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The 2009 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel: the straight facts.
If you’re like me, nothing beats the straight facts. You like to make up your mind on your own, you’re an independent spirit, you don’t want specialists pushing their point of view on you. So here are the unadorned technical specs for the 2009 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel, all stripped down.
Good. As technical specs can be somewhat dry, however, I would like to gently steer you toward the more interesting and unusual features. I just can’t stop myself… You can interpret them as you wish.
First of all, the engine: with 140 hp, this new version of the TDI is 40% more powerful than the previous one. Secondly, the torque is also much greater: at 235 lb-ft, it offers 32% more torque than the 2006 TDI.
Fuel consumption on the highway is lower: in 2006, a Jetta TDI consumed 6.6 L/100 km in the city and 5.2 on the highway according to Transport Canada. In 2009, these measurements are now 6.8 in the city and 4.8 on the highway.
To do some quick research on the fuel consumption of Canadian vehicles, you can find it here.
In terms of emissions, the TDI 2009 calls upon a catalytic converter with a particulate filter and a nitrous oxide storage catalyst. These technologies are quite recent on diesels and ensure that these modern engines are quite minimally polluting, in step with current trends. The “clean diesel” name stems from the fact that the TDI respects the strict Tier 2 Bin 5 U.S. standards. For further explanation, albeit somewhat complex, on what these standards mean, you can find it here.
The transmission now offers six speeds, in both manual and automatic. Furthermore, the automatic transmission now sports a direct shift gearbox (DSG), another recent technology that promotes efficiency.
I also located the price list, if you’d like to check into how much it costs.
If you would prefer something a little more colourful, download the official Volkswagen brochure.
Finally, if you need the ammunition to convince yourself to make a move to a TDI, I found this argument.
41 Comments
Comments
@ Mike Thank you, we’ll check it out.
The only thing here is… where can I find one Jetta Wagon TDI? Checked with 3 dealers and all said that only for begining of next year… This is not good VW! help!!!! I want to replace my Golf TDI ASAP!
Theres definitely an error in the Technical Specifications on the vw.ca area of the TDI.
It says 140 HP SAE HP which is i’m sure is actually PS (metric horsepower) which makes it 138 SAE HP. And 125 kW is 170 PS (168 SAE HP) not 140 PS (138 SAE HP).
According to Wikipedia, there is both a 125 kW (170 PS/168 HP) and a 140 PS (103 kW/138 SAE HP) TDI engine that VW makes so which one is in the TDI? The torque rating of 320 Nm (236 lb-ft), if it is indeed the right one, would lean on the 140 PS engine being the right engine for the TDI. If it is, the specifications sheet needs to say 103 kW and not 125 kW to prevent this confusion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_diesel_engines#2.0_TDI_CR_103-147kW
Another possible error is the gear ratios under the Technical Specifications area. Both 4th and 5th gear of the 6-speed manual transmission are listed having the same gear ratio of 0.98.
Finally, in the brochure of the 2009 TDI:
http://www.vw.ca/vwcms_publish/etc/medialib/vwcms/virtualmaster/en_ca/models/jetta.Par.0002.File.pdf
The fuel efficiency is wrong. Its showing the old ratings of 6.6 and 5.2 L/100 km (city/hwy).
Rafael, the initial production run of Jetta wagon TDI is sold out. Us dealers share your frustration, but to launch the TDI Clean Diesel with large numbers of cars would have meant waiting until December or Januray. The dealers and Volkswagen Canada agreed that launching as early as possible was the better way to go.
Hang in there, the wait will be worth it!
Louis-Alain, being French I loved your last “argument” to convince people to make a move to a TDI. But joke aside, would you have the same doc in English?
Thanks Carine, the doc is now the correct English version.
I was in France this summer and rented a Passat TDI
Wagon with tiptronic. What a wonderful car!
I currently have an elderly 91 Passat diesel… will
the Passat TDI be available in Canada anytime soon?
Thanks!
Rob, there are no immediate plans for a return of the Passat TDI, but I am with you – the Passat TDI is a great idea. I personally drive a 2004 diesel Passat and I love it.
