Volkswagen TOUAREG TDI SPORT AUTO For Sale

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A The new era of clean diesel in America will officially be ushered in by the new VW Jetta TDi when it goes on sale in a few months. Powered by a 2.0-liter four-banger that produces 140 hp and 236 lb.-ft. of torque, it will be the first automobile to meet the world’s most stringent emission control standards, California’s Tier II, Bin 5. Although it won’t be wearing the “BlueTec” badge, the Jetta will be using emission-cleansing technologies developed under the cooperative formed by Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen to make it 50-state legal. Most BlueTec vehicles control NOx emissions—one of the biggest environmental hurdles facing diesels, along with particulate matter—by injecting a urea-based solution into the exhaust system upstream from the catalytic converter, where NOx is then converted into nitrogen and water. The Jetta will instead use a NOx-storage catalyst, which is basically a reservoir that temporarily holds the noxious emissions, like a particulate filter, until they can be burned off during one of the engine cycles. In addition, the new engine will feature a common-rail fuel injection system, instead of VW’s traditional mechanical system, that uses piezoelectric fuel injectors. This technology permits higher injection pressures, which better atomize the fuel and make it easier to control pollution.We recently test drove the Jetta through the streets of San Francisco and were pleasantly surprised. The Jetta has always been agile and zippy, but the new, more powerful TDi gives it more oomph, allowing us to power through traffic and accelerate from stoplights with authority and a little bravado—we totally tooled on a Toyota Prius. We were also shocked as to how quiet the engine operates: You have to consciously listen for the knocking, or you wouldn’t even notice it. If reports are correct, the Jetta should get upwards of 50 mpg, combined highway and city. Although pricing hasn’t been announced, expect it to be within a few thousand of the current models (an estimated $18,000 to $23,000). We can’t wait for chance to spend some more time with the new TDi Jetta—and test its real-world fuel economy. Tags: diesel, test_drives, volkswagen, new_cars 2009 VW Jetta SportWagen Test Drive: Clean Diesel and Turbo Power Ride Together Again, on the Cheap 2010 Volkswagen Golf Test Drive: Clean Diesel Hits 41 MPG 2008 Volkswagen Jetta Diesel: Video Test Drive 2009 Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI Test Drive: So. Cal. to Baja Road Trip with a Clean Diesel Engine 2009 Volkswagen Golf VI Test Drive: Euro Star Evolves, With 40-MPG Promise of an American Diesel? 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan Test Drive: VWÂ’s Small Crossover Entrant Has Turbo Chops, GTI-Like Ride Advertisement %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_COMMENTCOUNT% comment%TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_COMMENTCOUNT_STRING% / Post a comment %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_ITERATION% %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_ITERATION% loading.. please wait Thanks! Your comment has been added to this topic. %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_COMMENTTITLE%%TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_TIMESTAMP% %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_DATESTAMP% Posted by: %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_USERNAME% Report Abuse %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_COMMENTTEXT% %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_ITERATION% %TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_ITERATION% Post Your Comment You must be registered on popularmechanics.com to post comments. If you don't have an account, join now for free. Please try again. Username: Password: OR CLICK HERE if you forgot your username or password. 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All Rights Reserved. Being Green || Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit/Jetta TDI Welcome to my VW Golf TDI Review and Long Term Road Test (Biodiesel capable, better alternative than Prius and hybrid electric technology) By Paul Vachier Read User Reviews for the Volkswagen Jetta The Volkswagen Golf and Jetta TDI (Turbo Diesel) are amongst the most fuel-efficient cars available in America and remain extremely popular in Eurore where diesels claim more than 50% of new car sales, Though the Golf (now called Rabbit in the US) hasn't been available to US car buyers since 2007, Volkswagen of America is selling TDI Jettas, which are basically the same car as the Golf/Rabbit but with a trunk instead of a hatchback. I own a 2002 Golf TDI, and this page chronicles some of my experiences and impressions of this vehicle. Most people in America have never thought about buying a diesel automobile due to bad perceptions about diesel engines and/or diesel fuel. I had the same preconceptions but starting researching fuel efficient vehicles 2 years before I bought this car. I had test driven scores of cars and the only one that put a smile on my face was this one. I loved it from the moment I got in the