Mileage to date: 19,095
Months in fleet: Eight
Our Four Seasons Volkswagen Jetta TDI has turned the corner in its year with us, but it continues to rack up long-legged miles and evoke few complaints.
The car's torquey diesel powerplant has led to some issues on the rare occasions when the VW requires a fuel fillup. Road test coordinator Mike Ofiara reports: "I had an anxious moment when the clerk at a gas station would not turn on my diesel pump. He was convinced that my little VW was not a diesel. I had to walk into the station, and he told me that the pump I was at was a diesel pump. I told him I knew that. He asked why I pulled up to that pump. I said: 'Because my car is a diesel, and I would like to fill it up.' As if that wasn't enough, I then had to walk him out to the car and prove it. His response was, 'Oh, I didn't know Volkswagen made diesels.' Where have you been buddy?"
Diesel pumps that lack a credit-card reader have also frustrated drivers and required visits to the human clerk inside the station. How archaic!
Other recent notes have been more positive:
"I still really like driving the Jetta," says assistant editor David Zenlea. "It's true that most normal people would be better served by the DSG automatic, but I love the challenge of keeping the low-revving diesel on the boil."
Notes Web producer Evan McCausland: "I love the ability to lock virtually every storage compartment inside this car. I'm not only talking about the glove box, but both of the rear seatbacks and the center rear-seat pass-through. I also like the ability to open/close the trunk from inside the car. Perhaps it's my neuroses talking, but being able to cinch down the car like a vault is reassuring when you're forced to hand over the Jetta to a hotel valet..."
Fortunately, we've got a few more months before we have to hand the Jetta back over to the folks at Volkswagen. ...next page >>