The EPA numbers are in for Volkswagen's 2009 Jetta TDI. Although the new diesels get good fuel economy, their official numbers fall short of VW's original estimates.
Early press materials for the new TDI motor claimed that, in Jetta form, the motor could return city mileage "in the mid 40s" and highway figures as high as 60 mpg. But newly released EPA figures (available online at www.fueleconomy.gov) say otherwise.
Jetta sedans and SportWagens equipped with the 2.0-liter turbodiesel I-4 and a six-speed manual are EPA rated at 30 mpg city; 41 mpg highway. Opt for a six-speed DSG and the numbers drop to 29 mpg city, 40 mpg highway.
Those figures are approximately forty percent lower than VW's rough estimates, although the automaker maintains customers could see results higher than the EPA's numbers in real world driving. Even so, 30/41 is still respectable, particularly for the SportWagen - a Smart fortwo improves city mileage by only 3 mpg and returns an identical highway figure.