I live in Northern Canada. I would love to own a TDI Jetta. However, I am concerned about starting a diesel and driving it short distances in exreme cold conditions (think -30 or less). Is a diesel suitable for our conditions?
@doug. Excellent question. Our friend Louis-Alain is actually working on a post about diesel myths that includes your question and that we will publish in a couple of days. I will forward him your question, so he can give us a sneak preview right here.
@ Doug Louis-Alain has just posted an answer on a similar question right here: http://www.tdicurious.ca/2008/09/how-does-a-diesel-engine-work/#comment-55
This Canadian VW TDI info is so disappointing. I am trying to find a replacement TDI Golf for my Father in Alberta no luck whatsoever. I am living in England at the moment, here there is New VW Polo TDI Highway 74 MPG 3.8 L/100 LMS. Ford Fiesta Diesel 67 MPG 4.19 L/100 KMS combined. Golf Diesel 53 MPG Combined 5.3 L/100 not to mention the Skoda’s or Seats with VW diesels etc etc.
Is VW planning on bringing any decent Diesels to Canada aside from the Jetta range?
My wife and I rented a VW Jetta diesel (1.6l ) in France last year and drove approx 2300km in May – all over Provence – very little hi-way driving- We averaged 61.2mpg – We have owned 3 Vws and have just placed an order for a 2009 sportswagen diesel – obviously we love the VW product !!
Chris Cape
Toronto
Canada
To Stephen,
Altough there is some very nice small cars in Europe, the Canadian reality is different : this is a big country with lot of space, relatively cheap gas and no history of expensive small cars (except the MINI, maybe).
I, like you, love the idea of a 4,0 L/100km car, but I am not sure there is a market for such a vehicle here. Penalty boxes on wheels are mediatically interesting, but fare poorly on the dealer lot.
Remember the Toyota Starlet, the Mazda Mizer, the Civic HF, the Nissan Sunny, their only goal was to be the fuel economy champ of the day, but who remembers them ?
@Doug,
I found an answer to the last part of your question : driving it short distances in extreme cold conditions (think -30 or less). Is a diesel suitable for our conditions?
The short answer is yes, but there is place for some clarifying. First, any short distance driving is harder on an engine, diesel or gas. At -30, any driver should wait a bit before hitting the road, a minute or so being enough. But, where a gas engine will need a very rich mixture to keep functionning until warm, a diesel engine is very efficient even when cold. If one drives only short distances, the gas engine will spend a big proportion of the distance in the “rich” mode, so the fuel economy will be poor. You will hardly see a difference with the diesel engine.
We know that the 2009 Jetta TDI uses a DPF (diesel particulate filter)to reduce particulate emissions. I’ve been told that it will regenerate (burn off the accumulated particulate matter)periodically. Does anyone know how often this cycle will occur? (And with what penalty to fuel economy?) Also, how will its frequency be impacted by cold weather conditions (sustained -30 C)?
@ Matt,
Just to be sure that eveyone follows us, let me explain the DPF (diesel particulate filter) a bit. This device is in fact a metallic filter that removes the soot from the diesel exhaust gases by stocking it in very small tubes whose walls are permeable to gases. The DPF can stock up to 40 gr of soot. It is installed at the very beginning of the exhaust system and does not need to be replaced at fixed intervals.
To answer your question, “how often this cycle will occur ?”, the answer is, as always, depending of the driving style.
Passive regeneration:
If you drive on the highway regularly, the regeneration will be automatically conducted just because the exhaust temperature will be high enough. That way, the soot will be burned in the DPF just by driving the car normally.
Active regeneration:
If your driving style don’t raise the exhaust temperature high enough, then the engine management system will help the things a bit by regulating either air or fuel to produce more heat.
This is a 5 step process :
- less air is allowed to enter the engine (less exhaust cooling)
- the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) is stopped (idem)
- a small shot of fuel is injected at the end of the combustion process (higher exhaust temps)
- another small shot is injected after the end of the combustion process
- this fuel is burned in the pre-catalyst and the flame front then burns the soot in the DPF.
All this is transparent to the driver and shouldn’t affect fuel economy in a measurable way.
