2009 Jetta TDI Mileage a Letdown?
May 21, 2008 – 11:24 am by Dan Volkens
Filed under Volkswagen Jetta
Our friends at Autoblog.com got their hands on the EPA’s estimates for the upcoming 2009 Jetta TDI… and they’re not lookin’ too good.
According to the EPA, the new-fangled TDI will only pull 30mpg city and 41mpg highway, making an average of 34mpg. That’s WAAAAY below Volkswagen of America CEO Jacoby’s claims of up to 60mpg possible with the new diesel engine. Only real world results will tell in time, and with gas prices we can only hope it falls closer to that 60mpg. Read more at Autoblog.com
2009 Jetta TDI Mileage a Letdown?
May 21, 2008 – 11:24 am by Dan Volkens
Don’t you know it’s better for the ‘enviroment’ to use 2 or 3 times more fuel? No, really! ‘But, they burn cleaner that way’
Anyone should be able to do the math in their heads and see how much ‘better for the enviroment’ it is to use that much more fuel!
Look at it this way: ‘Green appliances’ actually use less electricity than older ones did. Ever compare a new front loading washing machine to an older one? They use about half of the water the old top loaders used. Any way you look at it: This is actually an improvement and it is actually better for the enviroment.
On the other hand: the new diesel emissions are supposed to be what, maybe 30% cleaner than ‘old’ diesels? But, if they are using 200% or 300% more fuel, how can that be cleaner overall or better for the enviroment? I say it can’t be!
We are being sold a bad thing all the way around. I’m not ‘brown’ but I consider myself a true greenie! Saying your green; but, actually making it worse for the enviroment is just plain bad. If the new emissions were better, the mileage would go up from what we used to have.
Remember American gas cars in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s? They were undergoing a transformation to make them ‘cleaner’. It sucked! They didn’t run right, got poor mileage, and I say were just plain bad for the enviroment.
Instead of trying to force these types of systems on us before they are ready, the government should just make it benificial to business to get them perfected and to us. If given a chance, free enterprize is the best system and works amazingly well, if given the chance!
It seems hard to fathom that kind of mileage drop – I’ve talked to many people with the earlier edition Jetta V Diesels getting 55 to 60 mpg with consistency.
My guess is it’s in the testing parameters with the Fed’s new methods, or of US fuel being of lower quality (I’ve read it’s 30-something on a list about 100 long) even though they say the new fuel is cleaner.
I have a difficult time believing the petro companies will lose any profits through better mpg figures. As an aside to all that, there is a another problem when processing certain ‘bio-fuels’ – the processing ratio of water to finished product – E.G., 5gls of water to 1gl of ethanol.
Any way, we’ll have to wait and see…..won’t be good for VW if it’s true…… I hope it’s not true.
The EPA is full of S#%&!!!!! I own a 2009 VW Jetta TDI. I’m getting 600+ miles of cruising range (highway and city!). I heard that once you put some milage on the motor you get better fuel milage. Anyways this car really, really impresses me. Not only the fuel milage but the huge torque combine to make this an amazing car.
That’s good to hear Brett! I am strongly considering getting a new Jetta TDI for my wife come January, so we’ll see.
I own a 2009 TDI Jetta SportWagen and it gets much better MPG than advertised. I’m averaging 37MPG in city driving (lots of hills) and about 46mpg on the highway so far. I’m still in the break-in period and expect better MPG after breaking it in.
VW hired a 3rd party to evaluate the MPG’s on the new TDI and they came up with 38city and 44highway in their study for what it’s worth.
When it comes to Performance per MPG this TDI engine cannot be beat!
Great Chris, I’m glad to start seeing some real world results.
I just bought a 2009 Jetta TDI and so far I’m getting about 38- 42 mpg city (in the traffic of the metropolitan Washington DC area). I havent taken it on the highway yet for a cruise, but I’m planning on heading out this weekend. I’ll keep you updated! I had a 2006 Jetta TDI that I traded for the 2009 and theres a pretty big difference in the way it drives. I’m loving it so far.
Awesome, thanks Amber!
A couple did break the Guinness World Record with 58.8 mpg on a 48-state tour. They are experts in techniques for squeezing the most mileage out of a car. This is not what you’ll get in ordinary usage.
I have a 2009 Jetta TDI. I got 33 mpg on my first tank. Seem to have gotten just about the EPA figure. Judging from the computer mpg readings, however, mileage is improving as the car is broken in. Taking the same trip twice 2 weeks apart, it was 40 mpg the first time and 44 the second time. On Sunday, the mpg crept up to 49 on my trip home from church, the first time I’d seen better than 44. In stop and go, it’s in the low thirties.
I think I will wind up doing better than the EPA sticker figures, but don’t expect to do anything remotely like the Guinness World Record. The car is much nicer than the butt-ugly Prius, but I doubt it will quite match the Prius’ mileage.
Nobody’s mentioned if they’re driving an automatic or manuel. My 2009 Jetta TDi is new. I’ve gotten 31 on first two tanks. Mixed driving with air on low. It’s an automatic. Any comments?
I mean,”manual”. I live in California and usually buy Shell or Union 76.
Just bought the new 2009 Jetta TDI, so far it out-performed the EPA’s figures, betten city and highway I average about 44mpg and I’m going on my third tank of diesel.
