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I do wonder the longevity potential of these new piezo injectors.
Not yet...but when the time comes...it'll be dear.
And some unfortunate owners may run into a bit dirtier fuel over those 200k+ miles, than you and will have had to do injectors already.
As for the clutch upgrade...it really does depend on how disciplined the driver is. If you think the kids might have trouble not 'using' all what is under foot, then ya it might start breaking loose at times. My friend says the 6 sp really is overkill as the engine has so much torque. What it really does is just lower revs that much lower if you are doing accelerated highway speeds. So if the kids do the same route you do often then ya...you guys really fly cuz you often mention that hundreds are doing 85+ for sustained periods..buncha leadfoots out in the west..lol
I am the geezer in the SLOW lane. (4/4 lanes)
Oh and Alzheimer's made me forget the chipping and VAG.com tuning remap to optimize the sum of these changes.
My accountant just bought a new Rav4 and I forgot to see if the pop hatch had a pop rear glass. At least the top hinged hatch is so much nicer and more useful than a hinged-on-the-side door. I hate that about the CRV...and my old Samurai's had that too.
I practically never use it to just toss something in the car. It is always to move a ladder a few miles, or in a bind pick up some lumber that won't fit inside. Last summer I bought 3 - 3' interior doors and popped the glass window to get 'em home...30 min trip. I wouldn't do that on extended 2 hour hwy trips tho..
That is one time the Matrix wouldn't have worked...it had the pop rear glass but those 3' doors would not have fit through it...it is times like those that the GLK would be that much more useful than the CRV sized car..and the VW T that much more useful than the GLK of course. Assuming they both pop the glass though..
I thought you were going for a lie-down?? haha
The show is live from 4-5 pm EDT on Thursday, September 19, and we encourage you to call 888-463-6748 with questions and comments about real-world mileage experiences and what you think of your car's EPA estimates.
40 H EPA 09 Jetta TDI range 39-47 avg 42/43 mpg
28 H EPA 12 Touareg TDI range 29-39 avg 31 mpg
Well done.
Women...especially in NA, seem to having growing tendencies to minimize the importance of a man.
I held the door for one last week, and she went out of her way and almost dropped her packages while she struggled through the one beside the one I was holding for her. No...it wasn't dead of night or any other situation where she could have rationally given any incorrect impressions had she just walked through the door I was holding and merely thanked me.
My wife and I were talking today about her carrying gloves for filling her MB diesels back in the 1980s. She is tickled I do all the fueling. I am a Proud Male Chauvinist. I am waiting for a woman to call me out on it. Most are all talk.
Now you know why I am partial to getting the Mazda-6 TD. I had a 2003 Protege LX that I bought new for $12,500. It stickered at $18k.
The same people who in dashcam videos, seem the most likely to drive off with the fuel nozzle still attached to the car...
Probably also a big reason why diesels are virtually unknown in American rental fleets.
A good one would be stick figure, car, boat, motorcycle, bags of money, gold bars.
05.5 jetta tdi/dsg300000mi next
Now CA is testing diesels. The directive according to my buddy that owns a smog check station. Visually check for soot coming out of exhaust. The test is a joke and another tax on the people of CA.
The cars with the lowest fuel consumption at idle and low speeds are going to win here in DC.
In other words, hybrid drives that use NO GAS until the car reaches 35 mph, under an owners light throttle (to prevent gas engine start-up) is going to get the best MPG in dense urban areas.
Diesels will do better than gas here, and it doesn't get real cold here for long so no need to worry about gelling or engine block heater non-sense.
If you take frequent road trips then a hybrid doesn't make sense, as you are dragging around a bunch of heavy batteries and motors that are dead weight at 80 mph.So use a TDI for highway and Upon returning to the city, unplug the second family car...a heavy hybrid, and then use that.
I can't think of a better way to sum up the MPG cunundrum. If you are in a traditional family, then own both a liquid fueled and a hybrid car that are both capable of seating all family members in relative comfort.
..."The 60 kWh option produces 302 hp and has a 208-mile range, while the 85 kWh provides 362 hp and a 265-mile range. The top-of-the-line 85 kWh Performance model has the same range but is capable of 416 hp. Zero to 60 mph ranges from an admirable 6.5 seconds to a blistering 4.3 seconds.?...