Customer-Initiated Regeneration Drive
If the vehicle is only driven for very short-distances, exhaust gas temperature won’t reach high enough for particulate filter regeneration. If the load condition of the diesel particulate filter reaches a threshold value, Diesel Particle Filter Indicator Lamp in the instrument panel will light up. This signal prompts the driver to perform a regeneration drive. The vehicle must be driven for a short period of time at increased speed to ensure that an adequately high exhaust gas temperature is reached. The operating conditions must remain constant over the period for a successful regeneration.
After all this, if the DPF is still full, then a Check engine light will show, asking the owner to visit the nearest service center. Your dealer will be able to regenerate the DPF electronically.
Just received my TDI wagon last week.
In Edmonton at 9AM on Dec 14,2008 it was -32 degC. After sitting outside overnight, without any auxiliary heating, my TDI started up without hesitation.
I am quite impressed with my TDI.
I picked up my 2009 Jetta TDI in October, and I have no complaints whatsover so far. This is my 4th VW diesel engine car (85 Rabbit, 91 Golf, 2000 Jetta) and this one is a vast improvement. It’s quiet, runs smoothly, great pick-up, a comfortable interior.
I got better fuel economy with my 2000 Jetta TDI; I’m getting 850kms on a tank, instead of 1100kms with the 2000. But I’m told some fuel economy was sacrificed with the reengineered engine and higher horsepower.
Don’t yet have a block heater, though. Apparently it’s on back-order. This is quite a problem given the recent chilly conditions in Manitoba (-25C to -30C in the past 2 weeks). No problems starting it to date.
Overall, I give it two thumbs up.
Hi Renee, and thanks for the heads up.
About fuel economy : you are absolutely right, a stronger engine will ask for more fuel (remember, the motive energy must comes from somewhere) but you can duplicate the 2000 Jetta fuel economy : drive the 2009 like the older car, that is at about 2/3 of its potential pace 
Tell us more about some points please :
- cabin heating time and temperature,
- did you ever got the diesel particulate filter regeneration idiot light to light up,
- what is your driving style and cycle,
I have another TDI in my test fleet in January, and I’d like to have some data points to monitor.
thanks in advance,
Hi Louis-Alain,
Thanks for the tip, but with all that extra horse-power, going slower is not an option
I commute approx. 1 to 1-1/4 hours twice per day for work, both on the highway and in the city. I put on approx. 35000-40000 kms per year.
On the highway, the cabin interior in the 09 heats well so far. In fact, it heats up better than the 00 Jetta where on really cold days (-30C), I couldn’t stay warm, even on the highway. A winter-front would have helped.
With the 09, because I don’t yet have a block heater, I limit use of electrical components (seat warmers, radio, heat/fan) until the engine is warm, i.e. 15 minutes of city driving. I expect, however, cabin heating will be similar to the 00 in that it won’t heat well until the engine has been running for awhile.
As for the diesel particulate filter, I don’t expect I’ll ever see this with the miles I put on. Thanks for the explanation, though. I found it useful.
Hi Louis-Alain, I am another northern Canadian resident (Yellowknife) who is considering trading in a FJ Cruiser for an 09′ Jetta TDI Wagon. I appreciate your answer regarding cold weather starts. My wife and I have a few questions for you.
The first is concern about regular maintenance and in particular warranty work. The nearest Volkswagen dealer is one thousand km away, so can scheduled maintenance be done in any garage? And if serious warranty work is required can it be done without taking it to Grande Prairie Alberta or Edmonton? Also, I read about a product called ‘FrostHeater’ along with block heater be installed at the dealer we choose to deal with? Also my wife wants to know if the vehicle is capable of working with a command start? We love the idea of the TDI, but want to be sure it’s a practical choice for a place like Yellowknife.
Sorry about the typo in the last post. When referring to FrostHeater I was asking if you are familiar with it and if the dealership I purchase from could install it – is it recommended? And is it overkill to have the FrostHeater and block heater installed? Thanks again for your time. Dane.
