If You Want to Go Green, Go Clean

Published: April 01. 2010 2:00AM

By Dan Byers
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

My first ride in a diesel powered car made quite an impression. Everywhere we went, heads turned. In fact, people couldn’t help noticing. A loud rattle announced our arrival, and billowing clouds of black smoke marked our trail as we pulled away.

Unfortunately, many Americans had similar experiences, and our collective bad impression of smoky, loud, and painfully slow diesels has lingered for decades.

But diesels have cleaned up their act, and today’s diesels are clean, quiet, efficient and powerful. Electric cars, fuel cells, and other exotic technologies may be the key to the future, but clean diesels from companies such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volkswagen are here today, ready to pave the road to greater energy independence and lower carbon footprints. If you’re ready to take another look at a diesel, here are two that are guaranteed to turn heads in a much better way.

2010 Audi A3 TDI

With the recent introduction of the 2010 A3 TDI clean diesel, Audi is adding a highly efficient diesel powered small luxury car to its increasingly impressive lineup. With high fuel mileage, low greenhouse gas emissions, luxury appointments and a fun-to-drive, sporty nature, the A3 TDI proves you don’t have to give up luxury and performance in order to go green.

The A3’s new 2.0 liter, four cylinder TDI clean diesel produces 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque and achieves an impressive 42 mpg on the highway, the best of any luxury car sold in America.

TDI technology yields 50 percent better fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine with 20 percent fewer emissions, something Green Car Journal recognized when it named the A3 TDI as the 2010 Green Car of the Year. "Many Americans still don't understand the benefits clean diesel provides," said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America. "With far lower carbon emissions and far better fuel efficiency than gasoline, it can truly be said that diesel is no longer a dirty word."

But the best endorsement of Audi’s TDI diesel power plant is how easily you forget you’re driving one. The A3 is quiet and exceedingly comfortable, and the diesel’s torque lets you dart in and out of traffic with ease. Offered only in a five-door body style, the A3 incorporates Audi’s signature LED daytime running lights and unique tail lights with LED light guides. The leather seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel are a delight, and a premium sound system, six-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and Audi’s magnetic ride suspension control system make driving a pleasure.

2010 VW Jetta TDI

When Volkswagen introduced its 50-state-legal, clean-diesel powered Jetta to the U.S. market last year, the automaker hoped to start changing the mindset of a diesel-wary American market. So far, it has. Available in sedan and SportWagen body styles, 30 percent of Jetta sedan buyers and half of all SportWagen buyers now choose diesel. It’s easy to see why.

The VW Jetta is the top-selling European model and has always appealed to drivers seeking German engineering in a versatile, affordable and fun-to-drive package. In TDI trim, the Jetta sedan and SportWagen retain all the character and style that make the car so desirable while achieving an EPA-estimated 30 mpg city and 42 mpg highway.

TDI trim further enhances the European feel with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a ten-speaker premium sound system with satellite radio and 6-disc CD changer, and a power sunroof.

Superb handling, feel and road manners are expected of any VW product, and the Jetta doesn’t disappoint. Four wheel independent suspension with a MacPherson strut package and stabilizer bars keep the grip on the road when it’s time to go, and power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes with vented front rotors and anti-lock braking system keep everything under control when it’s time to stop. But you won’t stop at many fuel pumps, for the Jetta TDI is a lean, green, efficient machine.