Germany- A TDI Paradise

October 29, 2009 -- Filed under Clean Diesel, Golf TDI, price of gas by Stephan

What a thrill to be able to experience the celebrated “Autobahn” during my two-week vacation in Germany this summer. As a Volkswagen-lover, you already know that there is no speed limit on the highways of the TDI’s country of birth.

Here’s how it works: the Germans have adopted a policy of no speed limits unless otherwise specified. The recommended speed is 130 km/h, which many Germans respect, according to Wikipedia, in order to get better mileage. The exceptional limits are imposed in keeping with safety requirements, and this happens on most of the German highway system.

That being said, it should be noted that practically all German highways have a reserved lane that allows anyone who has the horsepower to tear up the asphalt.

And how do TDIs fit in? Well, they’re everywhere. You’d think there was a TDI family reunion or something. The proof? I took a few pictures of the village where I was vacationing in the south of Germany, in Bavaria. In just a 5-minute outing from my hotel to the bakery, I counted no less than six TDIs out of a total of 15 cars. Even if this sampling isn’t applicable to the whole country, it still reflects the popularity of this particular engine.

In Germany, this success can most probably be explained by the fact that, first of all, the TDI is one of the most fuel-efficient engines around. It consumes less, and furthermore, it pollutes less than other cars given the same distance travelled. These are definite benefits in a country where fuel is costs almost twice as much as in Canada, and where people are sensitive to the environment. Canadians share these concerns as fuel prices increase and they realize that their country is the fourth most polluting country in the world.

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