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Volkswagen Jetta Gas Mileage

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The Volkswagen Jetta has long been one of the most fuel efficient cars sold in America. While gas mileage figures for the conventionally powered compact Jetta are good, diesel-powered Jettas are remarkably efficient by American standards. Unfortunately, Volkswagen paused the importation of the diesel Jetta TDI to the States with the 2006 model year, in order to make changes to meet the more stringent emissions laws.

Although Volkswagen planned to reintroduce their revamped turbo diesel to the North America market for the 2008 model year, production delays pushed the Jetta SportWagen TDI and Jetta TDI back to the 2009 model year. The pause in importation only caused the resale market for Jetta TDIs to become even more rabid. As with all used diesel-powered VWs, the fuel-efficency and longevity of the TDI engine commands a premium at resale, even with high mileage cars.

We spent a week road testing a 2009 Jetta TDI and found the car to be well worth the wait. Check out our Jetta TDI Sportwagen Review:

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Best Gas Mileage Four Wheel Drive

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Need a four wheel drive with the best gas mileage? Get ready to downsize. None of the best gas mileage four wheel drives (4WDs) are jumbo-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

Simply put, the aerodynamics and vehicle weight of the bulkiest SUVs cause gas mileage to suffer, leading to many a painful transaction at the pump. The trick is to get small(er), lighter, and more slippery. Credit Subaru for getting the ball rolling with popularizing economical 4WD drive passenger cars in the early days. Since 1997, every vehicle Subaru’s offered in America has been all wheel drive.

These days, it’s not just Subaru. There are plenty of four wheel drive choices that are neither truck nor SUV. And forget the notion of pint-sized economy cars. You’ll find a generous helping of 4WD luxury from manufacturers including Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, and Lexus … in fact, you’ll find many of their offerings in the 2008 list of best gas mileage four wheel drives.

Purists will gladly share that there’s a difference between four wheel drive and all wheel drive (AWD). And surely there is … but for a great many folks, it comes down to two simple questions: will it go in the snow and will I go broke feeding it?

At the other end of the spectrum, the little Suzuki SX4 delivers plenty of bang for the buck, by combining the best four wheel drive gas mileage with a low sticker price (for those who don’t just think miles per gallon … but miles per dollar.)

Along with its corporate cousins, the Ford Escape Hybrid proves the exception to the rule as the highest all around mile per gallon (MPG) four wheel drive vehicle. If you can’t get a great deal on an Escape Hybrid at your local Ford dealer, take a look at the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. And if you happen to live in Southern California, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid HEV might be an option … as long as you’re able to snag one of the 350 Tribute HEVs built for this test market.)

2008 Best Gas Mileage Four Wheel Drives

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30 MPG Cars

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Thirty miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway isn’t too much to ask. As the chart below shows, the 30 MPG car isn’t a rarity in America these days. Alas, it’s not nearly as common as it was 25 years ago. Looking back at the lists of high MPG cars built in the early 1980s might be a surprise to some, for the lists were long and the fuel efficiency ratings were high. The 30 MPG car was not an oddity back then … it was more part of our nation’s mindset.

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VW Jetta SportWagen TDI Delayed

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Can’t wait to get behind the wheel of a brand new high-MPG Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI? Get ready to wait a bit longer. A post on the TDI Club forum leaks a letter from VW to its dealer network, spreading the news of a significant delay in the SportWagen TDI’s arrival.

According to the letter, the Jetta SportWagen TDI will not appear after the first of the year, nor in early spring … “late summer 2008” is now the expected time frame.

SEMA 2008 Jetta SportWagen TDI side view - photo courtesy of Volkswagen

Enough of the bad news. Lets get to the good.

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Ford Escape Hybrid: Most Fuel-Efficient SUV on Earth?

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Ford is running an advertising campaign, billing the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid as “the Most Fuel-Efficient SUV on Earth.” There’s no questioning that the Escape Hybrid delivers great gas mileage figures … for a SUV. But the claim that the Escape Hybrid is the world’s best demands closer inspection.

It’s time for a fact check.

While the Escape Hybrid is indeed the most fuel-efficient SUV currently for sale in the United States of America, it might not be the most fuel-efficient SUV in the entire world.

Equipped with a 2.2 liter i-CTDi common rail turbo diesel engine, the all-wheel-drive 2007 Honda CR-V currently on sale in Great Britain is rated at 34.9 Urban / 49.6 Extra Urban / 43.5 Combined in miles per British gallon. Since the British gallon is larger than the US gallon, we need to convert the numbers to US specs.

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