Instrumented Test
TESTED
It wasn’t long ago that “fuel-conscious car” was essentially synonymous with “totally unfun, super-tiny penalty box.” There were exceptions, of course—Honda’s CRX and Volkswagen’s TDI offerings among them—but buyers looking to combine driving pleasure with frugality were met mostly by tumbleweeds.
Now, however, those tumbleweeds have given way to comparatively vast fields of decent-to-drive greenery. VW’s tried-and-true diesels remain players, of course, and one can now find pleasure behind the wheels of any number of small cars, as well as—gasp!—the occasional hybrid, including a couple from VW itself. In such a landscape, does the Jetta TDI still shine, or have sharper competition and the somewhat duller edge of the latest iteration of VW’s compact sedan made the car run of the mill?
The Jetta TDI doesn’t offer loads of grip—the Continental ContiProContact all-seasons and intrusive stability control limited our car to 0.81 g on the skidpad—but its German pedigree lends the primary controls a sense of harmony, and the tiller is responsive if secretive with feedback. The largest drawback: Although the brakes have decent stopping power, the pedal feels like stepping in a pile of oatmeal.
The 140-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel generates short bursts of enthusiasm while returning an EPA-estimated 30 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway, and we achieved 40 mpg over several hundred miles of interstate-intensive driving. Off idle, a bit of lag gives way to a thump of thrust as the 2.0-liter produces its peak torque of 236 lb-ft at 1750 rpm. It makes little sense to climb any higher than the diesel’s 4000-rpm power peak, as it loses steam as it approaches the 5000-rpm redline. So the best technique is to use throttle discipline or manually actuated shifts to keep revs in the fat part of the torque curve (1750 to 4000 rpm), which allows effortless cruising even in hilly terrain. The TDI isn’t a jackrabbit sprinter, but ours did post an ecorespectable 0-to-60 time of eight seconds and a quarter-mile of 16.2 seconds at 85 mph.
But as the ranks of satisfying fuel sippers have increased, it’s wise to evaluate the alternatives. Volkswagen’s Jetta hybrid offers significantly better EPA ratings (42/48) for only $940 more than a DSG-automatic-equipped TDI (although, typical of the engine type, the diesel proved superb in real-world mileage, besting the hybrid by 1 mpg over 300 miles of mixed driving in our four-way-Jetta comparison test). The Toyota Prius may not offer a deep well of torque or be fun to drive, but it definitely delivers on its fuel-thrifty mission, earning marks of 51/48 at a base price some $300 less. Even Ford’s super-efficiency package on the Focus yields 28/40 from its naturally aspirated, gasoline-drinking 2.0-liter four, and it starts five grand below the TDI.
Given its slightly elevated price—about $24,000 to start—the Jetta TDI might not be the best option for someone looking for a hyperefficient transportation pod on a budget. For those folks, the Prius C probably fills the bill—perhaps the only time you’ll see us recommend that model, which, we have said, “resists every effort to make driving enjoyable.” But of all the efficiency-minded machines on the market, the TDI is the most likely to equal or top its EPA ratings among the largest cross section of drivers, and it best combines fun, frugality, and friendly dimensions. Run of the mill? No way.
