Performance An occasional whiff of diesel fuel and engine rattle are small prices to pay for the economy and durability of a modern diesel engine.Īlthough the 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine produces just 100 horsepower, it also churns up 177 pound-feet of torque starting at a low 1,800 rpm. The test car was a GLS, the fancier of two versions over the base GL. What it is Volkswagen keeps the faith with its thoroughly modern diesel, found here in a nicely trimmed compact four-door hatchback. Not the least of which is getting 40-plus miles per gallon. Here, diesel is about the same price as a gallon of gas, but there still are advantages. The new diesels use turbochargers and direct fuel injection (thus the TDI label) that give them decent performance while cleaning up the smell and smoke.ĭiesel is the thing in Europe where gasoline is wildly expensive and diesel significantly less so. But they also were slow, noisy, smelly and left a hanging trail of black smoke everywhere they went. VW diesels made their appearance, giving hip conservationists an opportunity to drive a groovy Rabbit powered by a durable and fuel-saving diesel. General Motors tried its hand at diesel V-8 engines, with less-than-stellar results. Mercedes-Benz was a long-standing proponent of diesel, so that was a good way for the wealthy to conserve. One of the less-absurd alternatives was diesel, already in wide use by overland tractor-trailers and other heavy-duty trucks. So everyone started looking at ways to conserve fuel, including absurd electric minicars that looked like phone booths and sundry gas-saving devices that you could hook up to the family sedan. Of course, we blamed OPEC, the cartel of oil-producing countries. With that in mind, I’ll concentrate this review on the car that will appeal to most people, not to mention still being available.įor those of us at a certain age, VW diesels evoke the gas crisis of the 1970s, the first time we faced widespread fuel shortages and soaring prices. The R32 made just a brief appearance as a 2004 model, and despite the significant price tag, has pretty much sold out. This turned out to be a sweetly enjoyable car that was fun to drive and achieved outstanding fuel mileage.Īs much as the R32 was about fantasy, the TDI was about the real world. But don’t turn up your nose so fast at diesel. The other VW hit a little closer to home, a four-door TDI turbo-diesel with automatic transmission at $10,000 less. The unassuming VW compact was transformed by the performance treatment and turned heads with both its shocking acceleration and its equally shocking price tag: $30,000. The first was a roaring R32, a limited-edition pocket rocket with 240-horsepower, all-wheel drive, rock-hard suspension and a cocky attitude. Two Volkswagen Golfs have passed under my hands recently, and they were as different from each other as they could be.
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