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THE VOLKSWAGEN GOLF TDI DIESEL Reviewed by Colin Hefferon  The Volkswagen Golf TDI Diesel Volkswagen is the leader in passenger car diesel sales in North America. In truth, VW is the only carmaker currently selling a diesel-powered passenger car in North America so it's a one-dog fight. This may change in the next few years. Then again, it may not since the other major carmakers appear more or less to have decided to place their short term money on gasoline/electric hybrids and their long term cash on fuel cells. In North America, anyway. Europe is, however, a different matter altogether. Diesel automobiles have always sold well there. Every carmaker — including all the Japanese — sell a diesel-powered version of their most popular models. The Germans are especially big on diesels. All German manufacturers offer a diesel option in virtually every model they sell. BMW offers, for example, a diesel-powered 3-Series: the 330d, which the prestigious British magazine Car chose last year as one of its picks for car of the year. BMW also offers a diesel in its 7-Series luxury sedans. In 2001, diesel accounted for about 40% of new sales in Europe; in France, it accounted for 60% of all new car sales — including BMW. These proportions promise to be even higher in 2002. What is it about diesel that made it so attractive to Europeans? Originally, it was just fuel efficiency and longevity. A diesel engine is regularly good for more than 300,000 miles; all the while returning 40 to 50 mpg. But now there's more: The new "common-rail" diesels available in virtually every model sold in Europe today offer performance and all round drive-ability which are the equal of comparable gasoline engines. Diesel-equipped cars also come with something else that is very important in Europe today — a "green" label. This means someone who cares about air quality, about reducing global warming and about the developed world's increasing dependence on oil from the Middle East, can still drive a great-performing, luxurious automobile and not have to wear a bag over their head. Which brings us to the new Golf TDI. It features a 1.9L common-rail type turbodiesel engine. Common-rail? In a word — or, rather in two words — it's a variation on fuel injection. Except the fuel is not gasoline, it's diesel. It is injected into the individual cylinders not under, say 40 or 50 BAR as is typical in gasoline injection systems and earlier diesel injection systems, but under as much as 1800 BAR (about 25,000 lbs pressure). Finally, don't confuse the common-rail diesel engine in this automobile with a truck engine. Truck engines will turn 2000-2100 rpm. Tops. But they're built to operate most efficiently at engine speeds well below that. The engine in the Golf, on the other hand, operates efficiently at speeds up to 4000 rpm. Redline is above 4500 rpm. The Golf TDI cruises comfortably at 70 mph, which represents about 2500 rpm in top gear. And it will do this while returning over 50 mpg. What's the Golf diesel like to drive? Frankly, I found it a bit slow off the mark, but once it got moving, acceleration built strongly almost up to red line. I want to emphasize this engine is not sluggish but if you're obsessed with stoplight-to-stoplight times get the gasoline-powered 1.8T or the new V-6. But acceleration times are not the really exciting thing about the Golf diesel; overall driveability is. A diesel engine is distinquished by the torque it produces at low rpm. If you engage the clutch but don't touch the gas pedal, a diesel-engined vehicle will be begin to move, even up a grade. With the 5-speed manual transmission, prodigious amounts of torque make the Golf TDI especially relaxing to drive in stop-and-go traffic. Besides the peace of mind from knowing you're not blowing your paycheck out the tailpipe with no forward motion to show for it, you can move ahead simply by engaging the clutch while leaving the gas pedal alone. As well, lots of torque means the engine can turn more slowly at highway speeds. Hence less engine noise. This, incidentally, is the secret of Rolls-Royce's legendary quiet highway ride. Immense amounts of torque are said to allow 60 mph speeds from a reported 1000 rpm. (I can't confirm that, never having driven a Roller at those speeds. At any speed, in fact.) About the only time, you'll even hear the engine is for a few seconds when you first fire it up. Then you might catch a few muted bars of diesel "clackety-clack". That's all. Honest. There is absolutely none of the dreaded diesel smell, either. The turbocharger makes the Golf diesel a joy to drive at higher altitudes. On a recent trip up the steep and twisty but nicely paved road to the 5100 ft level where the highest parking lot of the Mt Baker ski area is located, I had an opportunity to test the diesel's high altitude performance. The road was deserted since it was a weekday in mid-September. The ski season had not yet begun but almost all of the camper vans that normally clog this road had gone home. I had great fun playing with the shifter. And when the VW's turbo became effective above 2000 rpm, there was a noticeable increase in power. A turbocharger shows to its best advantage at higher altitudes and on hills. This diesel will more than keep up with gasoline-powered rivals. For the entire 150 mile-plus trip from my home in Vancouver, BC to the top parking lot of Mt Baker — a classic ice cream cone-like wonder of nature in northwestern Washington State — and back to Vancouver, I got 42 miles per gallon. Which is, in my opinion, remarkable for such a trip. "So what's all this about miles per gallon?," you say. Gasoline is cheap. Well, yes, it is. In the continental United States, anyway. Gasoline is certainly not cheap elsewhere in the world save a couple of the Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It is certainly not cheap anywhere in Europe either. In early October, for example, regular unleaded gasoline was selling for 1.07 Euros per liter in Paris. That works out to US$3.80 per gallon. In other words, the US (and to a lesser degree, Canada) are among the few places left outside the Middle East where fuel is still cheap. My feeling is it won't always be this way. So as we all learned (or should have learned) in elementary school, "waste not, want not." As for the rest of the car: What can I say? It's a regular Volkswagen Golf. Which means it's one of the best-engineered and best-built cars in the world. And it comes with all the comfort and safety goodies we demand in our cars (and trucks) today — air conditioning, killer sound system, air bags, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and on-and-on. It's also roomy enough for four full-sized adults and at least some of their stuff. Because the Golf comes in a hatchback configuration, you can lower the rear seats and carry large items. For 2003, the Golf TDI also comes with a class-leading 4-year, 50,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Incidentally, the 1.9 liter turbodiesel in the 3-door and 5-door hatchback versions of the Golf is also available in the 4-door Volkswagen Jetta sedan. So be the first on the block to drive a contemporary diesel-powered car and you'll know something your neighbours don't. Just smile, and call it common-rail. Photos © Volkswagen Vancouver-based Colin Hefferon regularly tests and reviews new vehicles. Though an automotive enthusiast by nature, Colin takes the perspective of the average car owner. Which, after all, is most of us! Colin Hefferon is the road test editor for About Cars where more of his car reviews may be found. |
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