The U.S. EPA has released official fuel economy numbers for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which is a new entrant to the U.S. market for 2009. The car manages some very respectable numbers, but falls significantly short of Volkswagen’s predictions for mileage.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen said the TDI Jetta would deliver highway economy in the 50s and city milage in 40s. Some reports out of VW even indicated the car might be able to hit 60 mpg on the highway. But according to the new data released by the EPA, the TDI delivers 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.
The high cost of diesel fuel doesn’t help the Jetta TDI’s case either. With gas at $3.79 per gallon and diesel at $4.50, the latter is 19 percent more expensive. That means penny-for-penny, the TDI is equivalent to a gas car that delivers 33.6 mpg on the highway and 25.2 mpg in the city.
It’s possible the EPA has changed its testing methods even more drastically than expected, or perhaps VW will demand a recount, so we’ll keep you posted as this story develops.
