Chris_Doane

By Chris Doane

January 7, 2013

It’s midweek and I’m cruising down the interstate when I come up behind one of the Passat TDI’s diesel brethren from a few decades prior: An early 1980’s Mercedes 300D.

The tortured Benz was loud, emitting a smoke screen, and judging from its’ lack of ability to pass a semi-truck, the non-turbocharged 300D. A quick look at the trunk lid badging confirmed that.

Back in the 1980’s, I’m not really sure what the appeal of the 300D would’ve been. Gasoline was around $1.20 a gallon and luxury buyers wouldn’t have thought twice about filling up at that price. The 300D had 83hp, 120 lb-ft of torque, and without the turbocharger, looked to have “John Deere” acceleration qualities. Fuel economy usually fell between the high 20’s and low 30’s.

As it turned out, the biggest redeeming quality, realized years later, was that the diesel motors in the 300 were built to be absolutely bombproof. The first 100,000 miles on these motors was simply the break-in period. These days, Mercedes 300D’s reaching half a million miles, or more, is not uncommon. The one I saw looked as though it might be past the half-million mark, but there it was, still going. Well, sort of.

Pulling my mind back into the cabin of the Passat TDI, the contrast is pretty stark. I’m driving at a casual 72mph, and the car isn’t even breaking a sweat, humming along at 2200rpm. No diesel racket, no smelly gray cloud, no lack of ability to pass at highway speeds.

Thirty years of diesel technology advancements had now turned a car that roared, coughed and smoked into a sedan that behaved like all the rest and sipped diesel at a minuscule rate.

Same, but different

Walk onto a Volkswagen dealer lot, and the only real visual cue to tell the diesel Passat apart from the gasoline model is “TDI” badge on the back.

Once you pop the hood, you’ll be face to face with the TDI’s biggest change: The 140hp, 2.0L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. As with all diesels, it’s the 236 lb-ft of torque that really gives the Passat TDI its’ oomph.

Past the different power plant, the other significant change is waiting for you in the trunk where the urea filler spout is located. Urea, or AdBlue as VW dubs it, is a liquid that is injected into the exhaust, greatly reducing the terribleness of diesel exhaust and allowing the car to meet U.S. emissions regulations. That might sound like an added hassle, but one tank of urea in the Passat should last you 10,000 miles, and is timed to be part of your regular oil changes.

If the urea tank does happen run low, as it did during my week with the Passat, the car gives you somewhat of a stern warning, but it comes well in advance of the urea tank going dry. With 800 miles of urea range remaining, the warning light advised the engine would not be able to start once the tank was empty.

The good news is a gallon of urea cost me only $6.99 at a local auto parts store and took all of three minutes to buy and pour into the tank. If you can’t manage to do that within 800 miles, the problem might be sitting in the driver’s seat.

Both the diesel and gasoline-powered Passats feature a smooth shifting, 6-speed DSG transmission. You’ll barely feel the first two shifts, and you’d have to have your eyes glued to the tachometer to know the cogs are swapping once you’re into third gear.

MPGs

The Passat TDI is a pretty purpose driven vehicle. It’s meant to be a comfortable, mid-size cruiser that gets phenomenal fuel economy, and it reaches those goals with ease.

The interior feels quite large, front and back, and the materials have not been cheapened in the way that the Jetta’s have. While I’m still pretty sure the only people fingering the dashboards are automotive writers, if you feel the need, you will find it’s fairly soft. More importantly, the 8-way power seats are “drive all day” comfortable.

The most impressive part, and the reason you’ll buy this sedan, is the fuel economy. With the automatic transmission, the EPA says the Passat will get 30mpg in the city and 40mpg on the highway. However, that’s not really accurate.

One of the quirks with diesel engines is that it takes longer for them to break in than gasoline motors. 10,000 miles is usually the number most TDI aficionados use for a good break in period. During that break in period, the piston rings in the engine will become better seated and the compression in the engine will improve. The end result of that is even better fuel economy.

The Passat I drove had nearly 17,000 miles on it by the time I slid behind the wheel, so this diesel engine should’ve been operating much closer to its full potential than a brand new engine. Much of the driving I did was on hilly roads, and with a less-than-light foot. Despite that, the Passat still averaged 42-44mpg. That’s 2-4mpg above the EPA highway rating while driving like a teenager who’d just got his license and the keys to dad’s car.

Once I eased off the throttle and returned to a regular pace, the mpg started creeping towards 50mpg. Use the cruise control for all your highway driving, and a mileage number just past 50mpg wouldn’t be out of the question.

