2009 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel exceeds EPA rating by 24%

February 17, 2009 -- Filed under Technology by Andrew Macdonald

In an earlier post, I referenced the request by President Obama to the EPA for a review of automobile fuel economy standards. The EPA is the economy rating agency for new vehicle sales in the US and by default the rating system used in Canada.

I have always had trouble understanding consumer organizations who continually berate the EPA for administering these automobile efficiency ratings. In the recent past, front page business media has featured stories on the “overstated” fuel economy statistics of new automobiles with particular emphasis on the emerging clean(er) class of personal mobility solutions. The “green” cars. 

Well, of course the actual numbers in real world driving are different. We know from public information provided through the EPA that in testing, only one person-the driver-is inside the vehicle. There’s no extra weight as there is when the car, minivan or SUV is carrying more people or cargo. We know that testing is conducted in controlled conditions, with ambient temperature between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s no simulation of wintry weather, cold starts or hot desert climes. In other words, these are absolutely unrealistic conditions for the average driver. 

And so, where does that leave the claims of the new Jetta TDI Clean Diesel? 

We know from online submissions and testimonials that TDI drivers have always been capable of exceeding the posted government economy numbers. For the launch of the 2009 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel, Volkswagen hired a third-party automotive evaluation company, AMCI, to test the real-world fuel economy of the Jetta TDI and found it performed 24 percent better than EPA estimates, getting 38 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway. Those are US gallons, people; the Canadian numbers are much better.

The Director of the Volkswagen Environmental Engineering Office, Norbert Krause, can be seen here talking about the results of the testing, and fielding questions from the audience at the media launch in Santa Monica, California.I have always had trouble understanding consumer organizations who continually berate the EPA for administering these automobile efficiency ratings. In the recent past, front page business media has featured stories on the “overstated” fuel economy statistics of new automobiles with particular emphasis on the emerging clean(er) class of personal mobility solutions. The “green” cars.

Well, of course the actual numbers in real world driving are different. We know from public information provided through the EPA that in testing, only one person-the driver-is inside the vehicle. There’s no extra weight as there is when the car, minivan or SUV is carrying more people or cargo. We know that testing is conducted in controlled conditions, with ambient temperature between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s no simulation of wintry weather, cold starts or hot desert climes. In other words, these are absolutely unrealistic conditions for the average driver.

And so, where does that leave the claims of the new Jetta TDI Clean Diesel?

We know from online submissions and testimonials that TDI drivers have always been capable of exceeding the posted government economy numbers. For the launch of the 2009 Jetta TDI Clean Diesel, Volkswagen hired a third-party automotive evaluation company, AMCI, to test the real-world fuel economy of the Jetta TDI and found it performed 24 percent better than EPA estimates, getting 38 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway. Those are US gallons, people; the Canadian numbers are much better.

The Director of the Volkswagen Environmental Engineering Office, Norbert Krause, can be seen here talking about the results of the testing, and fielding questions from the audience at the media launch in Santa Monica, California.

Bottom line? The TDI is outperforming the EPA rating in every independent real-world driving test.< >< >< >< >

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