Archive for the ‘TDI’ Category

As Marty Padgett announced earlier this month, the 2010 Audi A3 TDI is slated to arrive in North America this November with a sticker price of $30,775. That's a fairly high sum for a fairly small car, but on this month's cross-European "Efficiency Challenge A to B", the diesel A3 has earned upwards of 94 mpg UK, which translates to a whopping 78.4 mpg US. Granted, the drivers have been hypermiling, and the engine in the test car is a 1.6-liter, not the 2.0-liter announced for America. Still, 78.4 mpg is nearly twice the A3's stated fuel efficiency of 42 mpg US, which is nothing to sneer at -- and it may make that sticker price easier to...

Chalk it all up to Cash For Clunkers: The average gas mileage of new cars and light trucks sold during August reached a record high of 23 miles per gallon, up 8 percent over the 21.2 mpg in August 2008. The 23-mpg level equals the highest recorded average, back in August 2007, when gasoline neared its peak prices of $4 a gallon or more.

As noted by our sister site GreenCarReports.com, the data comes from trade journal Ward's Automotive News, which calculates its Fuel-Economy Index using reported U.S. sales of cars and light trucks, the engine options chosen, and EPA fuel economy ratings.

Toyota had the best overall average, at 26.9 mpg. With...

Back in May our own Bengt Halvorson brought us the first impressions of a European-spec 2010 Golf TDI through American eyes, and now Volkswagen has released pricing information and fuel efficiency figures, helping to complete the picture of what will be on offer this year. Starting at $21,990, the TDI isn't as cheap as some of its Golf stablemates, but it does promise to rival the entry-level range of hybrids.

The $21,990 price is for the two-door hatch. The four-door model starts at a $600 premium of $22,590. Both cars come standard with a range of equipment above the typical Golf's feature list, including leather-wrapped steering wheel,...