I do know the Tesla goes like BIG STINK in the zero to 60 metric, albeit a tad slower than the 2001 Corvette Z06 @ 4.0 secs.
Now if we want to get into an intellectual discussion, it is a no brainer to say that in "theory," and in bumper to bumper, gridlocked rolling parking lot traffic is NOT the best for a diesel. In fact, it is really not good for ANY car, gasser, hybrid, even electric. I think THIS is left out of the diesel discussion for obvious reasons.
I do not think it is an accident that with Wayne Gerdes setting both hybrid records and diesel records, that a midsize Passat TDI gets better mileage than the hybrid he used to set the hybrid record. So it isn't that he was not being fair or knew how to drive one and not the other and other unfair permutations.
Rewind to 2004, I recall the 04 Prius with EPA C 60 and H 50. @ 43 it was only MINUS- 28.3% WRONG C and MINUS 14% H. Funny they had a huge bru ha ha and lobbied and sued to change the EPA test ! (so they can get closer to EPA ratings). They leave out the detail that the hybrids had to be redesigned (multiple times) to even come close to the new (lower) standards.
This of course puts diesels at an EPA (RATED) "disadvantage". The Taylor's demonstrated beyond doubt they were able to get 84 mpg + on an EPA H rating of 43 mpg or 95.3% better. So diesels were given an even BIGGER advantage, even as vilification and low populations continue. So load your music storage and get ready for the LA LA LAND commute.
No I don't see any other options worth considering. The ML Bluetec was a good choice, just too expensive when you get it well equipped. I can tell you I will not lose any sleep over the phony EPA ratings for diesels. Just sad they have eliminated a lot of potential buyers that believe the gubmint would not lie to them.
I can remember Many a heated debate with Wayne in the diesel vs hybrid threads 8-9 years ago. He was a diehard hybrid fan with his original Honda hybrid. He set a lot of records. Heck he could get good mileage out of a PU truck. It is good to see he has broadened his horizons and taken off the blinders on diesels. I wish him all the success in his pursuits. Wonder if GM will have him try for a record with their Cruze Diesel. It will need something to compete with VW.
I think the majority of ( gasser) folks will look at diesel EPA's and instantly dial in their (OWN) GASSER EPA REAL WORLD experiences, ASSUMING that diesels are JUST as BAD as what they HAVE. So you are correct.
Hometown is a bit nuts - $3.76 for RUG, vs $3.56 down the road, while diesel is topping $4.19 at the crazy station on the highway that also wants $4.29 for ethanol free premium. The "normal" stations are just charging $3.99 for diesel. But there's always cars at the crazy station and most of them are locals.
Diesel more consistent at $3.95, just after I filled at $4.09. So gas is up a bit diesel down a bit. With the price of oil jumping gas is sure to follow.
Diesel will have to top $7.50 per gallon before the cost per mile compares with the Sequoia vs the Touareg TDI.
Just need a few good rumors (Syria?) to pump up the prices again.
It was a not well kept secret, but almost common knowledge the (chem) WMD's Bush could "not" find, found its way into Syria. Yet Bush was vilified. Now Kerry and the Potus swear up and down Syria now has WMD's !!! What a revelation/coincidence?? !!! My how things have "changed"!? Funny no one asks who makes the missiles that delivers the chemical weapons, as if you could use any missile to deliver them.
They ought to be able to drag things on for at least a year and half. @ that time BO will do the Clinton response and fire a covey of cruise missiles @ M/T tents in the desert. He will seem "presidential". Nothing really happened when Clinton did it, and now Clinton is revered as the wise elderly statesman. It may have even helped H Clinton for the up coming presidential run.
And we're getting a bit far off topic. Please save the political venom for somewhere else so we don't get too far off-track (and thanks everyone for getting off the religious tract from the other day).
This should make your day (and Gagrice's too, lol):
California wins right to clamp down on carbon from gasoline, diesel (grist.org)
Telling is that Chevron is telling us (I have read in another article) , or shall I say telegraphing, swag $7.50 cent per gal or electrical (power) equivalent will cover some of the costs to actually comply, in the not so distant.... future. .
I would like to share it with you guys, in order to compare it with your Diesel cars of similar size and weight and post your numbers. If one of you has a Passat TDI that would be ideal, but a Jetta works too.
