VW, IRS and diesel form a persuasive trifecta

Is the sun starting to shine on motorists once more? After a minor dip in crude oil prices and a slightly healthier dollar comes Volkswagen’s announcement that buyers of its Clean Diesel-powered 2009 Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen are eligible for a $1,300 federal income tax credit. The Internal Revenue Service has confirmed that these cars qualify for the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle credit.

Even with diesel being more expensive than gasoline at the pump, $1,300 still buys quite a bit of it. And third-party certifier AMCI reports real-world Jetta TDI consumption of 38 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway (that’s comparable to a hybrid). To sway potential buyers even further, VW puts in the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard, as well as a Carefree Maintenance Program offering free scheduled maintenance for the duration of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, which is three years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

Jetta TDIs are legal in all 50 states and hit the showrooms in this month.

-- Colin Ryan

Photo: Volkswagen

Comments

[Lynn Miller]

44 mpg on the highway? Who is VW kidding? The Citroen C-3 gets 76 mpg on the highway with a 90 hp diesel engine, and its a five door model that holds 5 people. It has better safety equipment than US cars, and all it needs to conform to EPA emission standards is a particulate filter in the exhaust system.

You can buy a C-3 in Honduras today for $18,000 right off the showroom floor, but you can't buy one here for any price. Any guesses why?

[John]

My ten year old Toyota Corolla gets 41 MPG on the highway without any special effort. It's all I need in a car.

[Aaron Conaway]

Hey Lynn, yeah, I looked it up, the Citoren C-3, I'd never heard of it, wow, yeah, that's what I've always thought, my last car was a dodge neon sxt and that got 38 MPG on the freeway and since gas hikes, companies advertise 4-cyls that get 30 like it's something new, oil cartels run everything, no wait, there are no conspiracies, everything is as it seems. Buy a hummer now! OK

[Justin]

The Citroen C3 is tiny compared to a Jetta SportWagen... so the MPG comparison and price comparison aren't fair. It's like comparing a Land Rover to a Jetta SportWagen.

The Citroen C3 isn't available here because it's a tiny car and traditionally tiny cars have little appeal in the US.

If gas prices continue to climb then maybe smaller cars such as the C3 have a better chance to make it here... that being said... has Citroen ever sold cars in the US?

[s h a r o n]

Good one, Ms.Miller. If only I had more than myself to transport...

I drove a couple of new VW New Beetle TDIs (diesei) but finally had to give up on the second one (an '03) because the VW service folks could not clean the gas recycling valve often enough, and the thing finally just wouldn't get out of its own way. Before the service problem, I got 52 mpg with the diesel NB. Turns out, we apparently don't have good enough regulations on diesel fuel for sale in Oregon, and the fuel was just too junky for the engine. I went back to a gas NB with which I'm getting 32 mpg consistently. This, number I squeeze out by means of making other drivers absolutely crazy as I ply the coast highway at less than the 55 mph speed limit to save fuel.

[Kevin Eckhart]

What a clown! Who cares what's available in Honduras? That's great news, but until you can buy one in the States (which is probably never) what difference does it make? Check the price tag on that underpowered beast of a Citroen once it makes the Euro/Dollar exchange jump across the pond (which would make it about $24,000).

I think this is a winner compared to ay other US offerings currently available. I drove one and this car is quick, efficient, and clean burning. No compromises as with Prius.

[Lynn Miller]

Sorry, Justin. The C-3 isn't tiny at all, it holds 5 adults comfortably. Think of a Ford Focus, same size, same look, except this gets 76mpg instead of 30.

And Kevin, $18,000 is $18,000, no Euro conversion involved. But you are probably right, if GM or Ford bought the drive-train, put a new body on it (like they did with the Prism which is a Corolla under the hood), then it would probably be priced at $24,000 at least, Someone has to pay for those gold-plated healthcare plans the auto industry used to give away ($1700 PER CAR!).

The funny thing is that If you could just get the EPA to approve the C-3's import with a particulate filter conversion, you buy it anywhere in Central America, take a nice vacation through Mexico, and drive it home. But the EPA says no, no way, no how. I tried.

Lynn

[Ft. Lauderdale VW Service]

When the last time I took my VW for its schedule maintenance, I took it to a VW service provider where the technician asked me several questions about the car and took it for a test drive. It took him hardly three hours to fix the problems that it had. And, after that service I was surprised to find that my car was running as smoothly as any new car. So, I feel that before the technicians fix any problem, they should ask the owner about the problems associated with that car so that they can find out the actual cause of trouble.