VW Jetta diesel 60 mpg

[JPaul]

Just saw this item in my "news watch" alert, but the story is not yet to be found in extenso:


Coming Soon to All 50 States: VW's 60 mpg Jetta Diesel
Autopia in Wired: Science
Today, 3:15 PM
Sick of paying an arm and a leg for gas? Volkswagen's got you covered with its latest diesel, which gets 60 miles to the gallon and is so clean even Californians can drive it. Look for it in showrooms later this year.

[jwight]

VW was showing these at the Detroit auto show. Not sure what a Jetta comparably equipped to a smart will run, but well over $16K is my guess. Still, good on VW, BMW, Mercedes and Audi for bringing diesels back to the USA.

[JPaul]

Finally, here is the working link:
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/04/coming-soon-to.html

And it's coming to the US later this year...

[curtis]

and diesel cost how much per gallon now?

[Old smart]

VW has had delays and dependability (longevity) issues with the dry "NOx trap" system, as has also Toyota. We'll have to see if this is viable in the long run, or an advertising loss-leader, or a theoretical CAFE diluter. Apparently the Jetta BlueTDI isn't roomy enough to use the actual BlueTec/AdBlue wet system that the VW Taureg II (and M-B Es) will use.

[Bremer Speck]

The interior of this Jetta looks very much like mine in the EOS. The one thing that I truly hate about the VW is its navigation system and radio. As usual, the factory and dealer stick it to you when you opt for it when ordering the car because the option is extremely costly and makes BIG BUCKS for the dealer. I opted for it anyway, thinking, this is German so it must be good... ;) ... Well, it is not. The nav system, that is. I do hate it! It is so completely and totally user unfriendly (along with the radio). My portable TomTom 920, at about 1/4th the cost, beats the VW nav anytime of the day or night. So, for anyone considering the Jetta, stay clear of this option and go to a car stereo place to have an after market system installed. That is what I should have done, had I been SMART enough...

[Pineer]

VW Jetta Diesel?; check out Polo

The Polo is smaller - more miles per gallon. When will they crash the US market?

Meanwhile, smart rules!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...s/4219904.html

From the article:
Last week I flew to the U.S. Environment and Engineering headquarters of Volkswagen in Auburn Hills, Mich. My mission? To drive diesel cars that are confirmed for the U.S. market (the Jetta, in 2008) and, perhaps with more intrigue, those that are sold only in Europe—for now.

PM has previously reported on the 2008 clean-diesel Jetta (click here for video), so I won’t linger on it except to say that it’s a wonderful car—quick and quiet and really fun, even as it gets Prius-baiting fuel mileage in the 45-mpg range.

It’s also not the car that most impressed me. Nope, that honor goes to the Euro-only Polo, a Rabbit-like hatchback—only smaller—with plenty of room for four adults, a modest hatch that could swallow a weekend’s worth of gear, and a 1.4-liter, turbocharged diesel under the hood. Oh yeah, and a five-speed manual transmission.

Here’s the kicker: The Polo gets 60 to 70-plus mpg. And it’s really fun to drive. It’s got a good bit of turbo lag, so you need to keep the revs up for serious power, but once the turbo kicks in, acceleration is frisky. And the lag makes the car feel faster than it actually is. I didn’t wring it out, but over the course of a short cruise through the suburbs, it felt like a car I could gladly live with day in, day out. Fun to drive, just enough room for a family, and frugal as all get out. In Europe, the Polo sells for less than $20,000

[08-4-2]

Originally Posted by Bremer Speck

The one thing that I truly hate about the VW is its navigation system and radio. ... So, for anyone considering the Jetta, stay clear of this option and go to a car stereo place to have an after market system installed.

The 2009 VW navigation is vastly improved, much faster, touchscreen, etc., and all of the forthcoming TDIs will be 2009 models.

[chubhunter]

My local VW dealer is right next to the Smart dealer. I was told the 2009 diesel jettas will be coming in mid-september. There is already a waiting list and it cost 1,000 to get on it. They will have 2 cars in next month for test drives.

[MPrice2984]

This report in Britains AutoCar today: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/232516/

BMW is working on a revival for the Isetta type city car to meet US zero emissions requirements.