New TDI Special Edition to be offered - Page 8

IndigoBlueWagon · November 26th, 2006, 15:57

My Mk1 Rabbit was badged a Diesel in 1978. And it wasn't a trim level, there was base (no identifier), the C version, and the L version which had the fancy and uncomfortable leatherette seats, the passive shoulder belt stuck to the door, and no lap belt.

And 52HP, 4 speeds, and very small brakes. But it was fun.

bhtooefr · November 26th, 2006, 16:49

Well, there was also the 1977-1981 Dasher DIESEL, the 1982-1986 Quantum TURBO DIESEL (badged as such), the 1977-1984 Rabbit DIESEL, the 1980(?)-1986 Jetta DIESEL, the 1981(?)-1984 Rabbit Truck diesel, the 1983-1984 Rabbit/Jetta TURBO DIESEL, and the 1985-1986 Jetta turbo DIESEL.

vwestlife · November 26th, 2006, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhtooefr

Well, there was also the 1977-1981 Dasher DIESEL, the 1982-1986 Quantum TURBO DIESEL (badged as such), the 1977-1984 Rabbit DIESEL, the 1980(?)-1986 Jetta DIESEL, the 1981(?)-1984 Rabbit Truck diesel, the 1983-1984 Rabbit/Jetta TURBO DIESEL, and the 1985-1986 Jetta turbo DIESEL.

The Dasher Diesel didn't arrive until 1979. VW was hesitant to put such a small engine (1.5L, 48 HP!) in their large car, until the second gas crisis convinced the public that a slow 0-60 MPH time was a perfectly acceptable compromise in exchange for high MPGs. Thankfully they didn't wait for another gas crisis to give us the much more powerful TDI in the mid-'90s.

And all VW diesels and turbo diesels were badged as such until the 1988 restyling of the Mk2 Golf/Jetta, when the Diesel and Canadian Turbo Diesel went into the closet. Mercedes-Benz did the same with their own cars starting in 1986, badging the turbo-diesel models as simply "TURBO", with only the letter "D" in the model number indicating diesel status.

The Jetta ECOdiesel only came with a rear badge, but I added one to the front grille of mine. I have the part number of the ECOdiesel badge written down somewhere, but it is no longer available from VW.

I have not seen any "TD" or "Turbo Diesel" badging on any Canadian 1.9L TD model (Golf III, Jetta III, Passat B3 & B4). They are only badged with the car's trim level (GL, GLS). And while VW has put TDI badges on most TDI models (except New Beetles), this Special Edition Jetta is the first one that actually indicates its Diesel orientation.

IndigoBlueWagon · November 27th, 2006, 04:59

IMO VW should have skipped the NA diesel in the Dasher body. I worked with a salesperson in LA in the 80s who had an Audi Fox (or 4000) with the diesel and the thing was a serious dog. It struggled to hold 60 MPH in 5th on a level road. Really, really slow. And this is from someone who learned to drive in a VW Bus.

bhtooefr · November 27th, 2006, 05:31

Ah, so that's why most of them were four-speeds.

vwestlife · November 27th, 2006, 17:21

There were plenty of underpowered diesels in the late '70s/early '80s. The Mercedes 240D took well over 20 seconds to get to 60 MPH, especially with the automatic, as did Peugeot's non-turbo diesels. But I had a 240D and I never had trouble keeping up with traffic, as long as you understand that flooring it and shifting at redline all the time is in no way abusive to the car -- with a cast iron block and head, the only way to kill those engines is through extreme neglect.

In comparison, though, the 300D Turbodiesel is like a rocket ship -- even with over 260,000 miles on it, my '85 300D still did 0-60 in 13 seconds flat, which is actually better than the factory spec. So even despite the high cost ($30,000+ in early '80s dollars!), the turbo 300D sold like hotcakes because it was the first diesel car which could actually keep up with its gas-powered counterparts. Mercedes actually killed off most of their gas-engine cars in 1981, because the diesels were selling so well and the gassers could no longer meet the EPA's revised emissions standards.

imnes · November 27th, 2006, 17:28

I went by my local VW dealer today and checked these out, they have just arrived. I'm looking at a Black w/ Black interior TDI, manual. The sticker is$23,000 plus destination, and $2,000 dealer markup it's actually $26,995 + tax tag title etc.

I test drove a 2005.5 TDI Jetta manual with all available options (it is $24,995 but has 30k miles). Very nice car and for the 5 days I had it I was getting 51mpg, I was very impressed. Only drawback on that vehicle was the sunroof, I need the extra headroom so I need one without that option.

Hopefully they can work out the financing for me, I'm pretty much sold on getting a TDI.

Nick

vwestlife · November 28th, 2006, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoBlueWagon

IMO VW should have skipped the NA diesel in the Dasher body. I worked with a salesperson in LA in the 80s who had an Audi Fox (or 4000) with the diesel and the thing was a serious dog. It struggled to hold 60 MPH in 5th on a level road. Really, really slow. And this is from someone who learned to drive in a VW Bus.

Sounds like that Audi had a slipping clutch or some other mechanical problem. My Audi 5000 Diesel was even more underpowered (65 HP in a 3000 lb. car) and I had no trouble pegging its 85 MPH speedometer. With 35-40 MPG and a 20-gallon fuel tank, it was probably the longest-range car sold prior to the B4 Passat TDI.

(Yes, I've owned a whole slew of diesel cars... a '92 VW Jetta ECOdiesel, an '81 Mercedes 240D Diesel, an '80 Audi 5000S Diesel, an '85 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel, and now my '97 Passat TDI. The Passat by far tops them all!)

imnes · November 28th, 2006, 16:22

Good news I picked up the car today, I was only able to get half off their 'market adjustment' of +$2,000. I'll post some details and pictures soon.

Nick

Txst · November 28th, 2006, 17:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by imnes

Good news I picked up the car today, I was only able to get half off their 'market adjustment' of +$2,000. I'll post some details and pictures soon.Nick

Way to go Imnes!! Congratulations. Can't wait to see some pics of it!

Hope the black on black won't be too hot for you in Florida!! My Shadow Blue gets pretty toasty here in the summer months!
Cheers

vwestlife · November 28th, 2006, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdorff

Here is a photo of the side "DIESEL" badge

Here's the badge I want...

vwestlife · January 21st, 2007, 16:09

East Coast VW of Englewood Cliffs, NJ currently has a 2006 Jetta TDI Special Edition on display at the North Jersey Auto Expo. The car is black with tan vinyl, automatic, and has a production date of 11/06.

Mercedes has a R320 CDI on display, but the only indication that it is a Diesel is a sticker on the dashboard saying "Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Only". The window sticker does not use the word "diesel" at all! The 2007 Mercedes full-line brochure lists the E320 Bluetec as "delayed availability", and repeatedly footnotes the five states in which it's not available (you'd think one footnote at the back of the brochure would be enough?).