driver's seat. Besides being very peppy, it's a joy to drive. You wouldn't even know it's a diesel except when you go to the filling station. VW has done a lot to modernize their diesel engines and make them less polluting as well as easier than ever to live with. It's also a solid car, built of quality materials, as opposed to the cheap plastic you find in other cars of this price (and even more expensive ones!). I've been really happy with my Golf so far and think it is one of the most amazing cars on the planet! Below you can read more about my long term road experience with this car. Long Term Road Test @ 25K Miles: After a little over a year of driving my Golf now has about 25K miles on it. It's getting around 42 - 47 MPG overall and the only mechanical problem has been the left front wheel bearing that went out at around 20K miles (replaced for free under warranty). I've only had Japanese cars before this including Mitsubishi, Toyota and Subaru, but also had front wheel bearing problems on both my Mitsubishi Colt and my Toyota Tercel. In terms of driving and overall satisfaction, this is my favorite car to date. It handles great and has extremely comfortable seats and I absolutely love the gas mileage. It is German engineered through-and-through which means it is designed for the driving experience despite its frugal nature and can move along very quickly thanks to the turbo charger. This car is only a few horsepower short of being a sports car. Hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius simply do not have the fun-to-drive character that this car has. You sacrifice nothing in return for stellar fuel economy. Note that the car I have has a 5-speed manual transmission, this car and engine combo will suffer notably in both power and fuel economy with an automatic transmission, your mileage will probably drop to under 40PMG overall. Long Term Road Test @ 35K Miles: Still getting 42 - 47 MPG. Highest trip mileage was about 49 MPG. Engine doing well in the cold northern NM winter thanks to glow plugs; always starts fine even in 5 degree F (-15 C) weather although cold starts can be smoky. The heated seats are great since it takes the diesel a long time to warm up and provide heat to the heat vents (though it drives fine after a minute or two of warm up). I also use it a lot in the snow for ski trips and it does great with a decent set of snow tires. I've passed up many stranded SUVs trying to get out of snow drifts with their bald tires and 4WD. I have had had a few mechanical problems which were all fixed under warranty: (1) Replaced faulty glow plug (2) Replaced Mass Air Flow sensor (this was replaced 3 times until VW discovered a problem with faulty wiring). Well, it doesn't seem to be quite as trouble-free as a Honda or a Toyota, but fortunately everything was fixed under warranty and VW service in Albuquerque (University Volkswagen) has been really great. Each time they gave me a free loaner car while my car was in the shop and once I even got to drive the 1.8 L gas turbo which is a real pocket rocket! Long Term Road Test @ 50K Miles: Still getting 42 - 47 MPG all around. No mechanical problems since the Mass Air Flow sensor problem was fixed. The car is running great and I'm still totally happy with it (great since it's no longer under warranty). I did damage the flimsy plastic covering on the bottom of the engine from hitting a curb in a parking lot. This car has kind of low ground clearance so you need to be careful with avoiding rocks and other things that could damage the undercarriage. For the past few months I've been running B20 biodiesel almost exclusively and the Golf seems to be very happy with it. Continue reading further down for additional discussion of biodiesel. How does the Golf TDI compare with Hybrid Electric vehicles? I support all efforts to decrease petroleum fuel consumption and think that hybrid electric vehicles are an important step in this direction. However, Hybrid electric is an expensive and unproven technology compared to the simplicity of the diesel engine which has been time tested for over 100 years. Cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are great cars, but who knows how their exotic and expensive hybrid components will hold up over time? What will it cost to replace the batteries for example? Diesel engines routinely last for hundreds of thousands of miles and the Golf offers the added benefit of running biodiesel and/or vegetable oil, the ultimate green fuel. Plus, the Golf offers the thrill of fahrfergnugen - a car designed and engineered for the joy of driving. The Japanese cars are relatively dull to drive by comparison. On the plus side for Hybrid Electric Vehicles is the fact that they do very well in stop-and-go urban traffic. Diesel engines perform better on long trips and their mileage decreases in the city. If you're buying a car and live in a city where you make frequent short trips, HEV's may be a better alternative. But if you're buying a car to commute long distances, a diesel engine is a better option since the electricity won't be recharged in an HEV while driving on the highway. In short, if you do live in a city, make frequent short trips, and don't care about sporty