Who Wins The Gas Sipper Smackdown?

Jetta did quite well for an older TDi engine.
When the new one comes out, it will be even better and will have less green houses gas than the Prius and even better MPG than the Prius on the highway.

— AlexTx (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 11:38:58 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

here in Houston, diesel is near $1 more than regular gas.

of course if you brew your own B100, you can make the Jetta a bargain!

— bagwell (View Profile)

Posted on 5/23/2008 6:29:22 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

One thing to consider is availability and sales price. The Focus didn't look too great in the comparison, but you can purchase one very cheap and easy compared to all of it's competitors in this article. Though it lost all of the comparisons, it's overall value is great.

If it didn't have that faux fender vent, I'd really spout how good this car is for saving $ in a practical sense.

*I do not own any Ford products, so no, I am not a "fan boy".

— Shredmo (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 11:54:06 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

The Smart did poorly considering its size and what is has to offer. For such a small two seater it should have done much better. But then again, it was going up against a hybrid and a diesel so it was at a disadvantage.

— 0to60 (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 12:31:46 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

The simple fact that a 3 year old, non-urea (blutec, blumotion, etc.) Jetta TDI did so well against a 2008 Toyota Prius has proven what I've been saying for a while: The world needs a Hybrid-Electric Diesels! Yes, on the surface it would seem to most people that this would be too expensive and for the uninformed, not "green" enough, that it can't work. You factor in the initial cost of buying said vehicle, government tax breaks, cost per mile based of the price of fuel (it has been documented that despite the $.60 + difference between regular gas and diesel, diesel's cost per mile is still lower), owner's maintenance cost over the life of ownership, and resale value, it becomes a win-win-win situation (mfg., vehicle owner, environment).
Also, I'm glad that turbospyder pointed out that BMW's 1 series diesel (Euro spec) has an "auto off/on start" function that would be a welcome addition to any vehicle if mass licensed and produced.

PLEASE NOTE: I'm not an Economics guru nor a knowledgeable environmentalist (my main vehicle is a gas-guzzling V8 Grand Cherokee that I will get rid of ASAP) so if you have factual proof, as opposed to B.S. propaganda that the ignorant loves to bandwagon off of, please share with the rest of us.
Also, keep in mind that I suggest this only as a good next step in the right direction. I would like to see more mass produced vehicles before I die that run on Natural Gas, Electric, waste-based E85 (meaning not using 1/5 of the annual corn harvest, or other consumer goods, of the U.S. -- what a waste and I think it's inhumane!), and/or Hydrogen.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=db9_1196372649

— Bored (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 3:14:32 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Great article! Well done with the scorecard, best article of its type I've read.

— t_bone (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 3:51:36 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

I think this is a fare comparison.
I am always a non EPA number believer. Majority of the cars are optimized for EPA tests. those number a so unrealistic in real life. ie. a BMW 528 claims to get 28mpg. but frankly, how many of you guys can get that number?
One of the most important things to take away from Edmund's test is that Prius consistently gets 47 to 52 mpg. In fact, most people who drive prius get that number no matter how they drive it or where they drive it. Here at L.A. the traffic is always jammed; the I-10 freeway can have much more stop and go than the Las Vegas strip. I’d like to see the advertised 40 mpg city/50 mpg TDI does when it driven by real people, on real road.

— ghosthunter (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 4:05:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Idiotic that the Honda Hybrid was not part of the comparo...

— Porschinator (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 5:04:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Here are the results of a similar comparison that Autoweek did a couple of years ago.


TOYOTA PRIUS
8.3 gallons of regular gas at $2.599
*42 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 51 mpg


VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI
7.0 gallons of B20 biodiesel at $2.749
*49.9 mpg vs. EPA highway rating of 42 mpg


http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060424/FREE/60417021/1008

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 5/22/2008 5:40:32 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Bull.

That site is fraudulent, and lies frequently. The cars aren't water powered, they're powered by hydrogen made by the electrolysis of water, which is hugely energy consuming. The site claims scientists will tell you that it's impossible. They won't. It is possible, and always has been.

— Rupert (View Profile)

Posted on 5/23/2008 8:12:40 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Ignore him, he's spamming.

— Matthew1 (View Profile)

Posted on 5/24/2008 1:33:10 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

if all your driving is stop start in heavy traffic then forget the hybrids and get an electric car cheaper to buy more reliable and much cheaper to run with no petrol motor starting up all the time to recharge the battery, the only disadvantage is that the range is limited, but most people dont drive very far often so no problem and very practical getting to the shops or work

— Barrie (View Profile)

Posted on 5/24/2008 7:14:41 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

and if a lot of your driving is on the freeway or open road forget hybrids they only work when stationary or driving very slow, a good efficient diesel is way ahead, both on economy and emissions

— Barrie (View Profile)

Posted on 5/24/2008 7:17:01 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1