What ever the case is this is a whole lot better than than what I was getting with my Q7 as daily commuter
I’ve talked to the people at the dealer and they told me the EPA estimates are way off the actual figures due to harsher guidelines so the customer will not be tricked.
I own a 2005 Beetle TDI with the 1.9L and it is amazing. Got about 65000 on it from new and still drives and performs like a dream. Consistently get 40 mpg. I live in L.A and do a lot of city driving and my mileage still comes out to 40 or above. Went to LV a few weeks ago and was getting 46 MPG. I calculate every time I fill up: the amount of miles driven divided by the amount of diesel put in at the pump.
That new jetta tdi has to better than that. The amount of torque it puts out should make it worth it regardless.
I’ve had my 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen since mid-August 2008. I’m at almost 3,000 miles and have gone through about 6 tanks. I calculate my mileage at each fillup, in addition to watching the live mpg gauge on the display. All tanks have been between 34 and 37 mpg. I live in the high mountains of Colorado. Nearly all of my driving is highway, although I go up and over passes a lot. I accelerate moderately (except passing) and try to drive for good mileage. I have the 6-speed manual transmission.
Even though this is pretty good compared to most of the rest on the world’s fleet (and my last Subaru, a turbo Outback that clocked in around 22mpg), I am disappointed. I expected mid-40’s minimum, and over 50 on good days. I just got back from the dealer where they went over everything and pronounced the car functioning perfectly. They continue to say that the engine needs to break in, and by 5K or so I’ll be in the 40’s. If it’s trending upward, it’s going slowly.
My wife also has a TDI, the 2003 Jetta Wagon. She gets in the high 40’s most of the time. I expected the newest TDI to do even better, and so far, it’s coming up short. Anybody else?
Other than the mileage on my new TDI, I will say that it is an outstanding vehicle. It drives very well, is comfortable, roomy, killer audio, and the skyroof is impressive. A great German engineered car for $25K.
I have a 2003( manual) TDI and i get 48-50 mpg driving it 80 miles a day of which 60 of those miles are highway at 65-70 mph. I am interested in a 2009( manual). Can anyone or everyone give me some feedback on the 2009 with a manual xmission being drive primarily on the highway at around 70 mph.
Ok…i’m thinking 9000 miles is enough to write my version of what the 2009 TDI is doing.
I am a salesman and I drive between 800 and 1200 miles per week. I purchased a 2009 Jetta TDI automatic on 10/2/08 and am approaching 10K miles already. The bulk of my driving is within a 75 mile radius of Manhattan (NYC) and I do an equal amount of both highway and city driving (time wise).
Let me preface this review by stating that the MFD (Multi Function Display) is very accurate. It gives you MPG1 and MPG2. #1 is automatically reset after 2hrs of ingition off time. #2 can only be reset by the driver. I use mpg2 to check against my fill mpg calculations and am always within 1 or 2 mpg’s. You CAN use it along with the cruise control to find the “sweet spot” for economy on long drives.
My first tankful netted 33MPG and quite frankly I was worried that I had made a mistake in purchasing this new diesel, especially seeing as regular gas is now below $1.50 in NJ and diesel is still $2.65. My last tankful was over 45MPG and I have actually had runs on the NJ TPK that have netted me close to 58MPG for over 100 miles. I’ve actually removed some of the lead from my right foot since I purchased this car, it helps too.
Mileage has definitely increased over the 10K miles but not all attributed to the car. Diesels like heat….the more the better…..the warmer the temperature is the better the MPG’s. I drove yesterday morning 150 miles from Albany to Manhattan, was 9 degrees (no problem starting either) when I left and couldn’t get better than 29 on the hwy. Today was 55 degrees and I averaged 43 mpg’s combined city/hwy driving for 159 miles. I’m curious to see how I do in the summer temps.
Idling is a killer for this engines fuel economy, if you sit at idle it literally drinks the fuel. You can watch your mpg’s drop by the minute as the MFD updates every 5 seconds. I have had days where I averaged 45mpg and when I return home to NYC, the 30 minutes it takes me from the GWB to my parking spot can cost me 7 MPG and my average for the day drops to 38mpg. I’ve actually gotten into the habit of keeping the ignition off when I am sitting in the car on the phone of doing some paperwork.
I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am with this vehicle. I’ve driven older TDI’s and this engine blows them away with the torque. 0-60 in 8 seconds. The MPG trade off from the older models is minimal comparative to the performance this thing gives. It’s even comfortable for my 6′3″ 240 lb body.
I am just about to fill up for the first time my new 2009 TDI Sportwagen tomorrow morning. I have a 6 speed manual and the 17″ wheels. Most of the driving on this first tank has been in the city. I am not sure how long the dealer ran the engine iddle while doing the prep. I do remember it also ran iddle for a bit while we did the walk around and went over the demostration. But so far based on my calculations it appears I am going to get 34 mpg on this first tank. The temp is mild so I only used the a/c a handfull of times. I look forward to the “breakin” and a long trip.
So far, I am happy how it responds and the way it moves. My other car is a Mercedes C350 so the Sportwagen is performing quite satisfactory. I did not get the Panorama sunroof but decided to invest on the radio/nav/audio package to try to match my other car. I am very happy I did it. The nav is very good too and the nav database from VW is actually better than the one I have on my other car. I wish VW had placed stearing wheel controls and telephone /bluetooth controls on the wheel as wheel as part of the radio/nav/audio package. But I will survice!
