The EPA finally got around to putting official MPG numbers on the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which is due to hit dealers lots this summer. Remember, this new TDI engine is 50 state legal – so you can buy it and drive it anywhere in the US. Read to hear the results? Drumroll please…….
30 MPG city and 41 MPG highway. Underwhelmed? Sure you are. With VW’s huge expectations, we expected 40+ city and 45+ highway. After all, VW is the diesel company – the one that hates hybrids. Plus, with diesel at record highs ( and ~20% higher than gasoline ), the TDI is starting to not make much sense. Let’s take a look:
- Similar price premium vs hybrid
- Worse fuel economy vs hybrid
- Higher pollution vs hybrid
- It’s a VW ( reliability concerns, except for engine )
Historically VW’s TDI’s get a bit better than EPA results in the real world, but the case still isn’t very convincing. Sorry VW, you’ll have to do better than this.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
You list reliability concerns because it’s a Volkswagen, but
VW’s reliability has increased dramatically recently. The last issue of Consumer Report rates the Rabbit first among the hatchbacks they tested and said that the reliability according to their reader surveys is better than average. My 2004 Jetta has been virtually trouble-free for 75,000 miles (the battery was repalced under warranty and the AC compressor control module was replaced post-warranty; it still has the original suspension components and all four original disc brake pads). My car still drives like new and doesn’t have a single rattle or squeak. The other points you make about the diesel are very valid. They simply don’t make sense with such low fuel economy ratings and the much greater price of diesel. The previous TDI got 40-50 MPG; what happened?
You’re right – it does seem like the older TDI models did better with regards to fuel economy. I’m still not convinced on reliability though…. a few years of possibly making good cars does not change my mind.
To me it’s like GM. The past couple years they’ve been building a much better product, but their reputation is still garbage from the previous 20+ years of building crap. It takes a long time to shed years and years of poor reliability expectations. I would not be confident in a Volkswagen product without quite a few years of solid history.
Six months ago vw advertised that the window sticker would say 50+ mpg. It got here yesterday 6/25/08 and the window says 29 city 40 highway. The jetta diesel isnt going to make it.you can get a toyota corolla 8000 dollars cheaper and it gets gets 34 mpg all around. Gas is ninty cents cheaper than diesel in wv, so i guess its a no brainer.
well, of course, gas is and will catch up to diesel pricing. Also, the EPA rating process grossly underestimates the MPG performance of the new TDI. This is well-known and fairly easy to find information. Independent testing has estimated 38/44 to be more realistic. There is little doubt the 2009 TDI Jetta will get 50mpg quite comfortably on the highway, and it’s better built and more fun than a Corolla anyway. Reliability-wise, yes, VW has improved. Any auto maker can substantially improve reliability at any time. Judging based on past problems isnt necessarily valid.
I test drove the new 2009 Jetta TDI automatic shift recently and obtained an average of 32.5 mpg. The test dive was for a total of 85 miles over various conditions. The A/C was on and 3 grown men (including myself) were in the car for a total weight of approximatley 570 pounds. The gas tank was full as well. The weather was clear, hot and humid (95 degress plus).
The drive consisted of interstate driving with minimal traffic approxiamtely 50% of the trip driving at average speed of approximately 70-75 mph in top gear. The other half of the test drive was in medium heavy stop-and-go city traffic with traffic lights as well. The gears shifting ranged between 3 and 6—most often 4-5—in city traffic.
The VW dealer told me his district manager obtained an average of 44 mpg and that the TDIs required “break-in time”. Additionally he informed me that AMCI, an an independent testing company, ran real-world fuel-economy tests on the Jetta obtaining 38 mpg city and 44 mpg highway. However, the dealer was unable to ptovide me with any AMCI testing details. Additionally, I have been unable to find any details on the internet.
Does anyone have any details concerning the AMCI test?
Rob, I’m sorry but you are clueless about this car in particular. I can say this confidently because I own 2 (10+ years old) Volkswagen Diesels and both have over 200K+ miles on them, and one is an automatic. Besides two small problems with the Jetta TDI (window motor went out…after 9 years!), and a new exhaust (rusted out…after 10 years!) both run today as good as the day I bought them and I’m proud to own them. Car is only as good as its owner, and most Americans are too lazy, and too unfamiliar with cars to MAINTAIN them properly. Good quality synthetic oils, regular filter changes, regular tires rotations, etc. make a huge difference in the long run. If you abuse any car, it will only last so long. VW diesels are built for 300K runs, you can find hudreds of owners saying so.
As for your points of argument:
* Similar price premium vs hybrid – Not always the case. Case in point is that Prius’s are so bloated in their prices due to high demand, that a fully loaded Prius Touring model can be $1800 more then the fully loaded 2009 Jetta Sportwagen TDI =P
* Worse fuel economy vs hybrid – Really? My Jetta TDI has averaged about 45MPG for the last 200K miles…oh wait, I forgot it did’t NEED that $5,000 replacement BATTERY PACK after 100K miles! which simply adds hugely to the overall ownership cost, therefore seriously increasing your Per-Mile-Cost =) LOL
* Higher pollution vs hybrid – Riiight…where did you get this from? Sucked it from your thumb? The new Clean Diesels are 50-state Certified as Ultra Low Emission Vehicles. Read some EPA stats before you comment, or were you comparing the hybrids to Semi-Tractor Trailers?!
* It’s a VW (reliability concerns, except for engine ) – I would say PAST reliability issues, and they were mostly minor issues throughout the overall life of these cars, which is about 250K miles average for Diesel models.
Rob, show me a Hybrid with 300K miles on it with ORIGINAL engine and transmission (to include that “trunk-space eating” BATTERY PACK) and I’ll applaud you. Other then that, take your junk Hybrid and keep it, because the Hybrids cause much more overall pollution then Diesel’s thanks to the Hybrid’s Battery Packs which require mining heavy metals in order to be produced.
But hey, don’t take my word for it! Read it for yourself and you’ll get off the Tree-Huggin bandwagon in no time =O
GOOGLE: Hidden Cost of Driving a Prius (article in .PDF format)
GOOGLE: Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
Thanks,
Dominik B.
P.S. Every manufacturer has faults, Toyota and Honda also issue recalls for major problems…they just hide them very well in what’s known as “Silent Recalls” where they quietly call their owners (like they called me on my 2004 Honda Element which had a 2-year long nasty case of cracking windshields due to faulty crooked windshield frames). VW is no different my friend. If you built anything from 3000+ parts, something is bound to break sooner or later. I think its only fair to ask to give the 2009 Jetta TDI & Jetta SportWagen TDI a couple of years on the road before we try to lament it to death. Whaddya say? =)
Dominik,
Oh boy, where to begin.
1. *Similar* price premium. It costs an extra couple grand to go hybrid, and it costs an extra couple grand to go diesel. Not really much confusion here.
2. Worse fuel economy? Yes. You get *exceptional* FE in your Jetta TDI. That’s far, far above EPA. When I drive my Civic Hybrid, I average right around 50 MPG with regular driving. If I drive like a maniac I’ll avg 45. Taking it easy? Mid-high 50′s up into the low 60′s. And that’s with a “mild” hybrid, unlike the full hybrid Prius. Although, with the Civic Hybrid, I don’t *have* to replace the battery when it dies. Whenever it does keel over ( surely not at 100k miles, c’mon it’s a Honda ), I will have the choice to spend ~$1,500-$2000 on a new pack, or simply have a slightly less efficient Civic.
3. Higher polution.. my my. According to FuelEconomy.gov, the Jetta TDI ( 2009 ) puts out an incredible 45% more CO2 compared to the Civic Hybrid ( which is dirtier than the Prius ). The Jetta TDI scores a “6″ in the Air Pollution Score, compared to a 9 for the Civic Hybrid.
4. You have had good luck with your VW’s. Diesel engines are known for longevity, and VW’s are no exception. As a *general* rule, VW’s have far more gremlins than do Toyota’s or Hondas. A year or two of supposedly building better vehicles does not change this. Let’s think long term.
I’m not trying to smack the Jetta TDI. I’m glad that folks like us who want fuel efficient cars have options – it’s a great thing. For me, a hybrid makes more sense. For those who can deal with less efficiency, more pollution, and possible gremlins, the Jetta is a great alternative. It’s bigger and much more powerful, which is a big plus. Different strokes, eh?
I’m not a big fan of VW but some people are comparing apples and bannanas. 2009 Jetta TDI is a car with 240 torque. You can’t compare that car to corolla – you should rather have to compare it to a V6 camry.
Oh, and from an oil consumption perspective, you have to adjust diesel numbers down about 20% to make it a fair comparison. Or didn’t you realize that about 25% more crude oil goes into the production of a gallon of diesel as compared to a gallon of gasoline? Your 45 MPG is more like 36. GG.
The ‘underwhelming’ EPA ratings are a lie.
The EPA is just trying to discourage people from buying the car, as it was their hopes that the new diesel standards would be impossible to meet. It really made them mad when VW pulled off the impossible.
Check with 3rd party testers and owners themselves. you can add 10 to each, the city and highway numbers, and still have a conservative rating for what it will do.
Light on the pedal, this car can get very close to 60mpg highway, and easily over 40 city.
My 2009 Jetta TDI with automatic transmission has nearly 10k miles on it. I drive a lot of highway miles and I’ve kept close track of the car’s performance. I got 40mpg off the dealer’s lot in city driving, 48mpg the next day on the 160 mile trip to my home. After 8500 miles I average 43mpg per tank of fuel (70% highway, 30% city). I regularly get 50+ mpg on the highway, sometimes upper 50s. The worst mileage is when the engine doesn’t get a chance to warm up, in stop and go traffic, or when idling a great deal (upper 20s to low 30′s). Normal city driving frequently tops 40, if the trip is long enough, and I drive sensibly. Just as with hybrids, driving style is key. Go fast or drive aggressively, and your mileage suffers. The TDI’s high torque lets you feather the accelerator and progress in a higher gear, saving fuel. It also helps to use the instantaneous mileage read-out, trying to keep the mileage in a higher zone. The TDI is a powerful, high performance car, and it’s tempting to drive it as such. But even on the interstate at 75+ speeds I get over 40 mpg. My best mileage is when I tuck in with the semis and keep the speed around 60 (almost always over 50 mpg). My record is 59.1 mpg for 85 miles on I-65 between Gary, In. and Lafayette, In. Diesel fuel quality matters as well: the new ultra low sulphur diesel supposedly doesn’t keep as long in the storage tanks and the cetane rating varies a great deal between stations (this is what I’ve been told.) It’s best to get fuel at a place where diesel vehicles fuel up often and the storage tank is replaced frequently. The TDI is a great car, fun to drive, and gets incredible mileage when driven conservatively. It’s like a marathon runner, the longer the trip the better. If I lived in a big city and drove in heavy stop and go traffic I probably would go hybrid, however, and maybe have a TDI for outside the city.
I love VW diesels and have had three since 2001 with a 2006 now. They are all still in the family. I hope people aren’t taking the trip computer seriously. They are consistantly 15% high. Only reliable results are dividing miles driven by quantity to fill the tank. Since the overshoot is so consistant from tank to tank and car to car I have to think this system is designed by marketing. This is my only complaint but I strongly resent driving down the road on a trip subtracting 15% from the indicated mileage.
I have a 09 Jetta TDI. Have had it for 3 months, has 3400 miles on it. I am a conservative driver, but I have never got the great MPG so many others are boasting. I get close to EPA estimates: 29 MPG city (would be much better, but in my town there are stop lights and signs every few blocks). I consistently get 37 MPG on the highway, driving 70 MPH with the air on. With the A/C off I get about 39 MPG. Best I have ever done is 41 MPG. What gives? Am I doing something wrong, or what do I need to do? I know the MPG is great compared to a gas vehicle, but I was hoping for consistent low-mid 40s on the highway. Disappointed…so far.
YOu are not doing anything wrong, you car’s engine is still tight and the rings not seated yet.
It will take thousands of miles to get the cylindar pressure up to the max…that could take 40 to 50 thousand miles before you see the very best MPG.
Diesels get better and bettyer MPG’s as they get older, exactly opposite of what happens with a typical gas engine.
My 2006 with 77,000 miles, regularly averages 48 mpg’s on the highway and that often creeps up even higher.