handling, the Prius or another HEV may be a better choice for you. Running Biodiesel: Biodiesel is a 100% vegetable fuel that doesn't derive from petroleum. The diesel engine, invented in Germany by Rudolf Diesel in 1893, was originally designed to run from peanut oil and not petroleum diesel as is most commonly used today. While modern diesels can still run peanut oil, canola and soy are more commonly used to make biodiesel as they are abundantly available from farmers here in the US and around the world. Biodiesel differs from regular vegetable oil (also referred to as straight vegetable oil or "SVO") only in that it is chemically modified using a mixture of lye and methanol to make it more suitable for running in cold climates, and to meet strict industry specifications (ASTM D6751) for vehicle usage. SVO can power the Golf, but it can clog the fuel system at low temperatures because SVO congeals very easily if it has not been modified into biodiesel. You can however purchase a vegetable oil kit for the Golf, which allows you to run SVO when the engine is warm, and regular diesel or biodiesel when it's cold. The system adds a second fuel tank with a switch and fuel warmer, at a cost of about $800. With this system in place you can run your car with used cooking oil collected for FREE from restaurants. That's right folks! Commercial biodiesel (the kind the Golf CAN run without any modifications) is sold either pure or in mixtures of diesel/biodiesel at biodiesel filling stations (see photo below). Biodiesel is sold in B100, B50, B20 and other mixtures. The number here refers to the percentage of biodiesel in the mixture compared to petroleum diesel and both fuels mix very well (B100 = 100% biodiesel, 0% petroleum diesel). During the winter in cold climates, it's best to run on B20, which is a mixture of 20% biodiesel and 80% regular diesel, due to the high gel point of B100 (it gels at around 30 deg. F vs. -15 deg. F for B20). During the warmer months B100 works great in the Golf. An added benefit of using biodiesel is that due to its much higher lubricity compared to petroleum diesel, engine life is extended because of reduced component wear and less "gunk" build up. It also reduces emissions by 90% compared to petroleum diesel, to say nothing of the reduction of dependency on foreign oil. How does the Golf run on biodiesel compared to regular diesel? Well, most people can't tell the difference. Power and fuel economy are almost the same (some claim it's better, some worse with biodiesel). The engine does run a little smoother, probably due to the higher lubricity of biodiesel but the biggest difference you'll notice is the lack of smoke and diesel odor from the exhaust pipe. One thing to remember if you're running biodiesel on an older car: the strong solvent properties of biodiesel will clean out the fuel system and can clog your fuel filter with old gunk. It's often a good idea to replace the fuel filter after your first few tanks of biodiesel. The easiest way to tell if you fuel filter is getting clogged with gunk is if your engine starts sputtering at higher speeds. This happened to me after a few tanks of B100. Changing the TDI's fuel filter is an easy process to perform yourself. Here's a Quicktime video that shows you how to do it and you can order the filters online for roughly $30US. Conoco Biodiesel filling pump on Baca St. in Santa Fe, NM - first multi-alternative fuel pump in the USA! "Biofuels are carbon dioxide (CO2) neutral. Unlike petroleum fuels, they do not add new carbon to the atmosphere [since they come from renewable plants which consume CO2]. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and sulfates (major contributors to acid rain) are completely eliminated due to the fact that sulfur does not exist in veggie oil. Carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are reduced by 40-60% and carcinogens by 90%. Hydrocarbon emissions are reduced by 50% which reduces photochemical smog (ozone) by 50% as well. Particulate matter, a major contributor to increased asthma cases, is reduced by 45%" Source: Veggiebus.com Biodiesel Links: NY Times article on biodiesel www.biodiesel.org Biodiesel retail fueling stations (USA) Biodiesel distributors (USA) Blue Sun (biodiesel production company in Colorado) BiodieselNow.com Fields of Fuel: Biodiesel documentary SVO conversion kit for the Golf from greasecar.com, $795 Veggie Bus: driving change by emphasizing the use of biofuels Willie Nelson's biodiesel company sells and promotes biodiesel Biodiesel Benz: converting a MB diesel to run waste vegetable oil WVOfuels.com Rent a biodiesel Beetle in Hawaii Carbon Calculator: Calculate your carbon footprint More VW Golf Links: Golf TDI-Club Website TDI Test Drive VW Web site 2004 Golf Prices (Edmunds.com) Greg's TDI Page Golf as a Used Car? (Canadian Driver.com) California Cars Initiative, promoting gas-optional hybrids, converting Prius hybrids to get 120-180 MPG (plus electricity) More Diesels from Volkswagen In Europe more than 50% of the new cars sold are diesels. Almost every car manufacturer offers a diesel engine option on their automobiles. VW has the largest selection of diesels and is considered the leader in Turbo Diesel technology. VW Fox 78 MPG! Only available in Europe Golf TDI Hybrid 69 MPG !! (Concept Car) 2009 Jetta TDI available in USA! Volkswagen of America offers the 2009 Jetta TDI which is available in all 50 states and uses the new BlueTec diesel technology for ultra-low diesel emissions. Click here for more info and reviews on the 2008 Jetta TDI. This page has been created by an independent owner of a 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDI. I am in no way affiliated or associated with Volkswagen or with any Volkswagen dealership. 