More later…
Thanks for the reviews and your experiences so far guys!
Consumer Reports tested the car at 23/47. This averages to 33, basically the same as the EPA sticker mileage. The Consumer Reports results are confirmed by my 3 1/2 months driving the Jetta TDI. I have averaged 33 mpg. I am somewhat disappointed as all indications seemed to be that the EPA mileage methodology significantly underestimated the mileage of diesels, so I expected much better than the EPA estimate. However, it is still among the Top 10 mileage cars, and otherwise is definitely nicer than other high mileage cars.
As Consumer Reports noted, virtually everything about the car is excellent, with the exception of performance at very low speeds. That CR reported that problem makes me think what I have experienced is not a problem of tuning my individual car, but just how the power train works. It often feels like it is stalling out at very low speeds, but the engine is in fact still running. You need to gun the accelerator pedal to get it going again, and to keep at a steady pace with traffic which is just crawling is very difficult.
Other than that one problem, performance is excellent in all respects. And the car is put together beautifully, with lots of really neat small touches. The Jetta has been around a long time, and VW has clearly worked carefully to correct all aspects that weren’t the best. So many things are better than my previous 1996 Jetta. And the car feels really solid. My wife didn’t like me buying a VW, but she now really loves the car.
If I had known that the EPA mileage estimate was basically accurate, I’m not sure I would have bought the car. I might have bought a Honda Fit or Toyota Corolla. These aren’t as nice cars, but they’re very good cars, they get about the same mileage, they’re a lot lower price, and they use much cheaper regular gas instead of diesel. So although the Jetta TDI is overall clearly a better car, the Fit and Corolla probably offer better value for the dollar. The caveat to that is the reliability and long life of diesel engines vs. gasoline engines, which may even out the value.
With the gas high mileage cars, you do suffer a performance deficit. I rented a Corolla on a vacation in Colorado. Even flooring it, I often could not reach the speed limit going uphill. I doubt my Jetta TDI would have had any problem at all with the hills and mountains.
My husband and I got our 2009 TDI the end of August. It is an automatic and we put at least 550 miles on it a week. We broke the 10K mark this week and the fuel mileage has been outstanding, definitely exceeding the EPA estimates . We were easily getting 49+ MPG before winter hit in Alaska. The temperature does make a difference, but even at -7 degrees it still gets mid to high 30s on the highway. We love our car and even though diesel is still well above $3 here, we spend half as much on fuel as we did in our Accord or our 4Runner.
I recently got a 2009 TDI with an automatic. It is awesome. I come from a 1994 Ford Escort with 196,000 miles on the stock engine/transaxle. Way I figure it, I got a lot more pep than my 88HP and 110lb.ft. of torque that I was in.
When it was 58 degrees outside, on a cruise back from Akron to Mentor, Ohio I got constantly 85-88MPG on my heads up display. I was going 58 MPH, and the wind was gusting 20MPH from the south to the north. (the wind was to my back). When I drafted a semi (3 seconds back) I got 102-111MPG.
I also have family in Michigan. From Mentor, OH to Grand Rapids, Michigan about (330 miles) I am just a hair over the halfway point. Set it to cruise at 65 MPH the whole way, and I get about 52MPG When it is about 37-42 degrees F.
I love the Jetta TDI and am very satisfied with it. Now I got to get the woman into a 2010 Rabbit Diesel instead of her Dodge Ram 1500 that gets 13-14MPG on cruise at 60MPH
Let me try this again.. sometimes I hate internet explorer.
Okay, I got my 2009 TDI on Oct 7th 2008 and I’ve put just about 1500 miles on it. I agree with the poster who said the TDI drinks fuel when idling. I have 2 questions for ya’all.
First is how do you justify the additional cost of diesel vs unleaded? 15 gallons at 2.50/gal vs 15 gallons at 1.35gal is an additional $17 dollars. When gas prices skyrocket again… and they will, we’ll be back to paying $5 a gallon for diesel if not $6 while unleaded will somewhere in the range of $4+. That’s quite a difference. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.
2nd question is how reliable is this 2009 TDI going to be over the long haul? I’d like to be able to keep mine for 10 years if possible. I’ve heard a lot of comments from my friends that VW’s aren’t as reliable as ford/chevy etc in terms of maintenance repairs.
My favorite thing about my TDI, besides my average of 35mpg around town, is the dvd navigation with SiriusXM. LOVE IT!!!!
I recently choose to but money into my 2003 Jetta wagon, replacing timing belt, glow plugs, EGR valve. I’m in MN and do a lot of in town driving, I get 46-52 MPG. year around! Sure a bit more power and the cute style of the 2009 would be nice, but I can’t stand the thought of a lower mpg.
I did the math and yes it’s confusing at first but I figured out that the price per mile is a lot less with the higher mpg. So disregard my previous posting.
Unfortunately I have bad news to report. I drove from Las Vegas to Big Bear Lake in California and only averaged 40 mpg. That’s a full 11 mpg less than the same trip done in September. Is it because it’s colder now than it was in September? I don’t understand why my mpg is so low compared to 3 months ago.