Hello Dane. We’ve forwarded your maintenance and FrostHeater questions to our friends at VW. Here are their answers. Hope this helps. If not, let us know. We’re curious 
Hi Dane, Thank you for your questions. Regular scheduled maintenance is best performed at a Volkswagen dealer since this will be handled by a factory trained technicians. Our dealers are best qualified to ensure your vehicle keeps running like new. If this isn’t convenient for you then you may have the maintenance performed by a certified mechanic who would have to be familiar with our technology. The maintenance should be done following the detailed schedule maintenance included in your owner’s manual at the predetermined interval. As for warranty work, this must be performed by an Authorized Volkswagen dealer. With regards to “FrostHeater” we are not familiar with this product yet we do offer a factory approved engine heater for the 2009 Jetta TDI and when installed prior to delivery comes with a 4 years 80,000KM warranty. Volkswagen does not sell or recommend installing a remote starter. Engines are not designed to warm up sitting at idle plus idling any vehicle is bad for the environment, this is why we offer an engine heater. The aftermarket command start would also need to interface with the factory harness and control units and this may affect the vehicle’s normal operation.
Hi Louis-Alain:
I’ve been reading about the GTD in Europe. Are there plans, (I hope) to bring this into the Canadian market. I’m one of those customers who would love a reasonable hot hatch but also wants fuel economy and low emissions (my guess is there are a reasonable number of customers like me).
Diesels are great yes, but more money too! I am still driving a 1990 Corrado, and after replacing the heater core, the car is driving better then in a long time. With half decent fuel economy I do not see replacing my car for sometime. Although I must say previous vw cars like two sciroccos, are missed and I thought there was going to be new ones here. What happened to that?
Hi Normand, thanks for your reply. I have a 2009 Graphite Blue Highline Jetta Sportwagen in my driveway right now!
I traded in my FJ Cruiser for it, with the zero percent financing being a major consideration. This was done through Northland VW in Calgary.
I did have the circ. heater installed, and brought back with me enough oil and filter to do the first oil change when necessary. Also a case of Stanadyne which I add half a bottle to every second tank. I will use it each tank during winter.
On the drive home I varied the speed, didn’t use cruise control, and pushed it hard at times. After 800 km I did get on a secondary highway and brought the speed up to 180+ for about five minutes, with the engine turning 3200 rpm. I felt it could have gone faster too. Hugged the road and felt great. I went from that peak to every speed in-between from 90 to 180, and using sport mode to aggressively pass when required. I did all this with ‘breaking the engine in’ on my mind. At one point at the end of the trip, after just making it across the ice bridge across the Mackenzie River before it closed to passenger vehicles, I pulled over and fell asleep. When it got too cold I started the car and let it idle for awhile to warm up. Then I would shut it off. At one point I fell asleep and I don’t know how long it idled for before shutting it off. I hope this won’t adversely affect the break in period. It couldn’t have been that long though.
The first time I saw the car, was the first time I saw a JSW for real and not on the Internet. I was very pleased, but also surprised at how low it is. I did some research, and found that many believe the plastic skid plate does not protect the oil pan well enough, and the oil pan can be punctured if an object is struck. I am in Yellowknife, so this might be an issue. There is a company offering an aluminum skid plate that I will probably purchase. It can be viewed at http://www.evolutionimport.com/
I am very curious to see how the DSG transmission will perform at -40 for weeks or months. This will be a good test for VW, especially since if it fails the company will have to tow it to Grande Prairie for repair. (But we know that won’t happen – right? )
So I guess my questions are how will the DSG perform in sub-zero weather? Do you think the Evolution skid plate is a good idea? And how am I doing on the engine ‘break in’ according to my description above. Currently, everything is running extremely smoothly, transmission is amazing, and engine has shown great mpg already.
Thanks again,
Dane.
p.s, We plan to take the vehicle in every year to Calgary for a full service at Northland. I understand that each oil change after the first two come every 16,000 km. That is about one year for us so that is our plan.
To Dane,
I drove many DSGs in winter since 2005, and still nothing wrong to report, even in sub-zero temps.
