Edmunds slams TDI...again

[TIB]

Imagine what kind of mileage the TDI would get if it were a hybrid…..
Better yet, we could use the Lupo engine, with electric assist, so it still feels powerful and get the best fuel economy in the world!
It’d be interesting to compare a Civic to something like that!!

 

[rm250]

i sent the editor a note and pointed out that my jetta routinely gets 48-52 mpg.

 

[Dante]

I just sent them this:

How can you possibly get 32 mpg or even 36.5 mpg in a TDI? Are you revving it to 4,000 rpm on every shift? Peak torque is around 2,000 rpm. If you were driving an automatic, you should have made that clear to avoid misleading readers.

I know a lot of people with TDIs and no one gets fuel economy as bad as yours. Ninety percent of my driving in my 2000 Golf GLS TDI 5-speed is in a city/stop-and-go commute and I have still averaged over 43 mpg over the 25,000 mile life of my car. Not only that, but I can cruise over Snoqualmie Pass East of Seattle with four people plus luggage on board and the cruise control set at 80 mph--I defy you to do that in a Prius, Insight or even a Hybrid Civic.

I know I'm biased, but you guys just lost a lot of credibility with me.

Also, the car in the article was an automatic, but the only indication of that in the article are the photos of the interior and the EPA fuel economy rating. The word "automatic" does not occur anywhere in the article. It really makes you wonder . . .

 

[weedeater]

There was an article in the Washington ComPost the other day where a guy wrote in saying how wonderful it was that with his Prius he can use the HOV lanes, being so fuel efficient. He said he get an 'excellent 40mpg'.

F*ck, I get 45 not trying hard! Will VDot let me on the HOV lanes because my car is fuel efficient? Hell, NO!

 

[tadc]

To test how driving a diesel vehicle acts in day-to-day situations in another application, and to see if we're missing out on any great mystery the Europeans are secretly reveling in

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, that "mystery" is called *LEARNING TO DRIVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION*.

 

[TEXAS_TDI]

I think it was a good article as far as the information in it. As far as his opinions, he should have gotten a 5 speed if he wanted to see more power and better fuel economy. But like most typical Americans, he opted for the slushbox, which takes away about 15% of the power as compared to the 5 speed which only takes away about 12%.

 

[Futureman]

Its such a joke. If a person were on the verge of buyin a HYBRID for fuel economy, you would think they might consider not getting an automatic! Is there even an automatic hybrid? I don't think so, but I'm not sure.

This just shows how people get caught up in the new and high-tech with no logic. For example, take the online boom. Why did people invest in Pets.com? Who the hell wants to buy dog food over the internet? You just have to realize that some things are done better the old way. People just don't Want the answer to be the diesel engine, because the idea the solution is high tech, it gives them that warm fuzzy felling that we are actually moving forward fast.

 

[Mr. Thompson]

Regarding mileage, I got just over 36 MPG on my first tank with a 5SPD Golf TDI. Caveats could be my slightly spirited driving, obsessive varying of the engine speed for break in, an obscenely tight engine or the dealer being light on filling the tank. One extra gallon in the tank would have boosted the mileage to over 40 MPG.

I can easily see an automotive journalist getting similar results with a fresh vehicle.

 

[Pater]

Mr. Thompson they did the same to me at the dealer (stealer-ship). I did not get a "full" tank for diesel. skimppy,skimppy!!!

 

[Chmeeee]

That is most likely the cause, I too did not have a full tank.

 

[Pressurized]

Edmund who? Why read trash?

Add about 10% to the above mentioned Cd numbers. Some advertising type is blowing smoke with these figures. The new bug is more like 0.41 and maybe 0.39 with the rear "spoiler". From what I heard the VW aero engineers were mightly upset with the NB. The designer a.k.a. "stylist" or styling director of the NB is probably the same hack who is now terrorizing FoMoCo in the states, displacing the talented with his cronies. Too bad Ford didn't find out VW fired his worthless a$$ before Ford picked him up.

 

[Lotfw]

Notice the NB was sold in California, the market where the hybrid car had its most supporters.

If Edmunds is CA based you could see the bias
towards hybrids and away from "dirty" diesel.

Probably written by an enviro person.

Even still they acknowledged the higher EPA numbers, the fact of auto/manual and the power characteristics of the engine.

 

[20IndigoBlue02]

Some of us on Edmunds Townhall are trashing the article also.

Though when Consumer Reports tested it...Golf with 5-speed manual, they got a fairly low city mileage also, but got a decent highway mileage.

 

[msauve]

Originally posted by flair.14:
Just for the record, I usually get around 38-39mpg with my driving style. Stop and go mixed in with gridlock makes up most of my mileage. Maybe I drive my car too hard, or maybe the city traffic is just way to thick. Either way, I can see someone getting 36.5mpg even with a manual.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Uhh. Imperial gallons are bigger.

 

[Lotfw]

Read the Insight part for this from one of their own!

"I wouldn't buy this car. Americans continue to pay a pittance for gas, no matter that they believe otherwise. And at just 1,700 pounds, it wouldn't take much to crush the Insight in a crash. If fuel economy were my priority in a practical commuter, I'd take the Volkswagen Golf TDI, even though it doesn't burn as cleanly. It has a seat-height adjuster, Germanic handling characteristics, seating for four real people and superior hatchback utility, for a lower price. Kudos to Honda for exploring the gas/electric hybrid technology and aluminum construction, though." — Christian Wardlaw

 

[PackRat]

I only get between 38-44 mpg. But I drive my car hard and fast. That's still tons better than the 20-25 mpg I got out of my similarly sized Ford Contour with a Zetec 4 cyl that I used to have driving just as hard and fast. Not the 50 mpg I hear everyone raving about but I'm more than satisfied.