How far can you go on a tank of gas? Perhaps 250 miles? 350? 400?
Two weeks ago, I went 525 miles with just a 14.5-gallon tank.
Yes, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI is an impressive car. It is the first station wagon that runs on diesel fuel. This transforms a car that is rated to go approximately 31 miles per gallon in highway driving (for the gas engine) into a vehicle that can range upwards of 47 miles per gallon on the highway.
For the cynics who point out that a gallon of diesel costs more than a gallon of gas, consider this. On average, the SportWagen with a diesel engine gets 41 miles per gallon. During the review week, the BP gas station on the strip in Shamokin Dam was selling diesel for $2.18 a gallon. That equates to spending $0.05 for each mile driven. Meanwhile, the vehicle's gas-drinking cousin averages 27 miles per gallon on the highway, and at $1.95 a gallon (at time of review), equals $0.07 per mile driven. Two cents a mile difference doesn't seem like much, until you start adding up the miles. For the 525 miles I drove the diesel SportWagen, I saved an estimated $10.50 over what the gas engine would have provided.
But the wagon provides much more than savings at the pump. The interior space is enormous, ranging from 32.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back seats, and a whopping 66.9 cubic feet of cargo space when the back seats are folded flat.
This is all in a vehicle that looks sleek and sporty. This definitely is not your grandfather's station wagon. In fact, during the test week, I had several people ask me if the car was a Lexus product. One person thought it was an Audi. All were shocked when they noticed the VW on the front grille.
Adding to the sporty feel are a number of options: leather seats, a navigational system, Sirius Satellite radio and an impressive panoramic sunroof.
The sunroof, which runs the entire length of the SportWagen, was one of my favorite features. It was like driving a convertible that keeps you protected from the elements. It's the kind of car that could double as a cool tent -- in fact, my daugther and I laid down in the back of the car and had plenty of leg room while looking up through the large glass roof.
As with all family cars, safety ratings are critical, and the SportWagen does not disappoint.
The car rates four out of five stars in frontal safety and five out of five in side safety.
Overall, customer reviews echo praises for the SportWagen TDI. Using 71 total customer car reviews at Edmunds.com, ratings were developed.
The car received 9.4 out of 10 stars in overall, scoring 10-out-of-10 in performance, comfort, reliability and fun-to-drive.
The only glaring improvement suggested by customers and reviewers alike was an all-wheel drive option, which currently is not offered.
The bottom line is that the SportWagen TDI can take you, your family and your stuff farther, for less.
News
Related Photos
Discussion
Efficient diesel engine, large cargo space set Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI apart
- News
-
-
Getting caffeine fix as easy as taking deep breath
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.
-
Jerry Sandusky argues for local jurors, suggests delay
HARRISBURG — Jerry Sandusky wants jurors in his child sex-abuse trial to be chosen from the community where he lives and is suggesting a trial delay may be the best way to address the intense publicity generated by the case.
-
State House enters second day of debate on gas drilling bill
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's House of Representatives is beginning its second day of debate on a bill to impose a fee on natural-gas drilling in Pennsylvania and toughen regulations over the booming industry.
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
DANVILLE – Three people charged with selling heroin and Oxycotin tablets during two separate transactions at a convenience store lot Jan. 2 will face court action.
-
Danville school options aired with borough council
DANVILLE — After borough officials pledged to work with school officials toward a decision on the flood-damaged middle school, council members voted not to give or sell any farmland it owns. The purpose of the unanimous action by the council Tuesday night was so the district knows that rumored option to move the school won’t happen. The borough owns a farm across from the Danville Primary School.
-
Five watershed projects receive $873,000 in state funding
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Five Valley watershed projects will get nearly $873,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection, which announced funding for 73 projects to improve watersheds, stormwater runoff, acid mine drainage and educational programs, among other environmental efforts.
-
Dispute turns into gun threat, troopers say
After an argument in which his wife threatened divorce, William Warren Woolsey, 36, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and told her to meet him in the bedroom, saying he would kill himself, state police at Milton said.
-
Mom allegedly beat toddlers with brush
MIFFLINBURG -- A 22-year-old Mifflinburg mother has been charged with beating her two toddlers with a hairbrush until they bled from abrasions all over their faces and bodies, state police at Milton said. The abuse came to light when Brittany Morgan Sullivan's parents came home and found the wounds on their grandchildren, according to police.
-
Commissioners give disabled Sunburian a chance
SUNBURY -- A 22-year-old disabled man asked the Northumberland County commissioners a life-changing question last week. "Can I have a job?" Giuseppe Bua, of Sunbury, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disorder in which bones break easily. Sometimes the bones break for no known reason. The disorder also can cause weak muscles, brittle teeth, a curved spine and hearing loss.
-
Trucking firm to add 25 drivers
MILTON -- The president of Watsontown Trucking Co. said Tuesday that his firm will be hiring 25 truck drivers in addition to several diesel technician and management positions, all due to expansion. President Steve Patton said the company, which has been in the Milton Industrial Park since 2004, bought 14 additional acres in the park, adding 10,000 square feet of office space and maintenance facilities. Construction on the new space, he said, will begin shortly and is targeted to be completed by June.
-
Mayor wants trucks to help fund roads
SUNBURY -- Mayor David Persing is frustrated with truck traffic entering the former Celotex site on North Front Street, and he wants to do something about it. Charge an impact fee. Gas companies have paid millions to repair roads damaged by trucks in the Marcellus shale region, and Persing wants to levy a fee to compensate the city for damage to roads caused by trucks hauling drilling waste through the city. About $25 per truck per visit, he said.
-
18-year-old dies in truck crash on Routes 11-15
LIVERPOOL -- An 18-year old Selinsgrove man was killed when his pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer on Routes 11-15 in Perry County.
- More News Headlines
-
