Green Redefined
Since 2001, the Toyota Prius has been an iconic car for the green revolution of automobiles. It’s easily recognizable to everyone, too. Look, there goes a hybrid! In Hollywood, there’s even a function that can be used amongst celebrities to determine how ‘green’ any of these ‘stars’ are: basically, (number of Prius owned) x (amount of times owning of said Prius is mentioned on the red carpet) = (apparent greenness). Jesting aside, I drove something yesterday that puts the Prius on notice. Who would of thought? Diesel power conquering the Hybrid-Drive? Well, Europe has known of this phenomenon for quite a while, but now is better than ever for the ‘States to catch up. This is my second Volkswagen post in a month, yes, and I realize I’m fanboying a little bit here, but bear with me me: the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI is out for green blood.
A Diesel?
Yes, a diesel. You’d never know, though, if you didn’t see the TDI badge which sits on the lower rear of the wagon’s hatch. Maybe if you were really concentrating, listening for the slight grumble when you start the car or give it a little extra throttle on the highway. But where’s the smell? And the smoke? Well, maybe you should stop living in the past. Modern diesels are considered “clean diesels” for a reason. Meeting California’s tough (ridiculous?) emissions standards is no easy task for a diesel, but the Sportwagen TDI passes with flying colors. Lots of people seem to love this car. The government does: they’ll pay you $1500 for buying one. The Green Car Journal loves it too: enough, in fact, to give it the Green Car of the Year award for 2009. Last and definitely not least, you would: at more than 40 miles per gallon, average, you’ll be happy at the pumps (especially considering diesel prices are great right now). And does it deserve all of this love? Of course.
Efficient Fun
In the Prius, all the efficiency comes at a price: performance. Roughly translated? Fun. The Sportwagen TDI, though, provides an engaging and fun driving experience. Volkswagen have given the TDI the same DSG that sits in my R32, albeit with a slightly different set of governing software. I was excited to try this familiar gearbox with the 2.0L turbocharged diesel, and my excitement was rightfully placed: this torque-graced engine produces 236 foot-pounds of it, which is the same as my car. However, as it is a traditional high-torque, low-horsepower diesel, the horsepower takes a hit: there are only 140 horses in this engine. Zero to sixty is just under nine seconds, which seems fairly poor until you compare it to the rivals, such as the Prius, who come in at over eleven seconds. On the highway, this works quite well for overtaking. When you delve into the other performance categories aside from acceleration, you find out why the Sportwagen TDI really shines in comparison to its green competitors: handling. Like a typical Volkswagen front-drive car, the TDI is responsive, grips well enough, and is genuinely a pleasure to drive. The interior is exactly the same as all other Mark V-platform cars from VW, including mine, but with different colors and certain alternate trim materials, so the build quality is good and the ergonomics are excellent.
What Does This Mean?
A similarly-loaded Prius to this TDI I drove comes in at $27,000, in comparison to the TDI’s $25,000. For this, you don’t even get leather heated seats in the Prius, which are only available on the top-of-the-line package at almost $29,000. This deal is a no-brainer. What are you going to opt for? The expensive, slow, and smug Toyota or the well-engineered, practical, and genuinely fun Volkswagen? I know which I’d rather have. What does this mean for green technology, though? If I had to steer this technological development in any given direction, I’d have to say that companies should combine the technologies: all the perks of the diesel drivetrain on the highway with the efficiency of an electric motor at low speeds. The question is, who’s better prepared to do this? I’ll give that to Volkswagen with only a moment of thought, because I’m not sure Toyota even knows what diesel is.