Our long-term Jetta TDI has 4300 miles on it now, and even though it's been in our local VW dealer's service department twice due to faulty seatbelt sensors, today's news of the Jetta's win as Green Car Journal's 2009 Green Car of the Year gives us another reason to smile when we see our blue TDI sitting in the parking lot. We've been achieving fuel economy numbers around 41.5 miles per gallon so far under our normal driving habits, and we're impressed with how powerful this engine is while still being quite economical.

“The Volkswagen Jetta TDI rose to the top as Green Car Journal’s 2009 Green Car of the Year for some very important reasons,” says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal. “Hybrids have dominated the discussion of environmentally positive vehicles in recent years. The highly fuel efficient, 50 state emissions certified Jetta TDI shows that advanced clean diesel has arrived and is poised to change this dynamic. With its affordable price point, refined ride and handling, and high fuel economy, the Jetta TDI shows that hybrids now have a strong competitor in the marketplace.”

Congratulations, TeDI. Click through the post to read Volkswagen's official press release.

BMW has officially announced pricing details about the 3-Series and X5 diesels which will be making their way into American showrooms within the next few months. The 335d will be priced at $44,725 (including a $900 tax credit) while the X5 xDrive35d will command $52,025.

Both of these cars are powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six which will pump out 265 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque. These cars will use urea injection and a particulate filter to clean up the NOx emissions. BMW says that the urea tanks can hold 5.5 gallons of fluid which will last about 15,000 miles. The urea will be replenished at the regular 10,000-mile service intervals (which are free of charge for the first 50,000 miles).

As far as fuel economy goes, the 335d is rated at 23/36 miles per gallon with a range of around 560 miles and the X5 35d should be able to go for 585 miles obtaining 19/26 mpg ratings.

+ AutoblogGreen: BMW officially announces new 335d and X5 xDrive35d diesels

If there's one automaker who seems to be on an increasingly upward trend lately, it's Hyundai. The Koreans took the world by storm with their eight-cylinder, rear-drive Genesis sedan, and the Hyundai folks have now released another bit of engineering to compete more closely with other worldwide automakers.

Hyundai's new four-cylinder diesel R-Engine will be available in both 2.0 and 2.2-liter displacements. The 2.0 produces 181 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of torque while the 2.2 puts out 215 horses and 398 pound-feet. Both engines are more powerful than Audi's new 2.0 TDI engine (170 hp/258 lb-ft).

The first vehicles to get these engines will be SUVs and large sedans sold in Europe, since the R-Engine meets Euro-V emission standards. No word on if this engine will ever make its way to the States, mostly due to our stricter emissions requirements. And to think, we'd love to see a Genesis Coupe with one of these powerplants under the hood.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced at the last North American International Auto Show that his company would bring its first ever diesel engine to the USA in 2009, with most speculating that Acura’s TSX would be the first application of the powerplant.
 
Now various sources are reporting that the i-DTEC TSX has been put in the cooler indefinitely, presumably because the automatic transmission-equipped version of the has been unable to pass emissions testing. While the same source says that the six-speed manual-equipped car was able to cut the EPA mustard, Acura believes that offering the diesel TSX without an automatic option would greatly hurt demand for the vehicle.
 
Meanwhile the V-6 version of the car is reportedly being “fast-tracked” to make up for the diesel lack. That’s potentially good news for TSX fans but doesn’t do much for the growing legions of diesel-lovers in North America.

+ Vtec.net

The folks over at Motor Trend have gotten word that GM is currently talking about the possibility of fitting its 4.5-liter Duramax V-8 turbo-diesel under the hood of the Cadillac CTS. Their sources say that fitting the engine would be relatively easy, so long as Cadillac uses the raised hood found on the new-for-2009 CTS-V.

GM says that this engine is capable of producing more than 310 horsepower and around 520 pound-feet of torque. This engine is also said to meet the tough 2010 emissions standards, making it legal in all fifty states. If the V-8 were fitted in the CTS, this would be a good way to bridge the gap between the base car's 304-horsepower V-6 and the 556-horsepower supercharged V-8 in the CTS-V.

