The new Volkswagen Jetta might cost a bit less than its predecessor, but we found the Jetta SEL to be a great deal with lots of features and an excellent warranty. It also managed to catch the attention of three different tuners who will have their customized Jettas at SEMA this year. H&R Special Springs chose the Jetta R-Line to show off its aftermarket suspension components. The show car has been lowered with H&R coil-overs and sits on 19-inch Rotiform BUC wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires. Its appearance has also been modified with a body kit, a rear spoiler, a graphics package, and a bunch of Volkswagen accessories. Air Design, which actually provided the body kit for the H&R car, says its Jetta was inspired by the 1980s and '90s. The 19-inch TSW wheels are a modern remake of the DTM-inspired Hockenheim wheels from the 1990s, while the graphics are said to give the body kit a little bit of a vintage appearance. It's also been lowered and given a custom interior. Finally, independent tuner Jamie Orr got his hands on a White Silver Jetta S with a manual transmission. Orr lowered his car with a set of adjustable coil-overs from KW and added 20-inch Work Emotion T5R 2P wheels. He then upgraded the brakes, added a 3D-printed body kit, and customized the interior with houndstooth-patterned seats.
I have been driving diesel cars since 1986. The diesels back then were just the regular run of the mill diesels. They were the diesels that the politically correct crowd of environmentalists decided were not good for the environment. It was true back then that the diesel was not as clean as it is today. Those days are past and a new diesel engine takes away all that was wrong with diesel cars. The new Volkswagen clean diesel TDI engine has turned the diesel into a car that can help us solve the energy problem. The TDI diesel is a new diesel that uses Turbo Direct Injection to yield more power, more acceleration, and an environmentally friendly level of emissions. The VW clean diesel is so clean that it is the first diesel powered vehicle to gain acceptance in all 50 United States. Even California, with the strictest exhaust level rules in the country has given the Volkswagen TDI a clean bill of health. This takes away the long standing environmental argument against diesel powered cars.
Now the VW TDI clean diesel is environmentally friendly. Doesn't it make sense to use a fuel that carries you 50 miles on one gallon rather than to use a fuel that carries you 25 miles on the gallon. Think about it, if you are using half the volume then the fuel can last twice as long. Or think of it this way, if you will travel a thousand miles you can do that by using 20 gallons of diesel fuel. Using gasoline it would take 40 gallons, and using ethanol it would take 52 gallons. These numbers are approximations based on my personal driving experience. Yes there are gasoline powered cars that get more than 25 MPG. The number for ethanol is based on the fact that ethanol has about 30% less heat energy than gasoline and would require more volume to achieve the same amount of energy. So using my rough example, Doesn't it stand to reason that if you use about half the fuel it will last about twice as long?
I have been driving the Volkswagen TDI since 1997. During that time I worked as a high end Canon copier technician and drove my VW Jetta TDI diesel wagon as my work car. The back of the car was filled with my tools and copier parts. 600 range. This paid for my fuel and my car payment. As a comparison, my colleagues drove gasoline powered cars and their reimbursement checks barely covered their monthly gas bill. This is just another way of showing the economy and value of driving a clean diesel powered car. The cars I owned since 1997 have all been Volkswagen TDI diesels. Other than routine scheduled maintenance I have never had a malfunction or a problem with my diesel cars. My 2004 VW Jetta TDI wagon achieves 42 MPG while driving in the city and 49.9 on the highway. I could increase the miles per gallon if I drove with care but I just drive and don't worry about the mileage. It is a shame that American car manufactures have been building diesel powered cars for many years but have neglected to develop a clean diesel engine. Ford has had a diesel similar to the VW TDI available for sale in Europe for many years. But I have to say, after driving Volkswagens for so long and having the positive driving experience that driving a Volkswagen TDI diesel has given me I just don't think I would buy an American made car today. Maybe at some point in the future I may consider a Ford but probably not a General Motors built car. Do something good for the environment, do something good for yourself, Start driving a clean diesel powered car today.
