Forget Hybrids….Diesel Power Rules!
Jun 23rd, 2009 by Thomas Rosquin
I have been saying for years now that Diesel power cars get the same fuel economy as hybrids; but no one wants to listen. The very mention of the word “Diesel” makes people cringe at the thought of overly gross polluting Commercial Trucks and nasty Old Mercedes cars.
Well now that Diesel gas prices have fallen below the price of unleaded gas; it seems that feelings have changed. Yeah I call these people bandwagoners! Nevertheless Volkswagen has noticed a nice increase in Diesel sales over last year’s numbers.
The Jetta TDI is one hot new diesel car. All things aside the mere fact that this car gets an EPA estimated 41 MPG on the highway is a great selling point! And this number it would seem is a bit shy of the 50-60 miles per gallon that commuters have been experiencing. Nevertheless the diesel model tends to get more than 40% better fuel economy than the 2.5-liter model.
The coolest thing about the TDI is the Turbo Power you get. Turbo technology is the wave of the future and Volkswagen has been on the cutting edge for years now. This particular car puts out a respectable 140 horsepower but a pavement pounding 271lb-ft of torque which is exactly what is need to get up to highway speeds! The Jetta TDI also has the smallest Carbon Footprint of any of the Jetta models. Yes this diesel is the cleanest Volkswagen on the road. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? The 2009 Jetta TDI also offers all the bells and whistles such as airbags, navigation, a great sound system, power everything, and pretty much everything you would want in a mid-sized car. Now the TDI model does cost about two-thousand more than the base model but you will get a nice rebate from Uncle Sam to help close that gap a bit!
Right now as it stands Diesel gas is about $0.15 cheaper than regular unleaded gas! So driving a regular 2.5 liter Jetta will cost you about $1700 in gas every 15k miles while the diesel TDI will only cost $1150. So if gas prices remain constant you can save more than a few hundred dollars in gas just in one short year!
When discussing costs, you forgot the biggest diesel advantage: after 10 years, your car is worth $5k more than the identical gas model, even with 100k more miles on the clock!
Nothing holds its value like a VW diesel. They stop depreciating after 6 or 7 years … a 1998 sells for the same price as a 2001 or 2002, whereas gas-powered cars continue to slide.
The best mileage is the diesel golf due to less weight than the Jetta and better aerodynamics than the Beetle. The last time I checked there was only 1 diesel Golf on e-Bay in the entire US!
So, they’re a great buy even if they didn’t save money on fuel.
But an employee with a 2005 Golf GLS TDI figures that around 1/4 million miles the car’s purchase price will be paid in fuel savings alone. (based on real diesel pricing in Canada, not artificially inflated US prices … you’ll have to drive further to get a free car)
It’s been around longer, it going to be better for the time being as we have been using and refining it for longer. Give the Hybrid time tho..
You are right diesel is much better than hybrids. I do not like such models at all. And the models of Jetta TDI and Pasat-TDI have very good engines and environmental too.