Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Volkswagen
Volkswagen prices 2009 Jetta TDI, sedan starts at $21,990
Volkswagen has just released the official pricing for the new 2009 Jetta TDI and, as promised, the price will be about $2,000 more than the base gas engine. The Jetta TDI will run $21,990 in four-door sedan form and $23,590 in SportWagen style. The TDIs will be equivalent to the SE trim level for the gas-engined cars which is the mid-level setup. The TDI will be available with a choice of either a three-pedal completely manual 6-speed gearbox or two-pedal DSG setup. The DSG also has six forward gears and steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for those so inclined.
Volkswagen also released the results of some real world mileage testing that they commissioned. When the official EPA mileage numbers came out last month, the DSG model scored a slightly disappointing 29mpg city and 40mpg highway. The new for 2008 EPA test procedures are thought to underestimate real world performance for diesel engines. Volkswagen hired third party tester AMCI to find out and their numbers came out 24 percent better than EPA at 38mpg city and 44mpg highway. We'll be waiting patiently for our own opportunity to find out just what a Jetta can do in the ABG garage. The fifty-state legal Jetta TDI will be on sale in August, but dealers should be receiving some any day now for test drives.
[Source: Volkswagen]
THE PEOPLE WANT BETTER FUEL ECONOMY WITH NO COMPROMISES
Volkswagen Jetta TDI starting at $21,990 and certified at 38/44 mpg
HERNDON, Va.-Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced pricing for their eagerly anticipated Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen starting at $21,990 and $23,590, respectively. Fuel efficiency, performance and convenience all come standard with the 50-state compliant Jetta sedan and SportWagen TDI, which meet the most stringent emissions standards in California and the world. Both models will be available this August.
"Our clean diesel vehicles offer consumers a true value with the fuel efficiency that drivers are looking for while providing power, utility and performance," said Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "The Jetta TDI's offer a no compromise alternative fuel driving experience."
While the Environmental Protection Agency estimates the Jetta TDI at an economical 29 mpg City and 40 mpg Highway, Volkswagen went a step further to show the true fuel economy of the Jetta TDI. Leading third-party certifier, AMCI, has tested the Jetta TDI and found it performed 24 percent better in real world conditions, achieving 38 mpg in the City and 44 mpg on the Highway.*
The Jetta TDI's come standard with Volkswagen's Prevent and Preserve Safety System, consisting of numerous standard safety features. Jetta TDI's include six airbags, with optional rear side airbags, and like all 2009 model year Volkswagens, Jetta TDI's also feature standard Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) for added safety.
Also standard for 2009 is Volkswagen's carefree maintenance program, with this program there are no charges for the scheduled maintenance described in the vehicle's maintenance booklet for the length of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty-three years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Derek 5:36PM (6/18/2008)
I think the new EPA regulations are pretty skewed on any car, not just diesel. My daily driver (gas powered Chrysler FWIW) is rated 18/26 and I averaged over 28mpg in the past year commuting a 12 mile drive with 14 stop lights. Okay, so I know how the lights are timed but even when I'm not trying for economy I don't see how I could get my mileage under 20 without working at it. Even years ago when I was still driving the car like a teenager (because I was one) I was getting low-mid 20's.
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Karkus 6:33PM (6/18/2008)
Seems like a decent price for a nice vehicle (esp the wagon). Glad to see cleaner diesel is finally happening for real. Too bad VW probably won't send enough to meet demand, which would allow dealers to jack up the price (like they did on the Prius, Miata, etc).
On the other hand, maybe the low EPA ratings and high diesel prices will keep demand low enough that they might actually go for MSRP.
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Snowdog 8:09PM (6/18/2008)
I'll wait for Consumer Reports economy numbers over both the EPA and some company VW paid.
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Earl 8:21PM (6/18/2008)
Wow, 29mpg. At $5/gallon for diesel this makes perfect economic sense over a prius.
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Brian P 10:36PM (6/18/2008)
This should give about the same fuel consumption as my 2006 P-D TDI with the same body style. Mine normally uses around 5.2 - 5.5 L/100 km (43 - 45 mpg US) with no particular attention paid to driving style or speed.
The only way mine can be forced to get only 29 mpg US (8 L/100 km) is while hauling my motorcycle trailer with two motorcycles on it and the car full of people and stuff at 75 mph with the A/C humming. (Try THAT with a Prius!) The EPA is out to lunch on this one.
I like the car, but with all that emission control stuff on the new one, I'm keeping my 2006 until the new equipment is proven for a couple of years.