Hmmm, it could be the weather or altitude affecting your mileage Robert, but don’t quote me on it. :D
I purchased my TDI Sportwagen automatic on 12/6/2008. This is my first diesel auto and bought it for the functionality and the purported engine efficiency. I am not getting mileage anything close to what most posters are stating. I have
filled the tank four times and have averaged below the EPA estimate for city, coming in around 26.5 to 28.5 depending on the week. Most of my driving is around town. Everytime I get into the car I see ten miles shave off the MFD range projection. The car has 1700 miles on it. Any thoughts to why mileage is so low? What is this break-in period I read and hear about, and how does weather play into performance with a diesel? Love the car, great fit and finish, amazing skyroof, carries many hockey bags with ease, but I am totally bummed about the mileage.
Mileage in anywhere in the 20’s is _really_ bad for the 2009 Jetta TDI. Either you have a very heavy lead foot and are beating the crap out of the car or you’re letting it sit idle far too long or there is something wrong. I would go to your dealer service center and talk to them. I have learned, thanks to another poster here, that the car DRINKS gas when idle and based on my previous posting I am convinced the car doesn’t do well in cold weather which we’ve had here in Vegas for some time now. Personally I don’t have a lead foot and cruise control it around 70 when driving the highways. I’m getting about 35mpg with my current tank driving around Vegas which I’m happy with. I really hope when it gets warmer the mpg goes up. We’ll see.
when its cold place something over the radiator to block wind, trucks have been doing this for a long time you might find a special fit item but some just use cardboard
I have a 09 jetta tdi, manual with 7200 miles on it. Got the car in end of october.
I am averaging 32-33 mpg driving 70/30 city/highway. I am also driving it like I stole it and taking trips 2-5 miles away. The best i got was 55 mpg from ky to mich (300 miles).
Cold weather, short trips, low mileage on the odometer, babying the engine, and not doing simple fuel saving tips can eat our mileage and maybe even worse.
TDICLUB.com is the best place for info.
I’m very disappointed in the 2009 TDI Jetta Wagon. The best it has gotton on the highway at 65mph is 37mpg and it has 5000 miles on it. It also has a hugh problem with the throttle, at times you push the accelerator and nothing happens, you just sit there. Problem is it’s intermittent and my dealer says everything looks fine. Hope it doesn’t get me killed. The mpg just sucks !!! Its an automatic. My 2004 TDI jetta sedan automatic over the exact same route gets 42 to 43mpg sometimes 46mpg. I would just love to get 44mpg, but it’s not looking to promising. My 2004 jetta has occasional hesitation on the accelerator especially in the summer, but nothing like this 2009.
The transmission isn’t very great in snow country, if you get stuck, it’s very difficult to get the rocking motion going to get yourself unstuck. I also hate that on the wagon they took controls for speed and radio off the steering wheel and put them on levers on the side. I also don’t care for how the transmission seems todo braking for you.
I love TDI, but this 2009 hasn’t been that great so far.
After reading all reports on the fuel consumption on the 2009 tdi ,I think we will be keeping our 2003 tdi for a bit longer.
The wife is the main driver with 2.5 hours of highway driving a day.She always looking for cheap fuel .But I have found that you get better milage with Sunoco fuels .I later found out that there is more cetane in there product ,and yes there fuel is more money per gallon.So I get get wife to add a couple of ounces of a cetane additive when purchasing cheaper fuel,The cheaper fuel without the additive runs around 40 miles to the gallon .With the additive can sometimes brings it up to 50 again.
Maybe this why the 2009 tdi is week on fuel economy.It may need a high cetane fuels , Has any one else seen this difference when adding cetane.
TDI, like all VWs are a gamble. We owned a ‘98 and an ‘00 (and two ‘86 Cabriolets). The ‘00 was a disaster from start to finish. Problem after problem and tons of money went into that car. I never achieved more than 36-38 mpg. I happily traded it in for next to nothing for a ‘06 Mazda3. The mileage isn’t as good, but what we save in repairs makes up for it. Now, the ‘98, on the other hand is a TANK. Nothing can hurt it. We didn’t spend a dime on it other than maintenance and have since sold it to a friend who is having just as much success; truly a great car. So, if you choose to buy one and it doesn’t perform exactly as you want it to, trade it in before the warranty is up, not that any of the malfunctions on the ‘00 were covered.
I own a 2009 TDI Sportswagen, manual 6 speed with 16″ wheels. So far at 5,200 miles I always get 37 mpg no matter what. 40 mpg in hwy. If I use the a/c it goes between 36 to 37 mpg.
I read once you hit around the 10k miles the mpg jumps up quite nice.
So far no problems.
The ride is much smoother and nicer than another 2006 Jetta sedan I drove recently.
got at tdi sedan w/manual tranny in december, normally get anywhere from the high 30’s to low 50’s. typically mid to high 40’s. have had an electrical problem. after the 3rd trip to the dealer, the engine wiring harness was replaced. seems to solve the problem.
overall love the car.
I have a 2006 automatic and my wife has a 2009 automatic. I get a very consistent 37-38mpg driving 40 miles back and forth to work in mixed (sometimes stop and go, sometimes 60+) traffic each day. My wife is only getting about 33mpg (she only has about 4000 miles on it so far), but she only drives about 15 miles a day and never gets above 45.
When we swap cars I get just a little less than my 2006 (36-37mpg) and she gets just about the same, so I don’t think it is a huge drop off. Our first trip over 200 miles came out to be about 43mpg, which is consistent with my 2006 as well.
