2009 VW Jetta TDI test Drive

The Europeans have long thought about global warming and have been aggressive with ensuring their cars are highly fuel efficient. The European Union members have added taxes to gasoline to make it prohibitive for citizens to drive large “gas guzzlers” that are common place in the United States. The most popular fuel efficiency solution is Diesel which has a negative connotation in the United States. Diesels used to be loud and dirty but several improvements and enhancements have been made. I had some time with the new 2009 VW Jetta which also won European Green car of the Year. I remember the old Jetta diesels that were able to be converted to run on vegetable oil so I was intrigued by the prospect of spending time behind the wheel. The new Jetta TDI, is first car to be 50 state compliant for emissions, and the benchmark is a source of pride for VW. The Jetta TDI gets 29mpg in city driving and 41 mpg in highway driving, with a 6 speed manual and I was delighted by the smooth shifting of the six speed. I had to get used to the torque available at start which was a pleasant surprise, the TDI has a 140hp engine but the 236lb-ft of torque really moves the TDI. The model I drove came loaded with leather seats, satellite radio, alloy wheels, and more. Thought the Jetta is VW entry sedan it felt premium and I was delighted in my local driving for the week. The sound system was great and handling and driving dynamics were precise. While I was driving I also noticed a few other people were in on the secret as I saw a number of Jetta TDi’s on the road also. As an added incentive to buy there is a $1300 federal tax credit, and a $21990 base price. For more information on the Jetta TDI visit www.vw.com