Comments on: Breaking fuel efficiency records – in a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

By: zoomzoomer

zoomzoomer — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:07:45 +0000

America1st gets my vote for best post.. I never realized there were 59 states in the US!

By: global_lightning

global_lightning — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:40:18 +0000

“2″ on the MILF. If I had her as a passenger, I’d take it slow and easy too. It also explains the stupid grin on the guy’s face. Anyway you can photoshop him out of the pics?

By: olds307

olds307 — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:31:05 +0000

The Olds 307 “Y” produced 148 hp (110 kW) and 250 lb·ft in 1980-1984 models

Volvo 850 — 2.4L 168 hp I5 162 lb-ft

you have more HP, less torque…..

By: Rafa LL

Rafa LL — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:59:51 +0000

A MILF? You sick bastard, she isn’t ugly at all, for her age, but come on… anyways… Diesel definitely is the answer, at least for now.

By: ktulu

ktulu — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:47:59 +0000

gr8 car ans she is a MILF!

By: GaryAnderson

GaryAnderson — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:01:11 +0000

Just to keep things straight: when we went for fuel efficiency in the Jetta, we drove at the speed limit at all times. What we did not do was rush from stop light to stop light or accelerate any more than necessary when starting from a stop or merging into traffic flows. We also kept an eye on our mirrors and gave way to faster drivers on the two-lane roads whenever necessary.
We did ask the Taylors how they drove on the freeways, which constituted the majority of their routes; they said that their rule was to drive in the outside (slow lane) and keep pace with the trucks.
As an aside, its hard for me to figure out why anyone would want to waste gas on meaningless fast driving in traffic, unless their parents are still paying for their gasoline.
Gary Anderson

By: Z06ified

Z06ified — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:54:18 +0000

Further evidence that the Jetta diesel is vastly superior to the Prius or any hybrid for that matter. Diesel is the answer.

By: mulletmaster

mulletmaster — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:56:55 +0000

Yeah Smart cars are not so smart.

Lion, as a fellow 850 wagon owner, non turbo sadly, they are good cars but never known for their performance. That being said i can still cruise 70-75 with no problems after i realized a powerhouse it will never be, but the car is paid for and has been good in the reliability dept thus far.

By: Tony UK

Tony UK — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:19:29 +0000

I’m in the UK and have an 07 Jetta TDI DSG – my average mpg so far (imperial) is 51.9mpg! I always keep to the speed limit, rarely over and very rarely under either. Compared to my other car (08 smart fortwo 84bhp) that only does 42mpg (imperial) this Jetta is amazing.

By: Lionwithoutpride

Lionwithoutpride — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:14:13 +0000

olds307 . . . you will have to forgive my utter deficiency in terms of useful car knowledge, but isn’t a 5.0 V8 a pretty damn powerful engine (even with the emissions choker you reference)? The turbo 850s were great (the 940s and 960s even better), but the 0-60 quote time for a ’93 Volvo 850 is apparently 9.4 seconds, which really wasn’t all that slow for the early-mid-nineties. However, now EVERYONE is always up my butt as I pretty much floor the car on on-ramps. All of this, I have been assured by the Volvo mechanics, is perfectly normal and simply a sign of my car being from another era (though when I was driving an ’07 S40 loaner, I definitely decided the turbo would be necessary on that one as well). And no, this has nothing to do with me being the sort to drive with reckless abandon. I have yet to garner a ticket in 9 years of driving (knock on wood). I have just noticed that Volvos are not, on the whole, quick cars-even when you account for today’s Volvos v. other new cars. And I am utterly okay with that. I am sure the posters here are tired of me waxing on about how I drive the Volvo for its utility (I can fit my life in the car with each new shift in life) and safety (I buy into the Volvo safety p.r.-so sue me). The point of my earlier post is that I was just injecting the flip-side of the debate going on above. It is vexing to be nearly flooring a car and still have people angry because they left 5 minutes too late for work or have something to prove about their driving skills.

By: olds307

olds307 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:14:46 +0000

Lion: your Volvo 850 should have PLENTY of power. If it doesn’t, there’s something wrong w/ your car. I drive a 1981 Oldsmobile with the emissions choked 5.0 V8… it’s a SLUG compared modern fuel injected cars…….. if I can keep up….. scratch that…… PASS most traffic, you should have NO problem.

By: olds307

olds307 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:02:25 +0000

and now back to the real world…….

Driving slow. great advice……. At work the other day I had to run a HONDA van through it’s OBD system check procedure: 5 minutes between 65 and 75 with cruise control set…… no problem……… then 5 minutes at 55 MPH with cruise set…….. almost wrecked the goddam thing!

By: sharpie

sharpie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:36:53 +0000

I didn’t read anything in the article about “interstate” or “car-pool lane.” So stop making up things that this couple didn’t do, as reported in the article.

On the other hand, people hogging the fast lane are annoying, but it’s just not the case here.

By: aexcorp

aexcorp — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:26:34 +0000

Listen, the truth is that driving like that makes life miserable for everybody. As for everything in life, the important part is to strike a balance. I consider driving to be a hobby as much as a necessity and a mean of mobility, and so I think that driving silly slow and pissing off everybody sucks, and cannot be tolerated, especially in the left lane… which happens all the time at least here in DC.