Someone mentioned the improved mileage after 10k miles and that is something that I saw in my 2006. I averaged about 34-35mpg before than and the it started improving and has never dropped back down without a good explination (like being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for over an hour 3 times in one week).
My husband and I recently (by recently I mean about 2 weeks ago) purchased a 2009 TDI manual Jetta Sportwagen – It only has a little over 600 miles on it so far (we were the first drivers, even the first and only people to test drive it), and we’re getting about 31 city/41 highway so far. We haven’t taken it on any trips over 30 miles yet, and I am excited to do so. We’re getting great mileage even though we’re still in the breaking in period, so I’m looking forward to see how well she does in the long run. We’re extremely pleased with this car, especially aftere coming from a 2004 Ford Focus and a 1998 Ford Contour. My parents have a 2002 TDI New Beetle and a 2006 TDI Jetta Sedan, and they say that both of their cars are solid as rocks (my dad’s New Beetle already has 190,000 miles on it), so I know that we’ll have this car for the long haul.
I just bought a 2009 Jetta TDI yesterday in Indianapolis. Last night I got 40 mpg on mixed downtown, freeway, suburban driving. Coming home today on the Interstate at 65 mph I averaged 48 mpg over 150 miles. Driving home from work this afternoon on rural highways I averaged 44 mpg. Not bad for day one.
I dunno what folks are bitchin’ about. In my first week since I’ve bought my new 2009 Jetta TDI (auto), I’m getting, in combined VERY URBAN (Washington DC) & suburban Driving (Md), approx 41.8 MPG. Hybrids….KISS MY REAR BUMPER, ’cause with this mileage and the 240lbs torque I’m in heaven!!!!
Have a 2009 Jetta tdi sportwagen with 400 miles on it. Just filled it up and the numbers were 36mpg. I would be happy with 20 mpg because the car is so much more than I ever expected. It is built like a tank, is quiet, handles like a sports car, plenty of room, tons of convenience features, fast as hell, unbelievable torque and it is beautiful. I wanted some color so held out for a red one with beige interior. Gorgeous combination. Did not want an automatic but that’s what I ended up with and am pleased I did. The automatic is unbelievable. Just like the world rally car transmissions. Direct, and you can’t feel the shifts. Am tickled to death with this car. To get this kind of quality and performance I would have paid $10K more for the car than it actually sold for. One problem I am going after is to try and disable the daytime running lights. I hate them. In reading some of the comments I have to laugh at some of the baby whiners who make work at trying to find something to complain about on this car.
My first tank in my sedan delivered 36.6 mpg and it looks like the second will be in the 38-39 range. Its less a matter of the engine improving than the car “training me” to drive differently. It’s not a much over my 99 Honda Civic at 33+ overall but it’s way more comfortable and a whole lot more fun.
I am now into my second month with my 2009 Jetta TDI with the 6 speed. I drive 1000 miles a week, almost exclusively highway and average about 75 mph when on the highway. Currently I am getting an average of about 42 mpg’s and am somewhat disappointed although not overly so. The mileage has been increasing as I get through the break-in period and as the weather warms up. I was relatively spoiled as I was getting 50 mpg’s in warm weather in my 2001 TDI and was hoping to get close to that with the new one. Overall I am expecting less due to the new low sulfur diesel fuel and also because this car is a little heavier than the last one. The TDI’s will get better mileage in warm weather due to the mix of kerosene (or whatever they are using now) to keep the diesel from gelling up in the winter. Previously I was averaging 45 mpg’s in winter and 50 in warm weather. I hope that after I get to the 10K mark the mileage will jump as some suggest but the bottom line is that if I get to 45 mpg’s I will be happy. Overall I am thrilled with the car and it’s performance, it rides beatifully, the handling is outstanding and all of the standard features that VW puts into their cars make this a bargain at almost any price. If the reliability is anything close to my previous TDI then there will be nothing to complain about. When I sold my car with 260K on it, it still had the original clutch and exhaust system and ran like a dream. Not only that, I was still able to get over $4K for it, even with that mileage. I would highly recommend this car to anyone, even at the price of diesel (although at this writing it is only ten cents more than regular gas). It is also noteworth that this is now classified as a “green car” due to mileage ratings and lowered emissions so it qualifies for the “green” tax credit ($1,300 I think). Best of luck to anyone who owns one or is thinking about buying one, go for it!!
That’s great Scott. :D I’m still holding for my next ride to possibly be a TDI. Especially with my commuting. I drive around 40 mi. give or take from the outskirts of Cincinnati to downtown everyday for work.
Got the 2009 Jetta October 08. We just now have over 7,000 miles on it. We took a trip cross country and have been very impressed with between 46-49 highway mpg between Little Rock and Asheville both ways at 70-75 mph. Our 2004 Golf diesel usually got 46-48. City has been consistent at 33-34 mpg with our Golf at 36. I’d take the Jetta anyday and find it WAY more comfortable than my sister’s Pious, I mean Prius. So, more power, more comfort, more room….I don’t see what the gripes are about. I’m getting 15-20% better than advertised mileage without driving like a grandma. I love it!
2009 Jetta TDI 4th tank was 40.1 but I had to drive conservatively (55-62 mph) on the highway to make up for the city miles. I think I’m easily getting 44-50 on the highway miles traveling with the traffic (65-75 mph).