Since this engine already exists, as does a transmission capable of managing all of the torque, little investment would have to be spent on this endeavor. A move to a diesel CTS would also make sense in light of the proposed CAFE regulations mandating that automakers have a 35 miles per gallon average by 2020.

+ Motor Trend: Scoop! Cadillac CTS May Get V-8 Diesel Option

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Since the Audi Mileage Marathon is essentially a contest to see which team of journalists can achieve the best fuel economy out of each vehicle, it's only fitting that some rules and regulations are put into place. Each car is fitted with a data logger that tracks the fuel consumption and average speed of each car, so even if we were to reset the in-dash trip computer, our overall results would not change. Points are awarded for the best fuel economy and the highest average speed, with more weight put on economy.

A team of IMSA officials traveled along with the Audi folks and monitored all fuel stops. Teams are not allowed to add any fuel themselves, and only one tank of gas is allotted per day. Just before we reach the hotel each night, we stop off at a Shell station where the IMSA folks fill the tank, record how much fuel was used, and seal off the fuel door with a signed sticker.

As for car modifications, we were told that the tires were inflated to the maximum pressure to give the best fuel economy. Bob Massa, a Michelin spokesperson, told us that even if we over-inflated the tires, it wouldn't do us any good, as the specific low-rolling-resistance tires outfitted on these cars were made for optimum economical driving. One team did, however, tape up the front end of a Q7 to eliminate any sheetmetal gaps, though these modifications did not improve their numbers in any way.

Click through the gallery to see some of the IMSA folks regulating our drive, and stay tuned for more impressions from the Mileage Marathon.

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After having taken over for my colleague Steve Ewing here at the Audi Mileage Marathon, we have successfully embarked on our first day of travel here in Wave 3, having journeyed from downtown Denver to Durango. Along our day of driving, my new co-driver, Roosevelt Gist and I clambered aboard Audi Q7 #1, a number that would sadly not prove to be prophetic for our first day’s mileage.

Throughout our day’s journey we remained at higher altitudes, a factor that inevitably came into play even with forced-induction engines like our fleet of Audi TDIs. That said, our mileage struck us as very impressive, as we eeked out an unofficial figure 29 miles per gallon—this, despite basically spending the entire day above 6000 feet and as high as about 11,000 feet. Although official mileage results have not been tabulated through the use of the mysterious black boxes mounted beneath the load floor in the cargo hold (we’ll learn our day’s ranking later this morning), we hear that others have garnered average highs of as 30-31 mpg on their dashboard readouts.

(Click through to read on)

Hard at work racking up high mpg numbers on Audi’s epic TDI drive across the country, our own Chris Paukert has managed to sniff out some juicy details regarding a new derv-burner that’s headed State-side.

Audi officials have confirmed that the A3 2.0 TDI, in front-drive configuration only, will be headed to the U.S. market as soon as next fall for the 2010 model year. The A3 diesel will run the same basic engine as can be found in the current Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which manages to get away with not using urea injection technology because of lower NOx emissions.

We’ve also been hipped that Audi may be bringing the A4 TDI to our market, though that deal hasn’t yet received final approval. Both the 3.0-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines could be in play for this application, though the higher loads on the smaller powerplant could necessitate urea to clean up the NOx. Having spent some time with a European specification A4 3.0 TDI, we can safely say that we’d be in favor of having that sedan in the States – A3 diesel sure sounds like a winner in today’s car buying climate as well.

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This was indeed a nice surprise. After spending the past four days behind the wheel of a Q7 3.0 TDI in the Audi Mileage Marathon, we were given the opportunity to drive around in the not-for-America TT 2.0 TDI.

Audi has talked a lot about how they want to convey the message that diesel-powered cars can be sports cars, too. If the TT isn't enough proof for all of the nay-sayers, just look at the R10 TDI Le Mans car which takes home win after win. In fact, the Audi folks are running the R10 on pure bio-diesel these days.

The 2.0-liter turbo-diesel is the same engine found under the hood in our long-term Jetta TDI which just arrived. This powerplant is good for 170 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. In our test TT, the power is routed through a six-speed manual transmission and is put to the pavement via Quattro all-wheel-drive. The Audi folks claim that the TT TDI will go from a stand-still to 60 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds and that observed fuel economy will be somewhere around the area of 44.3 miles per gallon. Judging by the numbers we've seen in the A3 2.0 TDI this week during the Mileage Marathon, we think that under conservative driving, MPGs could rise up to as high as 50.

