VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanics

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

I have subscribed to Pop Science since the mid-90's and have not seen the Jetta vs Prius article..it's not in the Jan 2005 copy I have..it's also not shown anywhere in their website...
I'd love to see this article!
What I'm concerned about is that ratings and comparisons often don't mention the use of Biodiesel. I hope they (or anyone else who does a full comparison) comes through with a COMPLETE analysis. Fingers crossed.

Note - you can do a side by side comparison at the site below. It does not give very good marks for the VW Jetta diesel cars for their "EPA Air Pollution Score" (4 of 10), but "Greenhouse gas emissions" are not too far off from the prius (5.1 tons vs 3.5 tons, respectively). My current Nissan Pathfinder (I am ashamed to admit, but will mostly be retired) emits 11.5 tons per year, just to keep things in perspective. The big difference is because they used data with petrol based diesel.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm
ANd of course it's a government website!!!!!!!

A rather extensive breakdown of what the emissions are for Biodiesel (in various ratios) is at this site:
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html
I'm not even going to try to summarize this data.
(note there are tons of other links on this site summarizing info from other sites and studies)
There are over 240,000 web sites listed for "biodiesel" in Yahoo...

Something else to keep in mind is that even though the new diesels may still come up a bit short depending on which pollutants are most important to you (until the Sulfur of US fuel is reduced next year :wink: ), it is an investment in a technology using sustainable fuel derived from plants.
This is a good active forum!

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

Yes, I just realized that - thanks. :tomato:

 

I had no issues renting from Hertz in LaGuardia last summer. I am short, so I prefer small cars, and the Ford Focus works for me. Tried to do the same in Montreal. Web site and printout from web reservation stated I reserved a Focus, but did they have one there? NO! Or so they said. After waiting an hour for a suitable car, another agent told me when I asked about the car I was waiting for, all they had left was a Focus. Doh!

I thought flying to NY, renting there, then driving up would have been cheaper, and possibly could have traveled with the relatives. It wasn't, rental was much more, not to mention the drive time.

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

Dan:

Sounds like that Hertz agent in Montreal was certifiably brain damaged. There is no better way to ruin a vacation than one idiot at a reservation desk.

Let's not forget that on vacation, you're not getting paid, it's your own time. At least when it's work-related I'm still getting paid.

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

Whenever a new technology is introduced, the prototype is cumbersome and exotically expensive. I wonder how much Toyota really sunk to develop their first Hybrid Gen I concept?

When Electronic Fuel Injection was first talked about in the early 70's, it was also considered an exotically expensive - even impossible - technology. When the electronics industry caught up to the dream, EFI became practical and then necessary. I don't see how we could achieve current emissions standards with a carburettor.

The one thing I don't like about how the U.S. EPA categorizes emissions is the misleading "LEV" or "ULEV" labels that are tiered to vehicle class. That's how a Ford Excursion with a V10 gas motor can be considered LEV.

When the Europeans measure CO2 emissions, it's in g/km. Period. No tiered class system.

I still do not understand why so many people here are so deadset against modern diesel motors. They're a far cry from old Mack trucks that spew black clouds

Since diesel motors are naturally more efficient than similar power gasoline motors, it makes sense to try to develop a hybrid diesel. A Prius with a tiny 3-cylinder turbodiesel might get 20-30 MPG more.

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

They still stink... literally. I often have to set my recirculate to avoid breathing their fumes.

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

The newer Diesels shouldn't stink.

The older ones, yeah, they do. But then again, they're still on the road. Those old MB diesels are impossible to kill.

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

HOURS invested is what I'm most intestered in.

$$$ just doesn't compared to the people-power required to actually implement & test a design.

 

Re: VW Jetta GL TDI vs. Toyota Prius in new Popular Mechanic

Right. I've never noticed any odor while behind a new VW PD car, or the new HD trucks. Something has to be seriously wrong with the motor before it stinks like an old-fashioned diesel.

Of course, a new gasoline powered car can really reek too if something goes wrong. If it happens to run rich, say an O2 problem, the catalytic converter will give off a nauseating rotten egg smell.