We at Winding Road are big fans of the idea of performance-oriented green cars, and the folks at Banks Power have teamed up with the Robert Bosch Corporation to create something really cool. This "Sidewinder Jetta" takes a standard Jetta TDI sedan and boosts the level of driver involvement by adding better front and rear stabilizer bars, sport springs, a ram-air intake, and an in-car computer where the driver can control different levels of performance. Oh, and there's an oh-so-subtle graphics package, too.

We named it "Bruce." And like Mr. Springsteen, one could say that this is The Boss of Jetta TDIs.

We'll have the hotted-up Jetta TDI in our Ypsilanti office for the next week, so head over to our Ask It forum and post whatever questions you have about the Sidewinder. We'll do our best to respond, and be sure to stay tuned for the full review coming in the not-so-distant future.

+ NextAutos Forums: Ask It: 2009 Banks Power Sidewinder VW Jetta TDI

Audi has announced pricing for its upcoming A3 TDI model, starting the pint-sized derv-burner at an MSRP of  $30,750 with destination, tax, and fees. The car will begin arriving at dealerships in the last part of November.

That not insignificant sum will buy what we’re expecting to be a tidy luxury small car, and a frugal one, at that. EPA estimated fuel economy for the A3 TDI is 30 miles per gallon in the city and a whopping 42 mpg on the highway. It’s worth noting that EPA estimates for diesels have often proved pretty low for diesels in the real world, and we wouldn’t be overly surprised if the Audi managed mid to high forties on the freeway. Time will tell.

The Volkswagen family 2.0-liter diesel will be in service for the A3, providing 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque for the five-door hatch. Audi specifies only the S tronic transmission and front-drive in its press release, but don’t be surprised if a six-speed manual and Quattro find their way to the U.S. A3 TDI in later editions.

Our Austin team just received Volkswagen's latest clean diesel offering, the 2009 Touareg 2 V-6 TDI. And while there's a lot to like already about Volkswagen's trusty Touareg, the addition of a diesel engine can only add to the car's goodness.

Click over to our Ask It forum and post whatever questions you have about the Touareg TDI. We'll do our best to respond over the next week, as well as post driving impressions.

+ NextAutos Forums: Ask It: 2009 Volkswagen Touareg 2 V-6 TDI

Editor's Note: All of us in the Detroit-based office are a bit jealous that our Austin team received such a nice-looking Touareg. The one we drove recently was, well, significantly more noticeable.

At first blush, a comparison test between the BMW 335d and the Pontiac G8 GXP is kind of a non-starter. The first; a premium, mid-sized, diesel-powered, German sedan—purpose built for high-speed, high-MPG motorway cruising with exceptional road holding and manners. The second; a brutal, full-sized (massive rear seats here), chromed out, American (née Australian) V-8, burnout machine. But while origin, intent, and execution for these two driving devices may be wildly varied, they do share one delicious commonality—huge, steaming piles of torque delivered to the rear wheels. A magnificent amount of twist, produced by two powerplants that differ just as much as the vehicles they propel.

CLICK HERE to continue reading this story.

We often have the chance to drive European-spec vehicles not sold in the United States. For the past week, the folks at the Robert Bosch Corporation have lent us a diesel-powered Honda CR-V, complete with Honda's 2.2-liter oil-burning powerplant, good for 138 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque.

Because of this rare automobile (we're told it's the only one currently in the country), we've decided to offer it up for a round of Ask It. Head to our forum thread and post whatever questions you have about this high-MPG Honda and we'll do our best to respond.

+ NextAutos Forums: Ask It: 2008 Honda CR-V 2.2 i-CTDi

We've had news left and right of mildly interesting cars being killed off due to the financial state of the global automotive marketplace. But now here's one that hurts -- reports are now showing that Audi will be canning its plans to bring forth a production version of the R8 V-12 TDI, or TDI Le Mans.

Originally unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, the R8 V-12 TDI Concept featured a 5.5-liter turbo-diesel V-12 -- a complete monster, what with its 500 horsepower and 740 pound-feet of torque output numbers. But as you can imagine, it's not cheap to engineer or produce something to this caliber, and Audi thinks that its money is better spent on more sensible projects.

No official word has been given from Audi on this matter, but we're crossing our fingers in hopes that this V-12 oil-burner isn't headed for an early grave.

+ Motor Authority: Audi abandons plans for R8 V12 TDI

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4311498.html

In addition to our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI sedan, we also have a Jetta TDI SportWagen in the test fleet this week. With excellent fuel economy and a capacious cargo bay, this Jetta should not only prove to be a high-MPG cruiser, but a useful hauler, too.

Go to our Ask It forum and post whatever questions you might have for the TDI SportWagen. We'll do our best to answer while the car is in our possession.

+ NextAutos Forums: Ask It: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI SportWagen

They may not all be featured attractions at the New York Auto Show, but Mercedes-Benz has been splashing new models out nearly faster than we can keep track of them over the last few days. This morning’s S-Class orgy followed the E63 AMG announcement this weekend, and now the E250 BlueTEC has rolled out onto the Javits Center floor. While the M-B power machines mentioned above are certainly tempting fare, but consider us early proponents of the new diesel. We’ve always been BlueTEC fans, and this one sounds like a doozy.

 The 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder won’t lack for power, with 369 pound-feet of torque available at a super-low 1600-1800 rpm. It’ll also be remarkably clean. M-B’s AdBlue urea injection system is at work here to lower nasty NOx emissions, and the company is also offering a Selective Catalytic Reduction exhaust system to clean up the tailpipe. All in, the E250 engine will be 50-state-legal in the U.S., and ready to meat Euro emissions standards as far out as 2014. EPA ratings are expected to run around 28 mpg in the city, and 39 on the highway.

Scroll down to read the entirety of the Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTEC press release or check out our gallery of images, above.

America would really like this car. The BMW 1-Series is a fantastic little creature, and we like it so much that it earned the honor of being one of our favorite cars in 2008. Furthermore, the American automotive marketplace is in dire need of more fuel-efficient vehicles, and we’re slowly starting to see clean diesel cars trickle into our pond from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen. Looking past the oil-burning powerplant, the 1-Series hatchback configuration is incredibly more useful than the lonely coupe and convertible options that we have currently. Americans are finally starting to warm up to the idea of hatchbacks and small wagons—it’s now a well-known fact that SUVs are not the only useful tool for $200 grocery loads. What’s more, we think America would find much more to like about a small, useful five-door than the seemingly unnecessary BMW X6 or even the upcoming 5-Series GT, which don’t provide much in the way of space or utility, and carry ultra-premium price points.

That being said, how could we possibly not fall in love with a diesel-powered, three-door 1-Series? It’s astonishingly fun to drive, surprisingly fuel-efficient, and actually has usable cargo space. Oh, and it’s quite adorable, too—especially in bright blue.

(Click through the post to continue reading this review.)