November 20, 2008 | 7:30 pm

Jetta TDI named Green Car of the Year

While the big three automakers are begging for handouts from Congress, Germany is kicking our butt on the green car front.

The “People’s Car” took top eco honors at the L.A. Auto Show today as Green Car Journal named the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, a clean-diesel sport sedan, Green Car of the Year.

The Jetta TDI—cost about $22,000; 30 mpg/city and 41 mpg/highway; 2.0-litre, turbocharged direct injection engine—beat out the BMW 335d (clean diesel), the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid and the Smart Fortwo (three-cylinder gas engine).

The judges included four editors of Green Car Journal as well as Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society; car enthusiast and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno; and Carroll Shelby, 2008 Automotive Executive of the Year.

As Volkswagen of America President/CEO Stefan Jacoby accepted the award and tried out the witty tagline—“good clean diesel fun”—he expressed confidence that the popularity of clean diesel will continue to grow in the United States.

Well, maybe…

Our most common association with diesel is the odious black stuff belched from trucks. This soot, a prime polluter, is from the sulfur in crude oil. Clean diesel, or ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) as it’s known in parts of the world not given to hyperbole, is Mercedes-Benz, VW, Audi and BMW’s great hope for selling diesel cars in the United States again. Without the black clouds wafting up from exhausts, it might have a chance.

But “clean” diesel—not to be confused with bio-diesel—has a dark side, says NYT Nuts and Bolts blogger Jerry Garrett:

Certainly, this coming generation of clean diesels is a significant, highly anticipated technological advance. But a clean diesel will be a costly option – adding up to $2,000 to your new car’s window sticker. And clean diesels still are just not as clean, from a smog-producing standpoint, as the best gasoline engines.

Csaba Csere, editor of Car and Driver, has been following the progress of clean diesels. He told me, “They are about as clean as a 50-state-legal gasoline engine.” But they are not capable of getting down to, say, ultra-clean SULEV emissions levels (a certification standard under California’s emissions regulations, which are the toughest to meet). “They are, however about 20 percent cleaner when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions.”

Diesels will generally deliver more torque. And they will get 25-50 percent better mileage. “Figure 30 percent as a good midrange measurement,” Mr. Csere said.

Diesel fuel isn’t as widely available as gasoline, of course, so you will have to plan your fill-ups more carefully around diesel availability. Will truck stops be an agreeable venue for you?

Well, if clean diesel isn’t your thing the L.A. Auto Show, which opens to the public Friday and runs through Nov. 30, features a variety of hybrid vehicles from most of the major automakers as well as concept cars like the iMiEV from Mitsubishi; the Chrysler EV, Jeep EV and the racy Dodge EV from Chrysler; and Honda has taken its two-seater electric car and is now teasing us with a five-seat hybrid sedan version of the Insight, which should be ready for 2010. The much-advertised Chevy Volt comes across like a Toyota Prius knockoff, and also won’t be available until at least 2010 … that is if GM’s still around by then.

A few manufacturers are actually showing us the green goods this year, like the Cooper Mini-E, which will have an initial rollout of 500 leased vehicles, and the AC Propulsion eBox.

In all, visiting the L.A. Auto Show this year will be a frustrating experience for anyone interested in buying green. Most of the tantalizing prospects are at least a year—if not more—away. The eco-concept cars are front and center in an attempt to hide the gas-guzzlers (like the 13/14 mph H3T) and the huge push for hydrogen and ethanol vehicles is suddenly giving way to compressed natural gas engines and lithium-ion battery electric vehicles. Given that context, it’s not shocking that “clean” diesel is the new green thing.

Posted by Adam Wills in 1 Comments — Leave your comment

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