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Senna 11:11PM (6/18/2008)
AMCI is the world's largest independent testing agency, and their government-approved certification and testing procedures have never been successfully challenged in their 25 year history. I'll take their figures to the bank every day.
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Mikesd 4:48AM (6/19/2008)
I am mainly interested in running biodiesel in the new TDI. Has there been any word from VW if it will run it without modification and/or is there any problem with running it in the new emissions control design?
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Sam Abuelsamid 5:50AM (6/19/2008)
Mikesd, VW has said that running B5 right now is fine. Currently there are no standards in place for biodiesel blends greater than 5% so if you run those VW will not honor the warranty for fuel related problems. However, a B20 standard is in the final stages now. VW has said that when standards are in place to ensure the consistency of B20 and higher fuels they will test and validate their diesel engines and honor warranties.
Having said that, if you get B20 or higher from reputable sources, you will probably be OK but I won't honor your powertrain warranty either.
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Snowdog 7:04AM (6/19/2008)
Even using the results VW paid for, it looks like they missed the mark on MPG compared to the hype they were pushing before. Real world numbers are likely at or slightly below Prius levels while using a much more expensive fuel.
Maybe when they finally put this engine in the next Gen golf which is hopefully lighter and more aerodynamic, I might be interested. They better hurry up on that though...
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Dave 9:43AM (6/19/2008)
I think autoblog let us down on this one. Usually when this kind of thing lands far below expectations they will point to their previous posts esposing the failure.
Off the top of my head I heard 60mpg many many times regading this new unbelieveable TDI in the Jetta. I guess I should have learned when the smart car showed up much lower than promised.
I guess I will continue to drive my Vibe and get 30 mpg until something truely revolutionary comes along. Wake me when a car can get over 60mpg in real life.
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BrianM 11:25AM (6/19/2008)
I'm with Brian P up there... my ALH engined 2001 (in manual, naturally) has returned an 80k mile average of 48.something mpg with no regard for speed/load/driving conditions. And this is at altitude in the Rocky Mountains (where I suffer about a 1~2% penalty, I get about 53~56mpg ave. when near either the east or west coast).
Slightly disappointing numbers, but they probably added weight, and I know they added HP. It'd be nice if they'd cut the HP back to the 90 or so that I have, and drop weight several hundred pounds. I'll just keep waiting myself. Car only has 160k miles on it, not even 1/4 of the engines rated hours/life.
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amg 2:55PM (6/19/2008)
Comparing the Prius and the Jetta sedan is fine and well, but the Sportwagon will have more room/cargo flexibility than the Prius and better numbers than any SUV I'm aware of. I'm still waiting for a diesel Outback, but that will likely cost several thousands more than the Sportwagon (though will have AWD). Either way, I say hooray. For me, it's not about how much money I spend on gas (yet, anyway) and more about how much oil I use to get down the road. Diesel beats conventional petrol every time in that respect, whether it costs more or not.
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Michael Hippenhammer 4:10PM (6/19/2008)
I just hauled 2 cords of firewood ( 2/3 cord each trip on a trailer) out of the forest in my 2000 Beetle TDI. I was passing people on the highway and not trying to go for fuel mileage because I was trying to make three trips that day one hour each way and I still got 40 mpg! Try even hauling anything of a load in a Prius and still get 40 mpg. That little diesel excellerates with authority even with a 1500lbs loaded trailer up hill. I was going 70 - 80 mph when I could. And no I am not exagerating I check my fuel mileage every tank.
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Stanley 3:11AM (4/29/2009)
Hey Michael,
I'm curious about the trailer you pull with your VW New Beetle (2000 tdi manual trans. right?) I've got the same thing and am very interested in pulling a trailer.
Do you have any photos?
Thanks!
Stanley
jumper553 at yahoo dot com
Michael Hippenhammer 4:31PM (4/29/2009)
Hi,
Thanks for your interest. I pull a 4x8 utility trailer with a 2500 lb capacity axel. I put 2' walls on it so I can haul more stuff. I get my wood from the forest ( 1/2 cord +) each trip which weighs about 1700 lbs. I do get funny looks as I pass people going up hills. I have 3 youtube videos that you can check out. Just search Hippenhammer and it will take you right to them. One of the videos shows me pulling a trailer full of wood. I did make modifacations to the Beetle that include: 2" lift kit from metalnerds.com, a Panzer aluminum skid plate, 215/65/16 General AT2 truck tires ( had to modifiy the inside of the fenderwells to avoid rubbing), .205 injectors with a Kerma TDI chip and a trailer hitch that I got from etrailers.com. The stock engine power is 90 hp with 149 ftlbs torque. With the chip and injectors I now have 127 hp and 229 ftlbs torque. I can go anywhere with this vehicle and I still get 40 mpg. Keep in touch if you want help/ guidence on your vehicle.
