[To see the 2006 Fuel Economy guide, click on this link, to download the PDF; you can also find out more at www.fueleconomy.gov.]
As a matter of fact, diesels tied hybrids among the best economy picks for 2006, each winning three categories.
In the subcompact class, the New Beetle took top honors with a rating of 37 miles per gallon in the city and 44 MPG on the highway, and in compact cars the VW Golf and Jetta were a virtual tie, both getting 35 MPG or better in the city and 42 MPG or better on the highway.
The diesel-powered Jetta wagon is not included in the guide, but with a rating of 33/44 MPG according to the Diesel Technology Forum [low on page], it represents the best fuel economy in the midsize station wagon class as well.
If these stellar fuel economy numbers weren’t enough to please frugally minded car shoppers, three of the models -- the New Beetle, Golf and Jetta wagon -- can be had at starting prices under $20,000. The diesel-powered Jetta sedan starts at $21,290.
Tony Fouladpour, VW’s public relations manager, said the company’s diesel strategy is key here in the United States as well as internationally, where VW is the leader in European diesel sales.
"Here in the United States, with the price of gasoline, obviously diesel’s become the smarter choice for a lot of people," Fouladpour said. "Basically, the diesel engine has always been the most efficient use of oil and has always provided savings from a comparable gasoline engine."
At the heart of all VW’s diesel cars is a single engine -- the 1.9 liter TDI, which is a fuel-injected diesel, using the company’s new Pumpe Duse technology, which injects fuel at extremely high pressures into the combustion chamber. Pumpe Duse allows for more complete combustion, making the TDI engine quieter, more powerful, and more efficient than diesel engines with traditional fuel injection systems.
"In some cases, I’m sure our dealers would like to have more of the TDI engine, we’ve heard turn rates as high as fifty percent, which means that before the car even arrives at the dealership, fifty percent of those are already sold."
Fouladpour said the Jetta TDI accounts for 14-15% of that models sales, and the future for VW diesel is bright -- if the company can solve the technological hurdles posed by emissions standards that will be imposed nationwide in 2007. Currently five states prohibit the sale of new diesel-powered passenger vehicles, due to emissions rules -- including California and New York, two of the country’s biggest markets, as well as Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine.
These standards will be universal starting in 2007, but with the introduction of new Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel [ULSD], and the introduction of new technology, VW is striving to have TDI-powered vehicles that are "50-state cars."
The new ULSD fuel will reduce sulfur to near-European levels -- currently diesel in America contains about 150 ppm sulfur, but the new diesel will be only 15 ppm. This compares to European diesel, which contains 5 ppm sulfur. While the cleaner fuel will help reduce emissions significantly, VW will still have to install a filter system on its TDI cars in order to "trap" particulates before they exit the tailpipe.
Fouladpour said VW is working on particulate trap technology to ensure that their vehicles meet the new emissions standards in consort with ULSD, but the "big question" is whether they can do so while maintaining each individual vehicle’s price point.
"It’s one thing to bring technology that’s a step forward but its another thing to bring technology that’s a step toward that’s also economical," Fouladpour said. "We’re not in this business to lose money and we’re certainly not in the business of building cars that people can’t afford. So that’s the big question right now."
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