8c4a2a8"; || DSTV Blog | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | MySpace | iTunes SD | iTunes High-Def | Zune | Flickr | Car Shipping Driving Sports New car reviews, motorsports, blogs, interviews, videos and more! Home More Contributing Bloggers Featured Live Archive Members Only Opinion PetrolRazzi Tech & Toys The Paddock New Cars Convertibles Coupes Hatchbacks Sedans Sport Utility Vehicles Trucks Vans Wagons News Sports Crap-Can Racing Drifting Rally SCCA Racing Stock Cars Super GT Time Attack WRC Store Videos You are here: Home » News » VW wows Detroit with new diesel sports car SPONSORS Merch Shopping Cart Your cart is empty. Start shopping! Pages About Advertising Archives Contact Contest Entry DSTV on Demand DSTV Subscriptions Image Gallery Radio Contributions Recent Comments Special Offers Latest news Can the 2012 Fiat 500 make it in America? Subaru Impreza Concept Stuns LA Official: Travis Pastrana to NASCAR Travis Pastrana Released from Subaru Rally Team Subarus gone wild: Subiefest 2010 VW wows Detroit with new diesel sports car Posted by Jeff Zurschmeide - Editor 1,711 views • January 13, 2009 • Printer-friendly With the raucous success of VW's 2008 Jetta TDI Cup racing series, Germany's lower-buck automaker proved that diesel has arrived as the technology for clean, affordable sports car racing.  Then Audi announced that they're putting the same diesel technology into their whole line of hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs. Now VW's back in the spotlight, showing off the new BlueSport. The name derives from the technology used to make a diesel engine the cleanest on the road. The new clean diesel engines from VW, Audi, and Mercedes consume about 30% less fuel than gasoline engines of equivalent power. They produce about 25% less carbon dioxide, and Nitrous Oxide emissions are reduced by 90%. Particulate emissions are reduced by 98%. Those figures are due to the invention of an emissions system in which a small amount of a light carbonic acid solution is sprayed into the exhaust system just ahead of the catalytic converter. The nitrous oxide in the diesel exhaust mixes with the acid and generates ammonia, which breaks down into nitrogen and water vapor. The acid reservoir is topped up by the dealer at every service interval - you never have to worry about it. So with a turbo and the new clean diesel technology, you've got an engine that can make a Jetta run like a scalded dog. So what's the obvious next step? Clearly, a small mid-engined two-seat sports car leaps to our minds. The new Concept BlueSport on display at this week's Detroit Auto Show looks a lot like an Audi TT roadster that mated with a Honda S2000 and a Mazda RX-8. That shouldn't surprise anyone - those are all sexy cars. Furthermore, Audi is a subsidiary of VW and the two share a lot of technology. I saw some very sexy Audi TT coupes with diesel engines at Audi's Mileage Marathon event in October, but sadly we didn't get to drive them. Unlike most concepts, the Concept BlueSport runs and drives. The littlest VeeDub gets an average of 42 mpg in combined mileage. On the highway it gets up to 50 mpg. The car uses the same 2.0-liter TDI engine found in the Jetta and the Audi A3. The little 4-rattler delivers 170 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque, That torque is at its best at just 1,750 rpm! Power is routed to the rear wheels (hallelujah!) through a standard 6-speed two-pedal dual-clutch "auto-manual" gearbox. Weight distribution on the car is a lovely mid-engined 45:55. To top it all off, the whole shebang gets from 0-60 in just 6.2 seconds, with a top speed of 140 MPH. I know I speak for everyone here at DrivingSports when I say Sign Us Up for one of these! Tomorrow would be good. This afternoon would be better. The automakers are finally starting to prove that going green doesn't mean giving up a thing for sports car enthusiasts. You can get great performance in a great-handling car and still get great mileage, low emissions, and a reasonable price tag. Volkswagen's new Concept BlueSport roadster looks like an absolute hoot, and with VW and Audi's history of developing fun cars, the future looks very bright. Tagged as: Audi, BlueSport, diesel, VW Rate Post: Loading ... Share it: Tweet http://www.drivingsports.com Ryan Douthit That little dub actually looks really good! blog comments powered by Disqus Comments 2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS Reviewed | Driving Sports on Seattle to Moab in the 2010 KizashiLook what I passed on I40 outside Knoxville on Travis Pastrana Released from Subaru Rally TeamNASCAR SHOP . 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