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New Diesel Engine set for 2015 Volkswagen Golf, Beetle, Passat and Jetta
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New Diesel Engine set for 2015 Volkswagen Golf, Beetle, Passat and Jetta
A new diesel engine that is expected to return 45-46 mpg on the highway will power the 2015 Volkswagen Golf, Beetle, Passat and Jetta.
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Every time I think about buying a diesel car I compare fuel prices to millage. Here's what I see: 1) Usually the diesel variant of any car costs more than its gas version. 2) The better mileage figures are NEVER better than the gas alternative once you factor in fuel costs. I never got far enough to factor in repair and maintenance, so lets assume they're equal.
Its great that a diesel can go 700 miles to the tank, but over 35 yrs of driving I don't think I pass less than 5 gas stations on my way to work. Range is great, but its not my issue! You quote AAA saying diesel cost 8% more than regular unleaded.
Looking at Edmunds own data, a 2013 Jetta gets 28 mpg at BEST. That's 13 cents per mile. The 2013 diesel version gets 34 mpg, and that's 11 cents per mile. According to Edmunds' own site, there's a $7300 premium for the diesel, but to make a fair comparison you need to look at features. That means the unleaded car is a Jetta SE, but the SE only gets 26 mpg. So it costs 14 cents a mile.
In the end I'd save 3 cents, which is only 8.3% per mile, but the diesel costs $2600 MORE (using TMV figures). I'd hit break even at 86K miles. At what millage do you usually change cars? Lucky for me I keep my cars till around 120-150K. If this new engine improved combined millage estimates by 8%, we're talking 37 mpg or 10 cents per mile and a recovery at 65K miles.
I don't know. Maybe its me but I'm not seeing a compelling argument for going to an oil burner. My sense is the $260 per year of savings I would get over my typical life time would be eaten by finding a good diesel mechanic.
I got 225,000 wonderful miles out of the ‘86, before trading on a 2001 Jetta GLS TDI with the electronic 1.9L turbo-diesel with 6-speed manual. This made 2 Jettas of this platform (Bora) in the family, the first being a '99. Caring for them in the same way, we regularly got 45 combined, 55 highway MPG with these Jettas. This engine had SO much low-end torque, and it was all made below about 2500 RPM. Dump the clutch off the line, shift as fast as you can into the next-highest gear, and before you know it, you’re doing 85 MPH. And STILL getting 45 MPH!
Apparently, this early electronic-controlled engine was not able to reliably meet "Clean Diesel" standards, particularly in the rabidly anti-diesel California, and VW diesels disappeared from California (and perhaps everywhere in the US) for a few years between about 2002-2004. They made a return with the 2005 model. I don’t know the details of this platform’s engine.
My next Jetta turbo-diesel was the electronic “Clean Diesel” 2009 2.0L model with 6-speed DSG. This early “Common Rail” fuel technology engine had problems that VW has yet to admit or recognize. VW made several unpublicized changes and improvements between about 2009-2012, but did not implement any campaigns or recalls to fix earlier engines in the field. Although several competitors were using the same supplier’s High Pressure Fuel Pump, VW implemented it in a poor design that caused the pump to overheat and eat itself up, thus disintegrating and destroying itself, and contaminating the ENTIRE fuel system and engine with metal fragments.
Owners faced, and still face, THOUSANDS of dollars in repair costs, even if some of them were covered under warranty. Not all dealers stood behind their product. Many owners faced going to the Regional Service Director to force VW to pay the repair costs. VW takes samples of fuel and oil at each service visit, in efforts to disprove that owners were taking proper care of their turbo-diesel. VW used this in many cases to excuse themselves from paying. Too bad for you if the corner filling station got water or gasoline mixed into the diesel holding tanks!
My 2009 Jetta TDI BARELY got 30 MPG combined, and NEVER got more than 35 MPG highway. It often exhibited symptoms of running hot, with the electric radiator cooling fans running for no apparent reason. These fans should never run unless the A/C is running, or you are perhaps climbing the Tecate Divide … in desert heat. This 2.0L engine’s power-delivery curve was just the opposite of the 1.9L; the torque and horsepower were both delivered at 3500 RPM or above. This engine was NOT a good match for the DSG. With very little torque in the bottom end, it was never able to electro-magically find the appropriate gear. Super-sluggish off the line, clunky, always shifting back and forth between gears, or worse, caught in-between gears; it just couldn’t even get out of its own way!
I took the overheating of my TDI to be signs of impending destruction of the HP fuel pump, and, absent any communication from the dealer or VW regarding recalls or campaigns, despite my inquiries, traded it back to VW for a 2010 Tiguan compact SUV with the 2.0L gasoline engine! I decided to take time off my diesel-engine journey to see how VW sorts out its problems with the 2009-2014 TDI engine.
So, I am VERY interested in this “new” diesel engine, and would like very much to see a technical summary and comparison of the differences between the 2015 TDI engine and the previous-generation TDI engine. And, also to see if this “new” engine drives the DSG any better, with smoother delivery of power to the road.
If this engine is any good, and VW can find a place to put the DEF tank (and hopefully design in a bit more luggage room while they are at it), I hope they soon put it into the Tiguan!