(Click through the post to read more.)

It's a cold, windy, rainy day as we head out of Amarillo on our way to Denver -- the final leg of Wave 2 of the Audi Mileage Marathon. After our stop in the mile-high city in Colorado, Editor-in-Chief Chris Paukert will take over for the NextAutos team, while my co-driver (Sam Abuelsamid from AutoblogGreen) and I head back home.

Yesterday's stint was a mostly uphill drive from Dallas to Amarillo. In fact, we climbed nearly 2000 feet, but surprisingly, overall fuel economy wasn't hurt too much. The leading Q7 driven by Jim McCraw and Kevin Kelly took the top ranking of the day, with 29.5 miles per gallon at 62 miles per hour. The NextAutos Q7 wasn't too far off, though, averaging 29.1 mpg at 60 mph. The top A4 team achieved 40.6 mpg, the best Q5 got 35.3 mpg, and the sole A3 came in at 48.4 mpg.

Today's drive from Amarillo to Denver is also an uphill adventure, so we'll see how the teams' fuel economy numbers are affected by this. As always, stay tuned for more updates.

Yesterday's drive took us west from Memphis, passing through Arkansas and making our way into Texas. After a night at The Joule hotel in downtown Dallas, we're back on the road. This time, however, we will not be following major interstate expressways, and will instead be driving on rural highways to get to our final destination in Amarillo.

Yesterday showed some pretty impressive numbers from all vehicle classes. The leading Q7 was able to obtain fuel economy numbers of 30.3 miles per gallon with an average speed of around 59 miles per hour. The NextAutos Q7 didn't do quite as well, only managing to get 28.6 mpg with an average speed of 58 mph. When we asked the winning team what their secret was, they mentioned that driving the Q7 in manual mode and using the wheel-mounted paddle shifters let them keep low revs in each gear. Also, they were fortunate enough to find a semi truck driver who was willing to play along and let the team draft behind them for over 100 miles.

For the rest of the cars, the winning A4 achieved numbers of 43.3 mpg at 58 mph with the number one Q5 observing 37.9 mpg at 60 mph. The little A3 made the trip at an average of 60 mph, averaging 48.4 mpg along the way.

As always, we'll have more updates later. We've got a few tricks up our sleeve which might make today's drive a bit more interesting (and efficient), so we'll be sure to let you all know how everything works out.

After a lovely dinner at B.B. King's in downtown Memphis and a good rest, we're back on the road with the Audi Mileage Marathon. Today's drive will take us from Memphis to Dallas by way of Little Rock, where we will stop for lunch.

So far, our Q7 has averaged fuel economy numbers of 28.8 miles per gallon. One other car got the same readings, so we're tied for best fuel economy. Our average speed, however, is a bit below the curve. We've averaged 60 miles per hour thus far, though our attempts at drafting behind semis and using the adaptive cruise control have indeed aided our MPGs.

As for the other cars, the leading A4 is averaging 44.8 miles per gallon at 61 mph, the leading Q5 is averaging 38.5 mpg at 59 mph, and the (only) A3 is getting readings of 41.1 mpg at 59 mph. Stay tuned to see how these numbers change throughout the rest of our drive.

We've now driven about 250 miles on our way from Chicago to Memphis in the Q7 3.0 TDI and things are going well. We haven't made any attempts to draft behind eighteen-wheelers or do any other sort of fuel-saving techniques, and we've been able to observe fuel economy numbers of 28.6 miles per gallon. This seems to be in line with some of the higher MPG numbers that the Q7 groups achieved on the first wave of the event.

We'll be sure to give more updates as we continue on with the Audi Mileage Marathon, and hopefully the NextAutos team can win the first place rank for fuel consumption in the Q7.

We've landed in Chicago and are eagerly awaiting the start of the second leg of the Audi Mileage marathon. So far, the Q7s, Q5s, A4s, and A3s have traveled from New York to Chicago by way of Washington, D.C. and Cleveland. We depart tomorrow morning for our first stint of the drive which takes us from the Windy City into Memphis, Tennessee.

