Volkswagen's new Ameri-sized Passat is by all accounts a hit. With more leg room than an Audi A8, Teutonic road manners, and equipment levels that shame absolutely everything from the Old Continent for Accord/Camry money, the wisdom of letting the Germans invade the foothills of Tennessee is well on its way to confirmed.
And while the big six competes well and the not-long-for-this-world five gets by, its the turbodiesel four that makes the most compelling case for buying a big V-dub over a big anything else for use in the land of wide-open mountains, deserts, and plains. With its enormous 18.5 gallon fuel tank and easy 43 mpg+ highway numbers, coast to coast is yours in under four tanks.
Classic diesel shove is always under foot with 236 foot-pounds on-tap from 1,500 rpm, so unless you're into stoplight drag racing, you'll never be inconvenienced by the piddly 140 horsepower supplied in the interest of keeping consumption in check. Authoritative getaways and mid-range punch that you'll never get out of a gas four are just a poke away.
The current large disparity between the price of unleaded and diesel stateside (up to a buck a gallon at this posting) is the only gotcha in the whole deal. Shop around and you might gap down to fifty cents, but the range of surprises you might find on a cross country trip could quickly ruin your diesel payback numbers.
Since VW is the largest purveyor of passenger car diesels in the USA and its right-sized, right-contented Tennessee Teut is the opening volley of the brand's bid for world domination, maybe a VW TDI-branded generous-percentage-back-on-diesel credit card would be in order.
Just sayin', VW.
I am the Car Czar, and I'm here to help.
No comments:
Post a Comment