Jetta TDI versus the Prius: AutoWeek MPG King
AutoWeek has crowned the Volkswagen Jetta TDI - when fueled by biodiesel - as the high mileage king of the road. The Toyota Prius came in second.Read the Full AutoWeek Story
Biodiesel versus hybrid
Anyone that regularly reads AutoWeek knows that the magazine is smitten towards performance vehicles and that many of their editorial staff have much angst towards hybrid cars. So, how reliable is AutoWeek?
In terms of testing the vehicles, there are some interesting notes.
Regarding the Prius, AW reports, "Part of the shortfall [mpg] was due to the pace we maintained. At a more hybrid-friendly 55 to 65 mph, the dazzling dashboard display showed numbers closer to 50 mpg". Thus, it appears the drivers wanted to play with the capabilities of the hybrid technology and were not seeking purely the best fuel economy.
On the other hand, regarding the TDI, "As it was, we just drove gently, stayed with the caravan and employed the manual mode on the six-speed automatic transmission when it seemed useful." Unlike the Prius, it seems the focus of the TDI test was purely to achieve the best fuel economy.
More important; however, is the whole premise of the test.
The '60's are over and cruising on the highway is no longer the American norm. According to every modern transportation study, congestion hasn't only become the norm, congestion is consistently becoming, well, more congested. In today's world and the world of tomorrow, highway driving simply isn't the standard. Even worse, highway fuel economy estimates offer the perception that America's fuel consumption isn't as bad as reality.
Other reviews of the TDI Diesel report mileage drops of well below 40 mpg when just a little urban driving is added to mostly highway miles. So what does it achieve in daily congestion? In these conditions - the conditions of the future - the Prius is the king without any question.
Nonetheless, with today's technology and limited 'green' choices, both the TDI and the Prius are excellent vehicles, especially if you can fuel the TDI with biodiesel. Moreover, if you drive mostly highway miles, then a biodiesel TDI might be your best option.
On the other hand, if you live in an urban area, then the Prius is your best choice.
Ultimately, AutoWeek does make one great point. "Imagine a Prius-like hybrid that ran on biodiesel instead of gasoline. We may not be there yet, and adapting diesels to use the cylinder-cutoff technology found in the Jeep and Honda might be a tough task, but look how far we've come already."
Still, considering America's foreign oil dependency, look how far we have yet to go.
Labels: clean diesel, Foreign Oil Dependency, Honda, Hybrid Vehicles, prius, toyota
posted by Dahcredyns at
7:13 AM
3 Comments:
If prices stay high, things will change. I'll never forget Cheney saying that conservation would never be the answer. My reaction was when prices get high enough, people will change how they use energy. Can you imagine if prices are $3.00 and we have more hurricane troubles? More terrorists attacks? How high would gas go then? $4.00-5.oo/gallon? And what effect would that have. Hybrids and other high mpg vehicles have a very bright future if this continues.
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Conservation might not be THE answer, but it's a lot more sensible than our current habits.
If we were driving smaller vehicles, then it would also be a lot safer to drive mopeds and other smaller forms of alternative transportation.
I believe in freedom of choice, but huge gas-guzzling vehicles limit choices. I think, just like smoking, gas-guzzling SUVs, etc. must be limited.
"I believe in freedom of choice, but huge gas-guzzling vehicles limit choices." Quoted from dahcredyns' post.
People must start thinking for themselves already, not follow some debasing trends. The lack of small, energy efficient vehicles in the US is deliberate. In addition why is Mercedes making yet bigger V12s, or Audi loading a TT or an A4 with a 3.2 V6, or VW's spicy Passat W8? Trends! The buyer will not consider anything that is subtle. A Suburban makes a great impression, whether it is negative or positive, it still screams in your face that it's a big car.
Why not use imagination and knowledge to make a small engine powerful, and instead dump yet another V8 in a car that doesn't deserve it? Because it is easier, and cheaper, and on top of that we are in the great United States, so everything must reflect that, no matter if it is unjust underneath the surface.
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