Green Test Drive: Volkswagen Jetta TDI

The variables that go into calculating the economics of driving a car will make your head hurt. The considerations include purchase price, depreciation, fuel economy, maintenance costs and insurance. Does the extra you pay for hybrid technology now pay off in savings at the pump over the long haul?

Anybody have a calculator?

But here is the bottom line for most car buyers: What’s it like once you slide your tush behind the wheel?
By that matrix, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI measures up pretty well.

The attention-grabbing numbers of this new-generation, clean-burning diesel sedan are, of course, the miles per gallon. Diesel engines are typically more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines and the EPA fuel economy estimates for the Jetta TDI are 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway.

Real world performance is even better. We got 43 mpg in a 200-mile freeway drive going 70 mph or better. We got better than 30 mpg driving to Blockbuster and back.

That fuel economy, sadly, doesn’t translate into cash savings because of the gap between gasoline prices and diesel, currently about $1 a gallon. But who knows what the difference might be five years from now? And figure on driving the Jetta TDI for a long time. Diesels are known for durability. If you read a cute story about a guy driving a car with 1 million miles on the odometer, it’s likely diesel powered.

The cabin of the Jetta TDI, fortunately, isn’t a bad place to spend the next decade. The interior materials are better than you might expect in a car of this price point. The front seats offer good lateral support. The heated leather seats of the test vehicle quickly got nice and toasty.

Big passengers in the back seat might not be quite as comfy, however. Headroom is an issue for anyone over 6 feet.

Standard creature comforts include air conditioning, cruise control, a CD player, eight-way adjustable front seats with height, angle and lumbar support adjustments. The test car had an upgraded 10-speaker sound system with six-disc in-dash CD player, iPod jack and satellite radio.

The controls for tunes and temperature are big, simple and easy to use – unlike those of another German carmaker.

The Jetta TDI is also satisfying to drive. The 2-liter four-cylinder clean diesel engine generates 140 horsepower and 236 pounds-foot of torque, which means the little sedan pulls away from a stoplight strongly, not like an econo-box at all. The Jetta TDI is available with either a six-speed manual transmission, or six-speed automatic.

Safety features include electronic stability control and an array of air bags that include driver and front passenger thorax air bags and side curtain air bags for those front and back. Rear passenger side thorax airbags are an option worth paying for.

The starting MSRP is $21,990 and the test car had a sticker price of $24,190. The Jetta TDI qualifies for an Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Federal Tax Credit, so you’ll get $1,300 back from Uncle Sam if you buy one.

Yet another variable in the equation.

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