I have a 2009 Jetta TDI automatic, I bought it because of all the rave on how great the mpg. Mine gets 31-35 on the same drive everyday, the same speed 50 +/- 5 mph,same driving conditions. I am truly dissapointed with it. I have had it to the dealer several times and they seem to be able to talk a good game whn they have no idea of how to fix the problem. I say there is a problem because I look at everyone stating that they are getting 40-55+. Other than the mileage it is a great little car but I purchased it for MILEAGE the one thing it wont get.
I also drive a 2001 F250 7.3 Diesel. I just installed a Diablo predator tuner and set it on 85 hp mode. I just made a trip to New Mexico in it and it pulled out 24.2 on one tank. at 70-75 with cruise on. The mountains hit it some but the trip over all it turned out 20.2. I will take that any day to a TDI CLEAN diesel. A little car that can only muster 10-15 mpg more than a 3/4 ton truck. Just don’t seem right to me.
I bought a 2009 Jetta TDI w/ DSG (automatic) transmission in November 2009. I have about 16,000 miles on it now. The last tank I got 39.6 mpg. The tank before that, I got 43 mpg. On a 525 mile one way trip to Tennesseee the last week in March the MFD leveled out at about 42.5 mpg running between 68 and 74 mph. I find that this car gets better fuel economy when running at a constand 45 mph. Yesterday the MFD showed 46.9 mpg after my 22 mile one way commute. On the way home it showed 48.3 when I got off the E-way. Stop and go traffic, rapid acceleration and colder weather seem to lower my observed mpgs. Today it was cooler this morning and the MFD showed only about 44 mpg. Ken must be driving with his foot glued to the floor.
Bought a 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen one week ago from Ontario VW (near LA) because all the dealers in the Pacific NW wanted an extra $4000 on top of window sticker. My son and I had a nice flight down, got picked up at the airport and were on the road within an hour.
We averaged 40 – 42 mpg on highway I-5 traveling a constant 68 – 72 mph. At 55 – 60 mph in Oregon on two lane roads we averaged 46 mpg. Now that we are home, our in town average is in the low 30s. Just as advertised. 38 in town is not realistic, unless something dramatic happens after the breakin period. And by in town I mean in town. 85% off the highways.
I’m very happy with this car and would buy one again. The quality is very good; the engine, transmission, ride and steering feel are excellent for its class and price.
Bought an 2006 auto in 2007. It had 35k. I am impatient, and drive with gas peddal pushed all the way to the floor quite often trying to pass, merge, etc and frequently maintain 85+ mpg with AC on long trips. I have 58k on it now. It runs flawlessly, and I drive the heck out of it. Hand calculating the mpg has never been less than 40mpg for a tank, with a best of about 43mpg average for combined city/hwy, stop and go. Head/tail wind will drastically alter the MFD reported average MPG. On a normal 30 mile (each way) trip to work, heading south in the am into 15-25 mph wind, MFD will report 38 for the trip. In the evening, same route in reverse with tail wind have gotten MFD to report 56+ mpg for same 30 mile trip. Cross country trips, 85+ mph with AC, consistantly get 42+mpg. Doesn’t seem to matter how I drive, average per tank is always 40 to 43 mpg. If I could manage to slow down on a long trip, could probably get 44-46. Also wanted to comment on the comments on “drinking gas at idle”. I don’t belive this is accurate. Yes, the MFD displayed MPG will drop drastically when you stop, because it’s formula for computing your MPG is basically distancedriven/fuelused. When you stop, the distancedriven goes to zero. The fuelused also goes way down, but not to zero. So, the calculated MPG is not an accurate indication of fuel consumption at idle. If you note your MPG, when crusing and you let off the throttle (not completely, because then the instant mpg goes to 0) you will see the instantant mpg go up to 120+ MPG. This is because the fuelused measurement is dropping almost to zero, while your speed is still very high. If you check on line, you should find statistics on fuel consumption of gas vs diesel at idle. Gas motors use 14:1 air:fuel ratio at idle. Diesel motors use anywhere from 60:1 to 100:1 air:fuel at idle, so your diesel actually uses 5-10 times less fuel at idle than a gas motor. This is one reason why you may have noticed the big rigs at truck stops always have their motors running, because it takes almost no fuel to keep them going. I have friends that like to go hunting, and the sleep in the cab of their dodge megacab trucks. They leave it running all night to keep the heat going. They have told starting it at night with 1/4 tank of fuel, they can run it all night, and in the morning, they hardly notice the needle moving off 1/4 tank. It’s a 31 gallon tank, so they may have used 2 gallons to idle the 5.9 liter 350HP cummins motor used in the dodge for 8-9 hours. If that motor (which has 300% more displacement than the 1.9L TDI) can idle for 8+ hours on 2 gallons, I would imagian the TDI could do much better. Would venture to guess you could idle for 50% less than the big truck motor? But I don’t have any data to base this on. Maybe one day I can turn on the TDI, let it run for 2 hours, then verify how much gas was used. I also noted that defrosting the windshield is difficult in the winter, because the TDI doesn’t seem heat up unless you drive it. I have let it idle for 20 minutes, and the defrost is still luke warm.
