RE Seay he Site oye bs 9 ERC ere te eats NEWS photo Neil Lucente THE VOLKSWAGEN turbocharged 1.9-litre engine is acceptably quiet at highway cruising speeds, offers comparatively good acceleration and is cleaner than pre- vious diesels, Improved turbo-charged diesel TEST DRIVE VOLKSWAGEN IS the only company. that still offers an affordable, diesel-engined car. Over the years, most other vehi- cle manufacturers dropped diesel- engined cars as the price of diesel fuel rose and the demand for diesel cars dropped. Mercedes-Benz is the only other company that currently offers diesel cars but their least expensive model, the $55,995 E3000 Diesel sedan. is beyond the range of most car-buyers. The popularity of Volkswagen diesel cars is surprising. Almost 40% of all Settas and Golfs sold in Canada have diese! engines. The biggest reason for choosing a diesel engine over a conventional gasoline engine is improved fuel consumption. For example. a Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Diesel averages 6.5 titres per 100 kilome- tres (44 mpg), while a standard Jetta with a 1.8-litre gas engine averages 8.0 litres per 100 kilome- tres (37 mpg). The joy of owning a dicset car means fewer trips to the pumps and lower fuel costs. However, diesel engines have some inherent design drawbacks that make them unattractive to most cur awners. They're noisy (hey rat- deh underpowered. smelly and emit plumes of black smoke from the exhaust pipe when accelerating. And tivy are reluctant to start in sub-zero lemperatures, Some improvements have been oiaide inthe past few years, howev- er. New, turbo-charged diesel engines from Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are quieter, more powerful, cleaner and smoother running. The Volkswagen turbo-charged 1.9-litre engine is acceptably quiet at highway cruising speedy. offers comparatively good acceleation, and is cleaner than previous diesels. The only time black smoke is visible through the rear-view mirror is when the aceclerator is pushed hard to the floor, The Jetta Diesel is siow off the mark but once the revs climb to 2.000 rpm, acceleration is adequate. Zero to 100 km/h in the Jetta Turbo Diesel takes 19.3 seconds, almost twice as long at the 10.4 seconds it takes for a Jetta with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder gas engine, The Jeu Diesel’s top speed is 163 kavh. Previous Volkswagen diesels had a 10-second delay before the engine could be started: this one ean be started right away. There is a pull choke fever te help the engine on cold mornings Jetta Turbo Diesels come with a manual five-speed transtnission only. An atitomiatic Gansmission is not available. T found the nianval tansmission to be a tite stiff when shifting but well-positioned for reach. Like all Jetlas, the Turbo Diesel offers adequate interior room for five passengers. a huge trunk. excelent handling and ride, and a well-appointed interior. The Jetta Turbo Diesel is available in GL trim only. Base GL diesels are not available. Standard cauipment on the GL includes power steering, power door locks (including trunk), AM/FM stereo with eight speakers, rear Window defroster, tilt steering wheel. imermittent wipers, heignt- adjustable driver's seat, lockable fald-down rear seat, anti-theft sys- tem, heated windshicld-washer noz- ales, dual outside mirrors, dual cupholders and a traditional round clock. There are no airbags and no tachometer. Base price of a 1994 Jetta Turbo Diesel is $17,555, exactly the sane price as a Jetia GL 2.0-litre gas model Aside front the standard three vear/O0.000 kor buimper-to-buniper warranty. Volkswacen is naw otter: ing a special 10 year/160,000 kin Powertain warranty atne extra charge to Jetta and Coll buyers until April 30, fler that. the 10 year power. train warranty wilbcost sou an extra $575. Base price $17.555 Type four-door compact sedan Layoul transverse front engine/front-wheel drive Engine 1.9-litre four-cylinder diesel. turbo-charged Horsepower 75 @ 4,200 rpm Torque 107 ft-lbs @ 2.400 rpm Transmission manual Tires PL85/60H R14 all-sea- son radials Curb weight 1.220 kg (2,690 Ibs.) Wheelbase 2.475 mm (97.4 in.) Length 4,404 com (173.4 in.) Width 1.695 mim (66.7 in.) Height (426 mm (56.5 in) Fuel consumption City 7.2 LALOU kin; Flwy 5.0 1/100 km Warranty Basic (hree yoars/ 60,000 king Powertrain 10 seurs/160,000 by five-speed Inquire aboul the Jetta at Wetmore Motors, 2203 Marine Drive in’ West Vancouver.