That Diesel May Be The Way To Go

By JIM MACPHERSON

July 23, 2008

Volkswagen's newest Jetta diesel is turning over a new leaf at Gene Langan Volkswagen in Glastonbury. The lush vegetation on this test-drive model 2009 Jetta TDI Loyal is a decal celebrating the engine's cleanliness. It meets the standards in all 50 states for emissions.

With this new 2009 Jetta diesel, the only way to verify that a diesel engine resides under the hood is to see the "TDI" (Turbocharged Direct Injection) on the trunk lid or the steering wheel. Noise levels are tamed, vibration is absent even at idle, performance is quite good – and there is no odor or soot from the exhaust.

Even after some spirited driving, our white TDI review car showed no evidence of exhaust residue on the white bumper, just inches away from the tailpipe opening.

"At idle, you simply can't tell it's a diesel," said Jeff Cocco, a sales representative at Gene Langan Volkswagen in Glastonbury. He had high praise for the engine's power and economy, too.

Fuel efficiency is one of the diesel's virtues. Previous-generation Volkswagen diesels have easily exceeded 40 miles per gallon, even in stop-and-go traffic. In tests of the last-generation VW diesel with a manual gearbox, we managed 46 miles per gallon overall, with mid-50-mpg readings in highway driving. No four- or five-passenger hybrid has exceeded these numbers in our tests.