The immediate assumption when considering hybrids is that they are the best vehicle for the environment. This could be a misleading assumption and deserves a bit more research before jumping to conclusions. The VW Clean Diesel technology deserves a lot of credit in providing the environmental improvement so often sought in today’s politically-charged environment.
The facts are that there are several non-hybrid vehicles which reflect better on the environment than most hybrid vehicles. While the hybrid may boast a great fuel economy over a very short term, the long term effects may not be as rosy. The complex power trains required to propel the hybrid may cause you more problems in the end. Plus, Volkswagen has launched a new technology of turbo-diesel engines, which meet the same tough government standards as the gasoline/electric hybrids. The result is a much-improved fuel economy and a vehicle that is a lot more fun to drive.
The old image of the smelly, smoky, noisy diesel is quickly fading with this fuel-efficient, new, clean diesel technology found at Capitol Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI is one of the vehicles sporting the new technology along with the Touareg TDI, and they are in the certified fun-to-drive category with low end torque and sporty European styling! With a life expectancy well known to last beyond 250,000 miles, these diesel engines will average 41 mpg on the highway and result in a lower fuel cost than most hybrid gas/electric vehicles.
When considering all the advantages of either car, the MSRP for a hybrid vehicle typically exceeds the price of the VW diesel vehicle by $4,000 to $6,000.00. Clean diesel produces the same or less pollution than the gas/electric vehicle and is far more fun to drive. The proven long life of the diesel engine over the speculative duration of the hybrid equipment tilts the return on investment far in favor for the Volkswagen clean diesel technology.
