fan you will love what is coming to replace it in a few weeks.
I agree with readers who have said that it is tough to see what is going on the auto industry all around the world, and not just in Detroit. For the sake of thousands of workers who have devoted all of their working lives to building cars and trucks, I hope that the lean times depicted in recent sales figures come to an end by late this year as some have predicted.
What the industry will look like at that time, no one knows. I can say there are some great small cars in the pipeline for those, like me, who love to drive, so don't give up the ship.
Vehicles tested in this column are on loan from the auto companies through local distributors.
The six-speed manual snicks through the gears aided by a light and responsive clutch as the Jetta rolls quickly up the entrance ramp on a sunny spring-like day, never once making noises that would let on that it's a diesel. Then the Jetta warrior surprises in two ways.
One, is the no muss, no fuss way it gets up to highway cruising speeds more quickly than anyone would expect of a diesel. Second, in sixth gear at 75, I must admit that this diesel is one of the quietest cars that I have ever tested.
Welcome to the wonderful world of 50-state certified, 21st century diesel power. The Jetta, and the recently tested Mercedes GL, should lay to rest any negative notions anyone has about today's diesel-powered vehicles. See previous Auto Review on the Mercedes GL.
They are very quiet, do not smoke, they do not rattle, and they do not shake. Older diesels were the Conestoga wagons that carried the pioneers west to Denver where I-70 goes. The Jetta is as modern and comfortable as this class of cars gets, and its emissions are much easier to take than those of a horse. See slide show.
With the 140-horsepower, turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder diesel there is lots of torque -- 236 lb-ft at just 1,750 rpm. So there is great pickup around town and on entrance ramps to high-speed highways. This has to be great car on its home autobahns and I was pleasantly surprised how quick it would pick up speed in fifth gear for passing. You can be sure that passengers will certainly ask: "This is a diesel?"
Let me throw you one more positive trait and that is the price. The test car, with just one option, bottom-lined at $23,169. For the dough, you get one of VW's (VLKAY: undefined, undefined, undefined%) beautifully done interiors, all-day comfortable seats, good storage space, and the diesel's promise of long life. Plus, there is a federal tax credit to the tune of $1,300. Check with your dealer.
The standard audio system cranked out some good sounds; the car did not have a navigation system. So right in the middle of the dash were simple little knobs just like our grandfather intended for off-on volume selection, tuning, and customizing the sound. Not to mention real push buttons for storing your favorite station. The younger set might have to look at the manual to run it.
The Jetta is not as roomy as it could be in the back for two full-grown adults, but two can fit back there for short periods. There is good storage space in the doors, center console and glove box. The trunk would haul home more beer and groceries than I wanted to buy.
One small carp. On a very cold morning with the wind chill around zero, the Jetta was slow to warm up the interior. Yet, seat warmers that would toast English muffins, if you brought the jam, took some of the edge off the cold rather quickly.
Handling was fine, and you can hustle the Jetta along a back-country road. It would lose out to its brother, the GTI, but still, the Jetta would hold its own.
Diesel data
The diesel Jetta is EPA rated at 30 to 41 miles per gallon. I got 32.2 in city, country and interstate travel while not babying the throttle. Many Jetta owners have told me they routinely get over 40 mpg on a trip.
Even with the higher price of diesel fuel in some parts of the country, if this is what the future holds for drivers seeking durable, economical and fun-to-drive transportation, then sign me up at the Volks garage.
Parked one day out in the country, the Jetta brought back great memories of my first new car, a black '69 Bug with white walls, AM-FM radio and priced less than $2,000. Over time I owned Karman Ghias, Sun Bugs, and the best ski vehicle ever made, the fastback wagon of the '70's. OK, heat was another matter, yet all were built like little tanks, and they all sipped gas, were great in snowstorms, and never let me down. (Historical note: My first car was a great used Peugeot 404.)
A few notes to readers
I had promised a test of the BMW 3-series diesel, but due to circumstances beyond my control (there is an original phrase), I will not be able to test that car. However, if you are a BMW fan you will love what is coming to replace it in a few weeks.
I agree with readers who have said that it is tough to see what is going on the auto industry all around the world, and not just in Detroit. For the sake of thousands of workers who have devoted all of their working lives to building cars and trucks, I hope that the lean times depicted in recent sales figures come to an end by late this year as some have predicted.
What the industry will look like at that time, no one knows. I can say there are some great small cars in the pipeline for those, like me, who love to drive, so don't give up the ship.
Vehicles tested in this column are on loan from the auto companies through local distributors.
4:17 AM
|
|
This entry was posted on 4:17 AM
You can follow any responses to this entry through
the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response,
or trackback from your own site.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment