When I saw that I had an upcoming biz trip to Vegas, I opted to drive rather than fly. And just like my colleague Erin Riches did a few weeks ago, I requested our new Jetta TDI. I anticipated that the TDI would be comfortable, great on gas (sorry, diesel) and perform just fine. So how did it measure up?
Comfort: The firm, well-shaped seats proved supportive for the nearly 300-mile (each way) trip. And the perforated vinyl does a good impersonation of leather while also being easier to clean and not offensive to members of PETA. The cabin was also fairly quiet at highway speeds, allowing full enjoyment of the '70s, '80s, '90s and Bruce Springsteen channels on the satellite radio. On that "note" -- I swear, on one stretch of the 15, I sounded just like Bruce while belting out "No Surrender".
Fuel Economy: Against EPA estimates of 29 city, 40 highway and 33 combined, I averaged 37.4 mpg. Trip conditions were amazingly good -- mostly wide open highways with my speed running between 75 and 80 most of the way. At one point I noticed the fuel gauge reading over 3/4 of a tank with over 150 miles showing on the trip odo.
Performance: The new, 50-state clean turbodiesel has plenty of power -- running up some elevation where other cars and trucks were running out of breath, the TDI forged ahead, maintaining speed without much effort. The DSG tranny is always on point, especially if you choose Sport mode as I did when driving in the city. But like other cars I've driven, the Sport mode locks out top gear, so you need to be wary of that and put the lever back in "D" once you get up to speed on the highway.
In short, the Jetta TDI is a fantastic road trip car, allowing you to rapidly cover great distances in comfort without feeling guilty about using up a lot of fuel to do so.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor at 5,520 miles.
jm1212 says:
04:46 PM, 11/24/08
just wait until the engine gets broken in. thats when the real fuel economy numbers start rolling in.
diesels can take longer to fully "break in" than gasoline engines.
autoboy16 says:
06:35 PM, 11/24/08
Wow! I'm already impressed! My current car seems like a Guzzler in comparison... After 40 miles, I lose a quarter tank of gas.... I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY JETTA MK4!!!
-Cj
sgude says:
12:42 PM, 11/25/08
During the Gulf War, another Marine and I were talking about what we would do when we got back to the US.
He said "I'm going on a trip in my Caddy." I said "I can't wait to drive my GTI. I might go on a trip too."
He looked at me like I had just stepped off a UFO. "What? Drive a VW cross-country? Are you crazy?"
Needless to say, that was the last time we spoke.
dougtheeng says:
02:05 PM, 11/25/08
My old 2004 VW Golf TDI was a very pleasant highway cruiser. Good power, comfy seats, unbeatable mileage, great in snow.