2009 Jetta TDI's Mediocre EPA Rating Not Whole Story

2009 Jetta TDI's Mediocre EPA Rating Not Whole Story

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The numbers are out and Volkswagen is not happy.

The federal EPA rates the new turbo-diesel 2009 Jetta TDI at 30 miles per gallon in the city and 41 mpg on the highway, for a combined rating of just 34 mpg.

The automaker had been boasting of 60 mpg highway fuel economy for the new 50-state clean diesel Jetta, which goes on sale in late August.

That's a 40 percent difference.

The new Jetta's city-cycle numbers are part of the problem, as previous diesel Jettas regularly score city mileage ratings of 33 to 35 miles per gallon under the EPA's revised fuel economy test. (Many of them up through 2002 were rated at 40 to 42 mpg in the city under the pre-2008 EPA test, which was junked amid complaints that it didn't reflect real-world driving conditions.)

One reason for the uninspiring EPA ratings is that the '09 Jetta's 2.0-liter engine is the largest displacement ever, and the car is a good 200 pounds heavier than previus model, all of which saps fuel economy.

Nonetheless, VW is concerned and already has prepared a rebuttal for those who would suggest that the new diesel Jetta EPA mileage rating is a disappointment, fuel-economywise. (It is a disappointment, but VW isn't going to admit that.) "We take umbrage with the EPA cycle," said VW spokesman Keith Price.  "But we never predicted that the numbers we've talked about would be the numbers the Jetta TDI would score in the EPA rating. We were talking about real-world driving, and in the real world the Jetta traditionally has overdelivered."

By that, Price means that VW diesel owners – some of whom have communicated their mileage numbers to the EPA -- typically get better overall fuel economy than the agency's ratings would suggest.

Indeed, the EPA's fuel economy website says that 1998 Jetta diesels with manual transmissions and a 1.9 liter engine should have averaged 37 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving (under the revised 2008 test) but shows that owners report that the cars actually deliver around 46 mpg, a 24 percent improvement.

The 2006 model, rated at 33 miles per gallon in the EPA's combined cycle, actually delivers almost 42 mpg, an 18 percent boost, according to owner reports on the agency's website.

VW believes the 2009 Jetta TDI "is capable of delivering 60 miles per gallon," said Price. "Not everyone will average that," he said, "but despite the EPA figures, we believe the new Jetta [diesel] will certainly deliver 40 miles a gallon around town and in the 50s on the highway."

All this is important, of course, because there's been a tremendous amount of hype about diesel coming to the rescue as U.S. fuel prices rise, and rise and rise.

The typical diesel car costs $1,000 to $3,000 more than same model with a comparatively performing gasoline engine, but gets 25-35 percent better fuel economy.

But diesel prices in the U.S. have climbed even faster than gas prices, and are higher than gas in many places. In some markets, there no longer exists a diesel benefit as the fuel's price erases any savings from the mileage the engine delivers.

VW insists that there still is a financial advantage, though, because diesels usually require a lot less maintenance than gas engines and retina a lit more resale value. A used 2006 Jetta TDI with fewer than 30,000 miles on the odometer, for example, sells in most of the U.S. for more than its original sticker price.

EPA chart shows Jetta TDI saves although fuel costs more than gasoline.  

The EPA's fuel economy website also gives VW a boost, pointing out in a section called "cost to drive" that with diesel fuel at $4.33 a gallon and regular gasoline at $3.72, a 16.4 percent difference, the 2009 Jetta diesel will consume 0.74 gallon to cover 25 miles. That represents a fuel cost  of $3.18, while an '09 Jetta 2.5 that uses regular gas would consume 1.04 gallons at a cost of $3.88.

Both fuels have risen since the EPA put its chart together, with diesel at a national average of  $4.59 a gallon today and regular gas at $3.83. That's a 19.8 percent difference, significant but still less than the TDI's 30 percent fuel economy improvement over the Jetta 2.5.)

But put 15,000 miles on the diesel during a year (if fuel costs remain flat, which they won't) and the cost of diesel at $4.59 a gallon is $2,025 versus $2,396 for gasoline for the 2.5-liter model at $3.83 a gallon.

Over the course of 100,000 miles, using the same cost per gallon figures, the '09 Jetta TDI would save almost $2,500 at the pump.

The TDI is expected to cost about $2,000 more than the gas-burner (actual pricing hasn't been set yet), so that's a "profit' of $500 over the Jetta 2.5, not counting any savings from reduced maintenance or gain from higher resale value.

At Edmunds.com we will, of course, be doing our own fuel economy test as soon as we can get our hands on one of the '09 Jetta TDIs.

Meantime, Green Car Advisor asked Edmunds' senior industry analyst, Jesse Toprak, for his thoughts on any problems VW might face because of the lower-than-expected EPA rating on the new diesel Jetta.

"I don't think it will hurt initially because there's a huge pent-up demand for the car" from VW diesel fans who value diesel performance, longevity and resale values and probably won't care much about the mileage, he said. "It's still a lot better than the gas Jetta."

The EPA rates the 2009 Jetta 2.5 at 24 mpg in the combined cycle, almost 30 percent lower than the TDI.

"But after the first rush of sales, it will be feedback from real world users that determines the [TDI's] longterm fate," Toprak said.

That, and the availability and price of diesel fuel.

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.