On the downside, the Passat’s fun factor rates somewhere around “mashed potatoes.” The suspension is tuned much more for comfort than it is for cornering. There is a decent helping of body roll in the corners, and over large bumps, or rough road, the Passat can feel downright floaty. That’s great if your mom is in the passenger seat, but not so good if you want to go hunting for the corner apex.

Additionally, the turbo lag is pretty noticeable. Floor the accelerator, and for the first two seconds, not much happens. That can make jumping out into traffic from a dead stop a pretty interesting gamble. Once the turbo is spooled up, power delivery is adequate.

The Highway Choice

In the end, I can forgive the Passat TDI for not being a sport sedan because that just isn’t what it’s supposed to be. In the same way that a hybrid or electric car makes sense for city drivers, this VW makes huge sense for people who spend most of their commute on the highway.

Unfortunately, a fun-to-drive diesel doesn’t really exist in the U.S. market yet, but a midsize sedan that can achieve 50+ mpg can’t be ignored. Going out to the car the next morning and thinking “didn’t the fuel gauge say that yesterday morning?” was certainly not a bad feeling.

2012 VW Passat TDI SEL

Base price - $32,915

Destination - $795

Total = $33,710

Album: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI

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I hope there's not an evil, political pricing agenda on these trucks to discourage Americans from driving what they want by jacking the MSRP up to, say, 5 million doll hairs. I will go OFF.

Yeeea....because GM *wants* to lose money on their trucks...

will this have the DI v8 like the corvette?

assuming a 3.6L will be the v6, right?

The Gen V V8 will be in there, yea.

Which V6 it will get is still a little uncertain. Some sources indicate it might actually launch with the ancient 4.3L V6. Others think the 3.6L will go in. There's also the matter of the 3.0L turbo V6 currently being worked on. Though most seem to think the 3.0L T won't be ready in time for launch.

I know that is the GMC Sierra under that camo.

No, it's a Chevy.

Possibly a Silverado Sport. Not an SS, but something to go against the R/T or FX2.

So I just found out the real story on that Impala test car. Fortunately, I know an engineer on the Impala program, and when I showed him the Autoblog link, his reply was:

"Hah, I was sitting in that car on Friday. That front fascia is to cover up the Long Range Radar module. Anyway, DEFINITELY NOT a SS car"

Then I asked if it was even an Eco model, and he said "Nope, just an adaptive cruise car."

Yeah, I'm thinking Impala Eco model or like Chris said, an export model.

Also, I think it was reported earlier this year the 3.0L TT was canned, leaving the 3.6 TT as the sole engine.

Well there is still a turbo 6 coming...whether it ends up as one or two turbos remains to be seen. Or maybe there will be both variants?

Definitely not an SS model. Probably Hybrid/Eco or foreign market.

I'm also getting that Crosstour/5er GT vibe. I dunno, it's weird...not what I was expecting.

Kinda seems like the front half and rear half were designed by different teams, then glued together.

Rear looks like an Infiniti M.

But german engineering is better.... isn't it?

Well, let's see...

I've owned 4 American cars and 2 German cars. The American cars had their fair share of troubles. On the other hand, I've had no problems with the German cars. Unless you want to count a small stone getting wedged into the brakes as a problem. Neither of my German cars have had emissions components that fail every 15-20k miles like my last American car did. The only car an OEM has ever bought back from me due to its' extensive problems was American.

My parents have had similar experiences with their American cars. Mostly Chevys and Buicks.

I've also reviewed all sorts of cars from OEMs around the world. The only time a brand new press car ever broke down before the fleet company could even drive it over to my place was a 2010 Chevy. There was also the 2011 Cadillac press car, with less than 200 miles on it, that I cut my hand open on thanks to some smashed/misaligned chrome trim.

So, yes, it's been my experience that German engineering is better.

*rolls eyes* Yep, German OEMs are the only ones using non-serviceable wheel bearings.

Oy, yes, just a rock. That was a nice waste of an afternoon.

Ha...I think it might've just been a rock between the backing plate and the rotor...

Yea I'm kinda surprised too. I mean, I know 4 years of Michigan roads haven't been kind to it, but still.

Edit: And now that I think about it, I think maybe the right front was the corner that took a huge hit when I bent a wheel a 2 years ago.

So you are saying Michigan roads are not for cars just trucks and suv's? I know based on pictures that the roads are bad, but I would think the axel should be able to handle a little pounding before the marbles let loose.

Hah, oh....it's not just a little pounding around here. We gots no money for roads in these here parts. Or anything else for that matter.

usually you take the pounding after you grindr

LoL. Maybe that's how it works with you...