Bought 09 tdo sport wagon this past July 09. Only one left in the Chicago area. Milage hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. Low 30’s in city/ high 30’s on highway. Have yet to see milage in the 40’s and car is approaching 3000k. Hopefully as engine breaks in these numbers will improve. My question is about break in oil. This being our first deisel, does this still apply. I know the dealer told me every 10,000k mikes for oil changes. Any thoughts
Bought 09 tdi sport wagon this past July 09. Only one left in the Chicago area. Mileage hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. Low 30’s in city/ high 30’s on highway. Have yet to see mileage in the 40’s and car is approaching 3000k. Hopefully as engine breaks in these numbers will improve. My question is about break in oil. This being our first diesel, does this still apply. I know the dealer told me every 10,000k mikes for oil changes. Any thoughts
Hey Mark, I did a bit o’ research on it, since I’m unfamiliar with the TDI’s intricacies, and came across this general article on diesel break-in. I would assum that your numbers will improve some as you get some mileage on it.
2009 Jetta TDI 2009 standard
Location: Houston, Texas
Mileage: 15,755
Mileage varies between 35 and 28 mpg and is worse in Summer (due to AC usage and heat). I do not hypermile, or drive 45 on the freeway, just normal driving in the city. Trips are composed of 50% freeway 60-65 mpg, and 50% stop and go. The mileage is a disappointment, but I like the car very much. That being said, I would not buy the car again, I would buy a Corolla or wait for a lighter car with a TDI.
I have a 2009 Jetta TDI Sedan. I have 10K on it. I consistently get 40mpg average on a tank. I drive 61 miles to work every day with speeds of 60, 56 & 75 mpg with occasional bursts above this. Sometimes hitting 3 digits on the speedo. I get 42.5 to 45 mpg every day going to work. I set the cruise, but am not afraid to open it up every so often. 3 Stars: Economy, Performance & Style especially with VW’s V Vision 17″ wheels. How many cars on the market can give you all 3 in one package.
I’m reporting in again after five months of owning a 2009 Jetta TDI. I love this car. 13,000 miles driven already, mostly highway and rural roads, 30% city, first oil change at 10k. I keep track of my mileage on each tank of fuel, figured by hand (the computer is pretty accurate, but not exactly), tank filled all the way up the neck after diesel foam settles. I’ve never gotten below 40 mpg average for a tank. My best tank was 46 mpg (good fuel and mostly interstate). Average is about 43 to 44 mpg. The car is getting more efficient the more miles I have on it. Low to mid 40’s average per tank seems to be what other owners on the forums are reporting (TDIclub, etc.). Those guys are real sticklers for detail.
That’s great steveb, glad it’s treating you well! Those numbers are what I’d expect, but I guess a number of factors can affect it, as others have noted here. :)
Had my car two months, TDI Sedan, 6-gear manual, 4200 miles.
I have a 40 mile commute, much of it in unimpeded highway. Under good conditions (constant speed) I can easily get 47-49 mpg during the commute- this requires that I get in 6th gear ASAP, and run it at 62 mph. If I am not disciplined or am doing some speed run, I can still come in at 40-44 very very easily.
Let me reiterate, it is that sixth gear that really makes the gas economy shine.
I can sometimes beat the mileage from the cruise control by ‘driving naturally’, i.e. don’t leadfoot it up an incline and let it drop below 60, then speed up on the downslope. In all circumstances the key is to not hit the accelerator for anything then quick spurts to maintain speed, and otherwise keeping it light.
In town I can go from 20mpg for local 1-3 mile errands to 33 in-town, so for the kind of driving I do my total tank value averages out to 40-44.
I CANNOT wait to put this pup on the road, I am convinced I can get 50+ easily.
So in summation, you really have to look at the kind of driving you do- if there is a lot of stops and starts and accelerations and loss of momentum, or a lot of hills, it likely will be dissapointing mileage for you if you are not the disciplined accelerator type. Treat the accelerator like you would a space craft, short bursts when needed but save that gas for when you need it, and you will do well.
A further note, I went with the Internet salesman, he got me a sweet price that was equal to a civic with the same safety features (most notably the Electronic Stability Control, a must-have), with all the features and a good repair record this car could be a civic killer if they keep it in the same price range.
To whom it may concern,
I bought my 2009 TDI Jetta Automatic in June 2009/Summer. I bought it entirely because of the fuel economy as advertised/referenced by the dealer here. I now have 7,500 miles on the car. I drive 40%/city & 60%/highway. I started tracking the fuel in actual odometer readings against the amount of fuel to re-fill at fill-up. I set the computer on number 2 on MPG. The computer reads at 32/MPG and the actual fuel consumed is virtually the same, at each fill-up. I’d have to say that while I’m very disappointed in the fuel aspects of the car which aren’t as advertised the car itself is fine albeit slightly under appointed on the amenities none the less a nice car. The fule economy isn’t good, period. The dealer told me it’s how I drive the car. So I let me wife drive it on our weekend trips to our second home, in central Washington. 75 miles each way & all freeway driving and the “SAME” exact result, no changes. OK, so what else is there. I am given a “Demo” to drive. I’m driving it now. Same milage, 32/MPG +/-.
My goodness. What next?. I do want to say I’m not torked or upset at the dealer, at all. I just think when you put it out there that this car is a fuel saving car and a consumer accepts this and makes an acquisition based on this commentary it does give rise to a feeling of not getting what one paid for. I should say my other car is a 2007 Ford F-150 FX4 4X4. It gets 10 to 12 miles per gallon. Pretty crappy so I thought I’d buy the TDI Jetta. I must say I’m rather (if not totally) disappointed in this car since I “ONLY” bought it because of the preported fuel savings. Maybe my car will improve after it hits the 10K mark, I don’t know. Right now if I had it to do again I’m not sure I’d buy this car. I did drive the hybrid cars and didn’t like them for a number of reasons. None the least of which was they cost more and all the battery part time & fuel the other time confused me and I didn’t want to have to get a college degree to go and acquire one.
