The new 2009 Jetta TDI is an efficient vehicle– this quiet-running, diesel-powered car has a cleaner tailpipe than most cars on the road.

The Jetta uses a technology called “clean diesel” which actually lives up its name pretty well. While test driving this car, I found out that 97% of highway diesel fuel pumps are now dispensing Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) — this greatly reduces the particulate matter emissions from diesel engines. This diesel burns 98.5% cleaner than vehicles in the 1970s, and thus produces 97% less sulfur.

The Jetta has a diesel particulate filter to further reduce particulate emissions, and it has uses a NOx-storage catalyst, which is basically a reservoir that temporarily holds the noxious emissions, like a particulate filter, until they can be burned off during one of the engine cycles. Because of this, it is one of the first cars to qualify a Tier II Bin 5 vehicle (equivalent to California’s LEV II rating), therefore allowing it to be sold in all 50 U.S. states.

The Jetta TDI has a 2.0-liter engine with a common-rail fuel injection system, instead of VW’s traditional mechanical system, that uses piezoelectric fuel injectors. This technology permits higher injection pressures, which better atomize the fuel and make it easier to control pollution. The car gets 38 mpg in the city, and 44 mgh on the highway. Many drivers report that they get 50 mpg regularly in the this car.

I’m not a car enthusiast, but during my test drive, I found that this direct-injected car responded well in the city and on the highway too — it accelerated quickly, and I certainly couldn’t tell I was driving a diesel-powered vehicle.

The 2009 Jetta TDI is eligible for the $1300 Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle Federal Income Tax Credit. It has a starting price of $21,990.

I’m a strong advocate for car-free living, but there are circumstances where cars can be useful like in rural areas, so I am interested in reviewing the most efficient cars currently available.

Link: Jetta TDI