But by driving smooth when the traffic is denser, buying manual cars and by driving smart, there’s definitely great MPG saving, so just adapt the driving style to the situation and get the best of both worlds…

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:57:35 +0000

Turbo it

By: Lionwithoutpride

Lionwithoutpride — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:15:13 +0000

I will not disagree with anyone on the annoyance of being stuck behind someone who is 5 or more miles under the speed limit. However, take it from someone who drives a ’94 Volvo 850 wagon . . . white . . . (jealous?)-it is not easy to keep up with most of the cars today (especially in a model sans turbo). yarddog82abn, I have been passed by plenty of guys like you. Many of those drivers were beeping and gesticulating. Usually this occurs when I am already well over the speed limit, which means they are really over the limit. And while I would never impeach your character yarddog82abn, I will leave you with the following tidbit from a psychiatrist who was doing his residency at the same hospital as my father: “The bigger the truck, the bigger the problem.” If one of ya’ll can show me how to make a 5 cylinder Volvo not be a road hazard (without suggesting I buy a new car, which my poor-ass cannot do-or sending away to ACME for rocket-skates), feel free.

By: A4

A4 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:34:48 +0000

yeah i usually like to be going a little faster than 25 mph when i have to merge from the onramp into 65mph traffic. unrealistic hippies.

By: jayjc08

jayjc08 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:32:45 +0000

carguy- Ha! Every cars an econobox? Even the slowest of cars in the United States are twice as fast as ones found just 50 years ago, and often times just as fast as ones found just 30 years ago. It’s not funny when an Accord can outrun most sport cars on the road up till the late 90′s. And option lists are HUGE. Even Kia’s most humble offerings have huge lists of airbags, electronic gear and ‘stuff’. And how do they make more off of parts than the entire car? Most cars today are twice as reliable as ones from the 80′s and later… nearly the only problem they have anymore is with electronics, which can be fixed in five minutes. When theres a major mechanical problem, you HEAR about it, it’s pretty major news.

By: carguy123

carguy123 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:39:58 +0000

In this day in age EVERY car is an econobox. Also most cars dont have any form of reliabilty. They are made to fail. The car companies make more money off the parts than they do the entire car.

By: The Stig

The Stig — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:12:02 +0000

Won’t break any records for reliability.

By: swamprat

swamprat — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:03:45 +0000

I am sorry, but I want to hear more real world figures than that. Driving anything under 70 on a freeway is plain dumb and dangerous.

By: hfry

hfry — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:51:49 +0000

rfsmit they all have a point. If your going drive below the posted speed limit. Then you have no right to be endangering other drivers life’s by driving in the passing lane or in the Car-pool lane. You being the obvious Liberal Communist tree huger. You should be all for safety, and look your not.

My President is black…. But i wont buy a Prius.

By: Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3

Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:37:26 +0000

Rfsmit: We’ll be looking for you and your Prius. It’ll be easy…you’ll be the ass holding-up traffic.

By: rfsmit

rfsmit — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:12:23 +0000

You guys are a hoot!

Canuck: “drive like we’re stoned”? No, that would be the people who think they own the road, complain about fuel prices, and drive like nutters.

Lariat: “Where do I send the bill for all the lost work productivity”? Same place you send the cash you saved on fuel, you dipstick!

Yarddog: “bull horns”. Has anyone ever pointed out how cute and small you look in your big clown car? Honk honk.

Non biased: “160 gallons of fuel” is a darned sight less for the same period than each one of the auto journos uses in every one of the auto mags and blogs you read.

Now, if only they’d run it on WVO I would have something positive to say about this exercise.

By: america1st

america1st — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:09:14 +0000

48 states , what about the other 9 states ? Plus Alaska and Hawaii.

By: shaver

shaver — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:08:42 +0000

What is VW paying these people? Someone make sure the side glass is not under thickness or they dont have a illegal waterpump.

By: non_biased_enthusiast

non_biased_enthusiast — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:39:47 +0000

So, they are going to burn 160 gallons of fuel on their little trip just to get their picture in a book. Sounds like a great way to use less fossil fuel.

By: yarddog82abn

yarddog82abn — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:18:37 +0000

Lariat, your right…
Your just right, that’s why I put bull horns under my lifted truck, that I do drive to work every now and then. So that I can drive next to “them” right before I pass them and let them “hear” what I think of there driving…LOL you gotta see there reaction…LOL

By: Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3

Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:38:28 +0000

On one hand, I admire their achievement; on another I hate coming up behind someone in an econobox who is trying to get the best mileage at everyone else’s expense. Like in the carpool lane when an ass in a Prius is holding-up traffic as they want to drive slower than the posted speed limit so they can get extra mileage. I say the roads are posted with a speed limit for a reason—to move traffic. Where do I send the bill for all the lost work productivity because some major dumb-ass wants to show the world how much of an ass they can really be?

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:37:37 +0000

So what you’re trying to impart to everyone here is that we should all drive like we’re stoned. Brilliant.