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ENLARGE
Sixty miles per gallon.
It's quite the mind-blowing experience, especially after too much time in gas-guzzling big trucks (or, somewhat embarrassingly, the Nissan Armada I'm commandeering at present, which graciously generates 14 solid miles a gallon).
But to get a burst of 60 mpg — or a more steady 45-plus — one need not shell out for a solar-powered vehicle, risk their health on the interstate in a SmartCar or even wade into the dubious logic of the hybrid arena.
Go get a Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Simple as that. They're not terribly expensive, they're nice, reliable, fun-to-drive cars, and with the smaller of two available diesel powerplants (a 2.0 liter four-cylinder, generating 140 horsepower, versus the 170-HP 2.5-liter five-cylinder), it's almost impossible to get less than 40 miles a gallon.
Add to this the inexplicably perverse economic rollercoaster that is diesel fuel pricing (now, mysteriously, less than regular gas?), and you have the perfect storm for the perfect vehicle.
Admittedly, 60 mpg came only while I was on a slightly downsloping stretch of the Sixth Avenue freeway in Denver, but out on the highway, cruising along at normal speeds, 45 and higher was to be expected. Consistently. One tank of fuel can get you 600 miles down the road.
Combine the already stylish, basic Jetta package with the added adaptability of the SportWagen upgrade — with loads and loads of extra room in the back — and you have a vehicle which, let me once again reiterate, is both stylish and extremely frugal on fuel.
And unlike the 1976 diesel Rabbit, the new TDI does not clatter like a washing machine full of ball bearings, even at idle. It's a little noisier than a standard gas vehicle, but the diesel's wealth of torque more than makes up for that deficiency. Some 236 pound-feet of yank will get the Jetta SportWagen into orbit in no time at all, producing confident passing power and great uphill momentum.
My only complaint was a certain sloth/jerkiness in very low-rev situations, such as parking the vehicle. Otherwise, the Jetta's a sweet ride, with sporty handling, solid braking and a feel that's just a bit brisk, given the vehicle's size and spring. Click the 6-speed Tiptronic transmission lever into Sport mode and there's even more aggressive revs for passing and plunging along.
Moderately high-bolstered, leatherette-coved sport seats did make for slightly ungainly exits, but this again may be an issue of my own largesse and not that of the vehicle itself.
Looks are sleek and contemporary, and the elongated wagon greenhouse means 67 cubic feet of storage when the back seats are dropped; I can see a few bits of Porsche heritage in the rounded nose and the long, wraparound tail lamps.
Additional finery includes an optional, gigantic cabin-length sunroof with a power-sliding opaque sunscreen, dedicated iPod and USB-input jacks, satellite radio and a navigation system.
So. If you wanna waste gas, and be complaining endlessly to your friends and family when fuel prices ratchet up again in the future … don't buy the Jetta. Otherwise, think about it carefully.
It's quite the mind-blowing experience, especially after too much time in gas-guzzling big trucks (or, somewhat embarrassingly, the Nissan Armada I'm commandeering at present, which graciously generates 14 solid miles a gallon).
But to get a burst of 60 mpg — or a more steady 45-plus — one need not shell out for a solar-powered vehicle, risk their health on the interstate in a SmartCar or even wade into the dubious logic of the hybrid arena.
Go get a Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Simple as that. They're not terribly expensive, they're nice, reliable, fun-to-drive cars, and with the smaller of two available diesel powerplants (a 2.0 liter four-cylinder, generating 140 horsepower, versus the 170-HP 2.5-liter five-cylinder), it's almost impossible to get less than 40 miles a gallon.
Add to this the inexplicably perverse economic rollercoaster that is diesel fuel pricing (now, mysteriously, less than regular gas?), and you have the perfect storm for the perfect vehicle.
Admittedly, 60 mpg came only while I was on a slightly downsloping stretch of the Sixth Avenue freeway in Denver, but out on the highway, cruising along at normal speeds, 45 and higher was to be expected. Consistently. One tank of fuel can get you 600 miles down the road.
Combine the already stylish, basic Jetta package with the added adaptability of the SportWagen upgrade — with loads and loads of extra room in the back — and you have a vehicle which, let me once again reiterate, is both stylish and extremely frugal on fuel.
And unlike the 1976 diesel Rabbit, the new TDI does not clatter like a washing machine full of ball bearings, even at idle. It's a little noisier than a standard gas vehicle, but the diesel's wealth of torque more than makes up for that deficiency. Some 236 pound-feet of yank will get the Jetta SportWagen into orbit in no time at all, producing confident passing power and great uphill momentum.
My only complaint was a certain sloth/jerkiness in very low-rev situations, such as parking the vehicle. Otherwise, the Jetta's a sweet ride, with sporty handling, solid braking and a feel that's just a bit brisk, given the vehicle's size and spring. Click the 6-speed Tiptronic transmission lever into Sport mode and there's even more aggressive revs for passing and plunging along.
Moderately high-bolstered, leatherette-coved sport seats did make for slightly ungainly exits, but this again may be an issue of my own largesse and not that of the vehicle itself.
Looks are sleek and contemporary, and the elongated wagon greenhouse means 67 cubic feet of storage when the back seats are dropped; I can see a few bits of Porsche heritage in the rounded nose and the long, wraparound tail lamps.
Additional finery includes an optional, gigantic cabin-length sunroof with a power-sliding opaque sunscreen, dedicated iPod and USB-input jacks, satellite radio and a navigation system.
So. If you wanna waste gas, and be complaining endlessly to your friends and family when fuel prices ratchet up again in the future … don't buy the Jetta. Otherwise, think about it carefully.
