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Review: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta diesel, a fuel-efficient car with more than gas mileage to boast about
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The Volkswagen Jetta TDI's gas mileage is only icing on the cake, but Volkswagen's baked
goods have never been inexpensive and a Prius is still more fuel-efficient.
If you’re looking for maximum gas mileage, chances are the Toyota Prius hybrid is probably one of the first cars to cross your mind. Its distinctive shape and spiffy technology make it an attention getter, and a symbol of fuel-efficiency and environmentally friendliness.
With such a high profile, the Prius makes it easy to forget about other fuel-efficient competitors that don’t have a unique look or use electric motors. The diesel version of the Volkswagen Jetta compact sedan does not boast about the technology in its powertrain that lets it achieve 41 miles per gallon on the highway. The little “TDI” (turbocharged direct injection) badge on the trunklid is the only indication that this Jetta is anything more than another compact sedan.
To be clear, the Jetta’s gas mileage is not in Prius territory. The EPA rates the Jetta TDI for a high 34 miles per gallon in mixed driving (33 with the automatic transmission), but the Prius gets 46, but the Prius is also designed so that extra-gentle driving will net you a greater difference in gas mileage than in more conventionally powered vehicles. Diesel also costs more than the Prius’s regular unleaded.
But where the Jetta distinguishes itself from the Prius and other high-mpg competitors is in its premium qualities. Virtually every aspect of the Prius was designed to maximize gas mileage, with extra-stiff tires that reduce rolling resistance but also ride smoothness and handling grip, with no excess of power, and without high levels of refinement or luxury.
Car enthusiasts have an even bigger complaint about the Prius. All this fuel-saving effort, they will tell you, produces a car that doesn’t “feel like a car should.” You can’t use the Prius as a toy any further than to maximize gas mileage. (Many owners do just that, of course.) You can’t take the Prius on a spirited drive on a windy road, or accelerate into the curves of an on-ramp.
The Jetta TDI feels like other cars. There’s a bit of extra vibration from the diesel engine, and extra noise is audible (more so outside the car than inside) the car when the engine’s running. But otherwise, you’re getting your high gas mileage from a standard compact car, and quite a nice (albeit expensive) one at that. High gas mileage is just an added perk, not the very reason for the car’s existence.
All versions of the Jetta are positioned as slightly upscale of their competitors, and the car generally lives up to that. Get inside and you’ll find very comfortable front seats; firm, supportive, and nicely bolstered. Some might want them to be wider, though. The Jetta TDI has standard imitation-leather seating that’s perfectly convincing; the real thing is also available.
The rear seat is a bit more spacious than the average compact car, and the high seat cushion makes for good thigh support. There’s no excess headroom, however. The trunk is quite roomy for a small car.
The interior is mostly high-quality, but it doesn’t give off the ambiance of a premium car; rather, it feels like the nice mainstream car that it is. The front-passenger interior door pull is one exception, with an unfinished edge on a high-contact surface. (The driver side has a different design without this issue.)“Nice mainstream” is also the sense the Jetta gives off on the road, though it’s a more solid cruiser on the highway than the average compact car. (In no small part because it weighs more.) The ride is firm but generally well-controlled, though it’s jittery over repeated bumps. The Jetta handles well, with good steering feel and response, but it’s not overtly sporty.
The diesel engine is quiet except at idle and offers strong acceleration at speed. Reviewers with stopwatches have noted it isn’t actually any quicker than most other compact 4-cylinder cars, but the Jetta TDI feels more powerful.
Some reviewers have called the Jetta’s 6-speed manual transmission “delightful”; it’s more precise than the norm for this price range, yes, but “delightful” is a stretch. A 6-speed automatic is also available, though it’s less fuel-efficient.
But of course fuel efficiency is probably not the primary reason you would buy a Jetta TDI. If you’re looking to save money, you can get a cheap economy car that gets nearly the mileage on less-expensive gasoline, or you can get a hybrid for maximum mileage and minimum emissions.
What the Jetta offers is fuel-efficiency in a near-premium package, and it’s the only current car to do so anywhere near $20,000. With the Jetta, you get a car that drives well and makes few concessions to get its higher gas mileage. The standard 24-mpg Jetta costs only $1,700 less than this 34-mpg version when comparably equipped, according to pricing site TrueDelta.com. Emissions are a bit higher even with new clean diesel technology, and diesel is more expensive to buy, but you still end up with a net savings compared to the regular gas Jetta unless the cost of diesel soars relative to regular unleaded.
The Jetta isn’t perfect. You don’t get Prius-level gas mileage. You deal with Volkswagen’s uncertain reliability (the current Jetta has so far demonstrated “average” reliability so far in Consumer Reports’s surveys, but past VWs have not aged well). And at a sticker price of $24,488 as tested, it’s certainly no bargain.
And it's not an alternative to the Prius. If you're a fan of the Prius, you likely would not care for the Jetta's invisibility, its emissions, or its less-than-ultimate gas mileage. And if you like the Jetta TDI, you wouldn't care for the more sterile feel of the Prius or its reduced refinement and agility. But if you want 34 miles per gallon from a car that drives like a car and doesn't feel like an econobox, the Jetta is for now your only option.
Vehicle tested: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
Vehicle base sticker price: $17,515
Vehicle sticker price as tested: $24,488
Vehicle estimated transaction price as tested: $22,764
Test vehicle provided by: Darcars Volkswagen of College Park, Md.
For more info:
http://www.vw.com/jetta/en/us/
http://www.vw.com/jetta/en/us/
Photos by Brady Holt.
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