VW News

2012 VW Passat brings hybrid-beating diesel tech stateside

Imagine driving Chicago to Atlanta, or Seattle to Napa Valley, without refueling, in a roomy car. It’s possible if you switch from gasoline to diesel technology and set the cruise control to 65 or 70 on the interstate. That makes the diesel engine version of the new 2012 Volkswagen Passat (about $26,000) more desirable than the gasoline powered Passats that 80% of Americans will buy, and with its excellent fuel economy, perhaps more desirable than hybrids like the Prius, too. Diesel engines used to be loud, smelly, dirty, and slow, but technology has cured those problems. Now it’s simply a perception problem for VW, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and others selling diesel passenger cars.

In a test drive of the new, 2012 model VW Passat diesel, the trip computer showed fuel economy around 45 mpg on long stretches of interstate highway. Bring the speed down below 60 mph and it approached 50 mpg on flat terrain, push it hard going up hills and it fell back by the same ratio. Volkswagen and the EPA rate this diesel at 43 mpg on the highway. Combine that with an 18.5 gallon (70 liter) tank and you’ve got the 800-mile range. (Your bladder should hold out that long.) What it means is that on the longest trip you’ll ever take in one day, your rest stops won’t be extended waiting to pump fuel. And back at home, where city mileage is still decent, you’ll be refueling less often, say every two weeks rather than 10 days.

Technology of the past decade made diesels more like their gas-engine counterparts, including cleaner. One of the biggest improvement was the EPA’s 2006 order that refiners switch to low-sulfur diesel fuel, which yielded a dramatic reduction in emissions and the rotten-egg exhaust smell. Changing how the diesel fuel was injected into the engine – more precise timing, higher and higher injection pressures – improves starting and reduces clatter (the sound like the engine is falling apart) when it’s cold or idling. Injecting urea into the exhaust from a tank in the trunk reduced emissions even more (see right).

All this means a car like the VW Passat is worth considering if you’re driving lots of miles and you plan to keep the car a long time. Diesel engines cost more, about $1,500 more in the case of the Passat, but they last for hundreds of thousands of miles. You may get bored with the car long before it needs to be scrapped, especially since VW made the Passat diesel light on the options list – vinyl upholstery only, no sunroof option – because the Passat diesel will likely be a fifth of sales.

World Rally Championship - News - Sainz: Finland finish vital for ...

Volkswagen is assessing Lindroos and Mikkelsen, who will drive a brace of Skoda Fabia Super 2000s on Rally Finland from 28-30 July, for possible inclusion in their factory world championship squad when it comes on stream from 2013. The firm is also using the event to allow its mechanics to experience working on a WRC round.

Sainz, world champion in 1990 and 1992, is a consultant for Volkswagen Motorsport. He told Wrc.com: “I think it’s very hard to say how they will get on, but if [VW Motorsport director] Kris Nissen has given them this chance then there is a reason for that. I’m sure he will be telling them to get to the end of the rally above all: this is the most important thing because it is not just a test for the drivers but also test for the team and how they work together. So to learn something you must keep going, otherwise it is all a waste of time.”

He continued: “Of course I’m sure the drivers feel a bit of pressure on them but it is the same for all drivers and how they cope with that pressure is part of the assessment. We all go through this when you are given a big opportunity, and I remember this well from when I was a young driver: naturally you want to go fast and show the very best of yourself, but always you must finish and give good feedback. Finding that right balance is the most difficult part of being a rally driver I think.”

Asked what advice he would give Lindroos and Mikkelsen, Sainz added: “My advice would be exactly the same as Kris Nissen would tell them: try to go quickly if you feel comfortable but at the same time the most important thing is to finish. It’s an amazing opportunity that these drivers have and now they must make the most of it.

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