The maximum tow capacity of the Beetle is 2500lbs and is steady as a rock on the highway with a full trailer. These modifications are the best thing I have ever done to a car and can run on bio-diesel too.
Mike
Snowdog 7:52AM (6/20/2008)
Yeah, TDI alway get great mpg number when VW tests them or when fans tow wood uphill at 80mph.
But oddly when normal people test them they get much less(2 years 32000 miles with a variety of drivers):
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/longterm/articles/44033/page024.html
Average Fuel Economy: 36.5 mpg
BTW Edmunds long term Prius is averaging 41.4mpg.
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Snowdog 7:53AM (6/20/2008)
Yeah, TDI alway get great mpg number when VW tests them or when fans tow wood uphill at 80mph.
But oddly when normal people test them they get much less(2 years 32000 miles with a variety of drivers):
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/longterm/articles/44033/page024.html
Average Fuel Economy: 36.5 mpg
BTW Edmunds long term Prius is averaging 41.4mpg.
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Phil 1:54PM (6/23/2008)
The EPA numbers seem way too low.
I get 32 US mpg in town from a diesel CR-V, the much smaller Jetta should get loads more.
A diesel Passat or Euro Accord Tourer will also easily beat 40 US mpg on the highway.
Something is wrong with the EPA test. Most people find that turbo diesels start drinking fuel if you spin the turbo up too much.
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montoym 12:31AM (6/24/2008)
@Snowdog:
Interesting to note that you selected the test of the 1998 Beetle TDI rather than the more recent 2005 Jetta TDI to prove your point.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=124737
In that test, the worst fuel economy they got was 36.5MPG and the 12 month average was 40MPG. That was in a car that the EPA rates at 31/39/34. Their 12 month average was 6MPG above what the EPA says it should get combined.
As you mentioned, their Prius achieved 41.4MPG average. This in a car the EPA rates at 48/45/46.
So, the VW TDI manages to "average" higher than the highest mileage figure the EPA gives it while the Prius doesn't even manage to average the lowest figure the EPA gives it and that's supposed to prove the Prius's efficiency?
Multiple tests from multiple agancies(magazines, online tests etc) have proven the Prius's EPA figures to still be overstated even after being adjusted lower while multiple tests of VW TDI's manage to consistently attain higher than the EPA figures.
Some more Prius Long-Term tests to peruse.
Road&Track: Attained 40.6MPG in their Long-Term Prius.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=2935&page_number=2
Automobile Magazine: Comparison test of the Prius and an '05 Jetta TDI. They only mentioned the city mileage of the Prius they had, which was impressive at 52mpg. But, they were also in Manhattan, right where the Prius is going to excel best, so that wasn't terribly surprising. The Jetta, by comparison, achieved 34mpg city and 43mpg hwy. This is in a car the EPA rated at 28/39(updated '08 figures). Not to mention that the newer TDI is more efficient still, even by EPA standards. Despite being significantly more powerful also.
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/sedans/0409_toyota_prius_volkswagen_jetta_diesel/index.html
Car&Driver: Quote - "Our combined results: 1338 miles per 31.832 gallons, or 42.03 mpg. That's well up on the 35 mpg we managed from our last Prius" -
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/green_machines/toyota_prius_road_test+type-reviews_by_make+mode-collection+id-247.html
Note that the revised EPA figures for the Prius are 48/45/46 and not one of the long-term tests was able to achieve the combined figure. The Automobile test notwithstanding since it wasn't long term and they only mentioned the city figure, which was higher, but was skewed by being done completely in Manhattan.
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Diesel-Dave 5:47PM (6/25/2008)
Look at the Ford Fiesa 1.4L diesel sold elseware - 76 mpg ! Ford will only sell it here if people ASK them for it. I'd buy one.
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-driving/ford-fiesta-1.4-tdci-range-1003311.html
That Toyata like ALL Hybrids with ReGen only have an advantage in stop-n-go city driving. The more stop-n-go the better the advantage. In highway, the always loose when compaired to simialr vehicles.
For Edmonds, consider the source - the are accepting user's numbers. What person who bought their Green Badge wants to admit anything less than stellar ?
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