EPA window sticker = 24/35
Trip miles = 404
MPG = 31.9 down
MPG = 33.1 back
90% highway, 10% back roads
Ok, on the way down we sat in a traffic jam from the beltway to 295 in Richmond. Awful. So, I was at 22 mpg before I broke out of traffic. We had to stop 4 times, and the car idled for about 10 minutes total
On the way back we stopped only twice with no idling, and had only 15 mins of stop and go.
It took 10 hours to get there, but only 71/2 to get back.
1 Jetta Wagon - TDI
1 Passat - 5cyl gas
7 Jetta Sedans
1 - TDI
1 - GLI
5 - 2.5 5cyl Gas
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
The 3.0-liter diesel that Ram will use in its trucks comes from Italian engine builder VM Motori. General Motors owns a big piece of the company and originally commissioned that engine for its own use. General Motors spokesman Tom Wilkinson confirmed that GM still has access to the engine.
But you still shouldn’t expect to see that engine in either Colorado or Canyon small trucks when they arrive in North America. GM currently sells the Colorado in other parts of the world with 2.5- and 2.8-liter Duramax diesel four-cylinder engines. Expect one of those in the U.S.-bound mid-size pickups.
-=-=-=-=-=-= everything above this line is a direct quote -=-=-=-=-=-=
Anyone know anything about these two engines? I wouldn't mind a Colorado sized almost half-ton truck with a torquey 4 cylinder diesel engine.
But it can be tangentially applied to diesels. If there's a new war, and a panic which results in shortages via excess gasoline purchases, drivers of diesel vehicles might fare better due to more capacity - it has happened in previous local shortages anyway.
On the bright or perhaps the dull side is that it has been more than painfully obvious US market shortages have been self inflicted. So to me (given what you imply), a more likely scenario will be price spikes. Now indirectly this will probably lead to less passenger vehicle use. Further indirectness will lead to even higher pricing. @ some point in the refinery food chain, it is illogical in a lot of ways for a refinery to stop refining, so they will store inventories. Inventories over a certain amount are counter productive, so there are @ least two modifying variable on the prices (tamping if you will)
So for example, right now despite record prices, we are literally SWIMMING in inventory ! The literature suggests at least 20% of diesel PRODUCTION are EXPORTED. I am sure that percentage will rise if this excess keeps up. With RUG/PUG INXS, they are being exported also. I just do not have a clue as to the percentages.
So really, one can cast aside the "bad guy's" sinking a ship blocking the middle east flow of oil (this would be a most graphic "symbolic act" of terrorism) . This is totally illogical as it goes against their self interest. If it made any sense, they would have done it by now. Keep in mind they have had app 75 years to have acted. It would truly be insult to injury to have to buy gasoline from ... Americans.
The funny part is that in the late 70's (1977-1978) when they actually had gas lines and the " steady drum beat march to armageddon" gas was app .70 cents a gal.
No doubt a conflict would inflate prices, but I have a hunch that per passenger vehicle, there is more fuel supply for diesel than gasoline. So, you'll pay more but at least you'll be able to get it.
It is amusing that supplies remain high while prices creep up. Supply and demand, huh.
Even if folks do/did, it is not slated to make the translation to US markets. Normally the even worse news is a lot is LOST in the US markets translation
Perhaps by inference and telling is if MB can get 369# ft from a 2.1 L twin turbo, GM is both unable or unwilling to make the translation for either or both of these engines (2.5L/ 2.8 L) do the no brainer things to match or exceed 369# ft.
Some posts ago I detailed the 09 Jetta TDI's (EPA 29 C / 40 H) road trip.
The 2012/2013 Passat TDI is EPA 31 C / 43. So I have no doubts it will do @ least 3 mpg BETTER than what I posted. (SWAG only: 42/44 mpg (09 Jetta TDI, road trip miles) + 3= 45/47 mpg 2012/2013 Passat TDI)
So the upshot here TDI's can cover at least 2 bandwidths ( daily commute 15 mph to 36 mph) (interstate road trips kept under 90 mph) with little or no fuss and still post similar mpg numbers !
Really the secret (no real secret) is in the understanding of the TDI one has (gassers also) and given that understanding: execution. So for example, the 09 Jetta TDI seems to be optimized for 2100 to 2300 rpm and the VW Touareg TDI is at 2,100 rpm. Both of course have their mph translation. I would swag the Passat TDI optimized rpm is probably close to the Jetta TDI's.