I’m not really very pleased at this time. Since it’s still in break in I’ll keep driving it but am waiting for the right now seemingly ficticious 50+ MPG story to evolve.
Regards,
Jim
I bought a 2006 Tdi Jetta and when I first drove the car I was getting about 42mpg(which was the EPAs number on the sticker.) Now, after I broke 100k, I am getting about 45 to 47 mpgs while driving 80+mph with the A/C blasting. I get about 640 miles per tank of low sulfur deisel. I love deisel.
I’ve recently passed the 12k mark on my sedan and it has averaged 37.52 overall. On short, mainly highway jaunts (22-50 miles) I’m getting 42-46 mpg. Just a few minutes at a couple of stop lights can really kill your mileage, though.
Oh, by the way. My overall mileage of 37.52 is not a guess. Or an “about” number. I have logged every gallon pumped in this baby on an Ipod app and it keeps track of everything. I am averaging 37.52 and the average appears to be improving slowly.
Hello Jim in Seattle. The 2 setting on your mileage indicator is for overall mileage and it resets every 100 hours of drive time. It won’t change much on one tank of gas. The 1 setting resets every tank up when you reset the odometer. It will give a more accurate indication or your current driving habits.
Ken
Oops, my mistake. The 1 setting resets every time you’ve not driven in the last two hours. Mine resets overnight and while I’m at work. It’s sort of a running average and its the one you look at when you want to evaluate your current driving habits. You’ll see that it’s in the 26-35 range until you get out on the freeway. Then it gradually goes up until you enter stop-and-go traffic again. Or when you drive 80 mph!
Ken
Great post! love this blog
Using fuel ad dives helps and waiting for the engine to get “broke in” Is this your first new car?
okay so today i decided to test drive a 2010 Tdi jetta.. drove it 15miles.. Nice sales man.. Okay the car had 60miles on it..
Going 65 mph . I got 39-40 mpg.. and Going 55mph seem it said 45mph and going 50mph and getting honked at i got 50 mpg.. I dont no it didnt really impress me for how much it cost.
The one i test drove was a auto.. will a stick get better mpg?
Hey Steven, a stick will always get just sliiiiightly better mileage. It seems they do need some time to break in and eventually get even better mileage.
It’s getting colder here in Detroit. My last tank was only 39.5 mpg. I have just over 24K mmiles now after 13 months of ownership. I have the DSC trany and I’m not looking forward to the first unpaid maintenance visit at 40K miles. I hear the trany fluid must be changed and that alone is about $350. I’m anticipating that maintenance visit will be over $500.
I’m loving the car, except for the optional 17 inch wheels and tires. They looked great, but don’t parallel park with them. The wheel protrudes beyond the tire and they get scraped. The 225/45R17 low profile tires are also more prone to damage by chuck holes. I had one develop a sidewall buldge. I replaced all 4 tires and wheels with the 16 inchers. There is alot more rubber between the rim and the road now.
I bought a used 2009 VW Jetta TDI automatic it was a dealer car so it had 12500 miles on it. It now has 14500 on it and it has been perfect. I have been averaging between 38 and 44 MPG for city/country driving very little interstate. Did one trip on the interstate milage was about 45 to 47. Previously had a Prius which got better MPG but was boaring and handled like a pig. The Jetta is a fun car to drive and I feel very secure driving it. Could be my favorite car ever if it holds up.
I bought my 2009 TDI in March of last year and have over 100,000 miles on it already. I have notice with mine if I drive 50-60 I get about 47mpg and if I go a little faster it drops to about 44 mpg or so. It is an auto and I have only had 2 issues with it, arm rest between the seats broke and only covered till 40000miles and I had an exhaust vavle stick closed causeing an engine light to come on and was covered by warranty. I love the torque and works very well I would recommend this car to anybody.
The last few days I have observed the following results on my Jetta TDI Sedan w/ DSG and 32,200 miles:
5/19/10 To work – 48.4 mpg (temp of 61 F)
5/19/19 Home from work – 50.6 mpg (temp of 79 F)
5/20/10 To work – 48.7 mpg (temp of 66 F)
My commute is about 18 miles on a 8 lane divided highway ( speed limit 40 mph) and 4 miles on an expressway. the average speed is about 35 mph. The ride home yesterday it showed nearly 53 mpg before I drove in the subdivision.
I’m not looking forward to the 40K maintenance visit. I heard it was about $480 including the DSG fluid and filter change.
I own a 2006 Jetta TDI — I just put larger tires 235/45/17 Bridgestone’s and it drives a lot smoother than the original rubber bands I bought it with. As for mileage with 75% highway at 75mph I always get 42-44mpg per tank (I write details about every tank). I now have 56k miles of worry-free fun driving!
I saw the highest average mpg this morning at about 18 miles on 8 Mile Road, 56 mpg!!! After the additional 4 miles on M10 (expressway), I stopped in the parking lot with an average of 54.6 mpg. 37,600 miles on my ‘09 TDI sedan with the DSG tranny.