Test drive: 2009 Jetta TDI clean diesel
Disclosure: Volkswagen invited a few eco-conscious bloggers to San Francisco for a weekend to get up-close and personal with the new 'clean diesel' Jetta TDI. I was one of them. But if you think that treating me to a weekend of chauffeurs, swanky hotels, and a test drive through the fantastic California wine country are enough to overcome my sense of objectivity -- you're dead wrong. It was the free booze that did it. Since my test drive took me from downtown San Francisco to Napa Valley, the route gave me a chance to experience the Jetta's performance in a number of different scenarios: curves, stops and starts, open highway driving, rural mountain routes, and even an hour of crawling along in my very first California traffic jam.
My first impression of the Jetta was the fact that it looked, well... no different than your standard Jetta. Since the car encompasses VW's only 'alternative fuel vehicle' on the market -- their answer to the hybrid -- I kind of expected some badges or emblems on the exterior to let the world know that I'm driving a green ride. Instead, I got the impression that VW wants their own logo to symbolize eco-conscious driving, just like its been associated with German engineering and tie-dyed hippies in the past.
As for the driving experience, I'm pretty convinced that most drivers would never notice that they were driving a turbo diesel, rather than a turbo-charged gas vehicle, until it was time to fill up the tank. The Jetta had plenty of power to make passes on the highway, torque to accelerate up hills, and it maneuvers with trademark Jetta handling.
The Jetta TDI does retain a couple typical diesel-like qualities, it's a little clunkier at low speeds and it hesitates just a split second longer than a gas-powered engine when you punch the throttle. Still, when it does react, it accelerates with some impressively un-diesel-like power. It defies other diesel stereotypes as well, like the fact that its every bit as quiet as most gas engines, and it uses a post combustion filter to remove 95% of sooty emissions.
Given its gas mileage, 30mpg city/41mpg hwy or 38city/44hwy or 59.33mpg overall -- depending on who you believe -- the 2009 Jetta TDI is a pretty reasonable alternative to buying an underpowered hybrid, especially one with similar or worse gas mileage. That would include the more expensive Malibu, Civic, and Altima hybrids. With the diesel engine's reputation for longevity, the ultra low sulfur fuel on the market, and the Jetta's new emissions-capturing filter's, the '09 TDI could be a very wise choice for fun-loving green drivers.
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