As for the skid plate : an aluminum skid plate, bolted to a steel chassis, if it isn’t isolated electrically, will experience galvanic corrosion around its mounting holes. You may want to ask the supplier how it deals with this before spending 300$. Anyone who drove a mid-80s GM full size car with a steel rear bumper reinforced with an aluminum beam will have funny stories to tell you about galvanic corrosion and lost bumpers…
As for the breakin’ in period, each engine builders has it’s specs, so I’ll let the specialists chime in here. But your sequence of events looks right : small loads, varying loads, strong pulls. Idling for longer periods is not a problem after the first 1000 km. It is still not a great idea for emissions, but I prefer you alive and well than frozen to death
Thanks for the reply. Glad to hear about your 2005 DSG. As a newcomer to the diesel VW line, I think that there is the feeling that the DSG tranny is new, like this year new, but I am now learning they have been around for awhile. They really do act differently than a regular automatic, and my last vehicle, the FJ, was manual, and I am finding the mix between D, S, and Tiptronic a lot more fun. Hey, it’s only minus 10 now so spring has sprung. Warmer weather is coming. Glad to know this forum is here, I will check in if I have any more questions. All the best.
Bonjour !
I am on the verge of buying a Jetta TDI but am having some nagging doubts about what to expect in terms of real-world fuel consumption.
I’ve consulted some reviews that are actually citing better-than-listed fuel consumption, but I live in a colder climate (Southern Quebec) and do a lot of city driving (a typical work day has me commuting about 30km each leg in light traffic). Only on the weekends do I do highway driving… even then, only about 200 km over a two-day period.
Can I expect the same fuel consumption numbers, all other factors equal?
@Erik Jetta TDI Clean Diesel’s Canadian government figures are 6.8 in the city and 4.8 on the highway. But since the driver is one of the most important variable on this, the way you drive will directly affect these figures. So hard to tell. We’ve been publishing a lot of 3rd party road-test on tdicurious. You may want to check on them to give you a better idea: http://www.tdicurious.ca/tag/review/
Happy reading!
I recently purchased a ‘09 jetta tdi and while driving home today I received two error messages: warning light/glow plug malfunction and diesel particulate filter. Anyone else experience this and/or have any suggestions?
I have owned a 2009 Jetta TDI Wagon for ten weeks. It has been in the shop four times for a total of twenty days! We just replaced the transmission and the clutch…after only 3200km. I have had four VW’s before this car (including a 2003 tdi). This new clean diesel is very clean because it sits around getting repaired not burning any fuel at all! VW Canada keeps telling me to just get it repaired, however, I do not have time to run back and forth to the dealership dealing with this. Any questions?
E-mail me at rick777zoe@hotmail.com
Interesting… My Kia Rio5 burns more gas but has a smaller annual CO2 footprint.
I would hurt the environment more by buying this car. Thanks for the comparison VW.
And yes, the web page is loaded with 404 errors. (using firefox)
If this new TDI is anything like the old TDi it will last you a long time. I have a 2000 NB TDI and it’s rapidly approaching 400,000km. I have had only basic maintenance to deal with and no problems to report. Kudos to Vw the (soon to be) worlds largest automaker, and their push for Diesel. I hope to see the TDI in the Tiguan soon, I’ve got my Tiguan Fund ready to buy as soon as they bring it.
I’ve had my ‘09 Jetta TDI for a little over two months now.
So far, I’ve been averaging about 7.2l/100 km, or put another way, about 725 km per tank (remember, it’s a 55l tank). I bascially have a 70/30 split between city and highway driving (see my earlier post above for the details of my typical commute).
I’m actually really happy with the results… and as every review/comment seems to mention, the car is a blast to drive.
Hello, I have just bought the 2009 jetta tdi 6spd and have learned the hard way that vw is now including a factory installed “coolant pre-heater” as standard equipment. Can someone tell me how many watts this is and any other details on this, will this also heat the oil at all or should I also get a pan heater also. Is it like the aftermarket heaters that also provide some instant heat in the winter when you first start up. Very nice to include it as standard equipment for the cold canadians.
Nice
September 16, 2008 by Mike Cunningham
I finding that all the URLs in this blog come up with 404 errors. Is it just me ?
MC