We'll be sure to post more updates from the road about our time in these Audi diesels, including how our fuel economy figures are holding up. Stay tuned.

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Great news! We took delivery of our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI this morning, and we're quite excited about spending the next 365 days with the little diesel-burner. Since we normally only keep cars in our test fleet for a week or two, it will be interesting to see how our Jetta holds up after one year of driving. More importantly, we're curious to see what kind of overall fuel economy numbers are observed.

Since the Jetta will indeed become a trusty steed for our staff, we'd like to give it some extra personal touches, including a name. Thus, we're looking to you, our readers, for suggestions on what to name our Laser Blue Jetta TDI. Leave a comment with your best suggestion for a name, and if your name is picked, we'll send you some free Winding Road swag, including a couple of t-shirts, mugs, pins, and keychains.

Click through the images in the gallery above to see a bunch of shots of our new long-term Jetta TDI.

Today marks the start of the 2008 Audi Mileage Marathon, a cross-country drive featuring the latest clean diesel offerings from Audi, including the U.S.-bound Q7 3.0 TDI set to hit dealerships next year. This drive will cover more than 4800 miles between October 6th and 20th and twenty-three Audi TDI vehicles will participate in the rally.

Other vehicles included in the Mileage Marathon are the new Q5 3.0 TDI, A4 3.0 TDI, and A3 2.0 TDI Sportback. While it's not confirmed if any of these models will be making their way to the States, we're looking forward to experiencing the performance and fuel efficiency that these TDI cars offer.

The NextAutos team will be jumping on board the Mileage Marathon later this week. We'll be posting pictures and impressions live from the road, so stay tuned for further updates. In the meantime, click through the post to read Audi's official press release -- and check the list of towns we'll be stopping through, as well.

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When we first stumbled upon spy shots of the Chevy Tacuma MPV, we knew that General Motors was in the process of creating a new family-oriented hauler. Now, official images and details have been released about the Chevrolet Orlando Concept set to debut at the Paris Motor Show later this week.

The Orlando rides on a modified version of GM's Delta II platform, shared with the new Cruze sedan. The Chevy seven-seater is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engine which produces 150 horsepower and nearly 200 pound-feet of torque. The Orlando's interior closely follows the new design language found in the Cruze's interior, too. No word yet on if we'll see a version of the Orlando Concept in our market anytime soon, but look for cues from this concept to potentially appear on the next Chevrolet Equinox.

We'll have more details after the live unveiling in Paris, so stay tuned. Also, click through the post to read GM's official press release.

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—Santa Monica, California

As recently as just a few years ago, Volkswagen sold a wide range of diesel vehicles in the States. In fact, the company has a long history of selling oil-burners in the U.S. that dates back to the 1970s. These models were slowly jettisoned throughout the years due to stricter emissions laws, and by 2007, the Touareg V-10 was the only diesel Volkswagen that Americans could buy. However, in light of today’s higher fuel prices, the automaker is once again getting serious about broadening its turbo-diesel offerings in the States.

(Click through the post to read the full review.)

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For 2009, Mercedes-Benz has outfitted all of its diesel vehicles with the latest in Bluetec technology. First pioneered in the E320, the ML-, GL-, and R-Class now get the cleanest version of Benz’s oil-burning 3.0-liter V-6. This engine is good for 210 horsepower and an extremely useful 398 pound-feet of torque. However, we were rather skeptical if this would be enough power to move the large R-Class family hauler with enough spirit to keep our enthusiast hearts beating. What we found was a rather pleasant people mover with ample power and a comfortable, luxurious interior perfect for long drives.

Click through the post to read all of our editors’ notes on the R320 Bluetec.

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Just as we recently wrote about the new BMW 7-Series, the midlife fifth-generation 3-Series also makes its first impressions with its exterior and passenger cabin. What’s different in the case of the E90 3-Series four-door is that the all-new version introduced in 2005 has been an enthusiast favorite, whereas the 7-Series has received little else but sharp ridicule for its exterior design and the horrid earlier versions of the iDrive system, since going on sale in 2000.