Poor cars, trucks and suv's. But then I guess it does build strength into the auto. If it can survive Michigan, it should survive any place.

You got me thinking, I am going to have to drive over to Eastern Washington and see what BMW has going on at their Carbon Fiber plant and test track in Moses Lack Washington. Maybe some new hidden jewels of Carbon Fiber testing going on.

Lemme know if you see anything nifty.

Yea I'm kinda surprised too. I mean, I know 4 years of Michigan roads haven't been kind to it, but still.

Edit: And now that I think about it, I think maybe the right front was the corner that took a huge hit when I bent a wheel a 2 years ago.

So you are saying Michigan roads are not for cars just trucks and suv's? I know based on pictures that the roads are bad, but I would think the axel should be able to handle a little pounding before the marbles let loose.

Hah, oh....it's not just a little pounding around here. We gots no money for roads in these here parts. Or anything else for that matter.

Yea I'm kinda surprised too. I mean, I know 4 years of Michigan roads haven't been kind to it, but still.

Edit: And now that I think about it, I think maybe the right front was the corner that took a huge hit when I bent a wheel a 2 years ago.

Ha, it's my A5. Knowing Audi/VW, Im sure they are non-serviceable bearings.

It was odd. I took it out of storage for the season, drove it all day yesterday, and everything was fine. I came home, parked in the garage and was home for a few hours. Later, I went to go somewhere, started to back out of the garage and that noise from Hell started.

Oh well, it's warranty.

Wheel bearings are overrated.

Grinding terribleness. from Chris Doane on Vimeo.

This may be the reason GM moved up the 2014 Impala to NYC as my understanding from stuff Chris Doane had been saying that they were planning a big 2013 NAIAS where Chevy was going to show the new Corvette, Silverado, and Impala all at the show.

Uh, when did I say that?

Chrysler Group = Viper and Dart Rallycross

Lexus = ES

Cadillac = SRX

Honda = Crosstour

Infiniti = Leaf-based concept

Subaru = XV

Acura = RL

Hyundai = Santa Fe

I think this is still the best sunset I've ever seen.

I'd hiked up a mountain and was sitting on a peak at about 12,600ft when this unfolded before me. I don't know if calling it a religious experience is the right way to put it, but, it was certainly a "wow" moment.

11 minutes passed between the first shot and the last shot. I have a 20x30 print of the last frame.

(Edit: Hmm, the files don't look as good now that they are hosted than they did a minute ago on my computer. )

It was actually quite late in the sunset that day, the light was sooo strange!

Thanks for the cropping advice!

Yea, sometimes mother nature just throws some weird light at ya.

Thanks for the input Chris!

My initial favourite was neither of the two. But my editor likes the first, whereas my instinct was a cropped version of number 2. I'll probably be butting heads with her all day today over this.

Hmm, she sounds like a copy editor...

One of the reasons why I love photography is everyday situations and objects that you wouldn't give a second thought about in day to day life become frozen in time and remarkable. The ball frozen in the air, the expression of the players, a droplet of water on a leaf, rust on metal.

Yea still photography just does a better job of catching the moment.

Back to photography, would you care to apply your critical eye to this, CD?

http://www.cheersand...826#entry692826

I think I would've wanted to see what the scene looked like 4-5 mins later. It looks "early" in the sunset and the colors tend to get more intense as the sun goes down. Then again, if the sun is just peeking through one tiny opening in a cloud layer as it sets, you might only get one brief look.

Crop-wise, I think you want to be about here. Maybe even a little more off the top.

That's just scary... and I'm sorry.

Hah well I don't know if its scary. That show was on when I was kid. Pop culture ingrained in my brain.

Interesting, and informative analysis there, Mr. D.

Ha...you say "Mr. D" and I think of this...

The second image is actually the much stronger image. There's more peak action and the first photo has a very distracting guy in the foreground.

The crop on #2 is too loose though.

At the minimum, you want something more like this:

In reality, you would probably get a lot of photo editors telling you your image is right here:

A funny thing happened on Friday…I actually flew.

That’s something that hasn’t happened much in the last two months. The lack of posts may have been a tiny hint…

Once 2012 rolled around, everything that could possibly get in the way, did get in the way. The biggest problem was weather. It was always too windy, too rainy, too foggy, icing conditions or all of those things at once. From when I started in late September, to the end of the year, I bet we only had to cancel 2 or 3 days due to weather. I’ve lost count how many weather days we’ve had since January.

Continue reading →

http://www.chrisdoan...y-flying-again/