by Colin Mathews

The Germans are launching an all-out diesel assault on the American market this year, and many in the automotive media have their share of doubts that they’ll succeed. Include me in that mix. And it’s not because I don’t love the benefits of the new generation of clean diesel engines such as the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 found under the hood of the 2009 Touareg 2 TDI we just drove. If you’ve read our article on the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen, you’ll know just how much praise we have for the new generation of diesel engines.

But diesel has a deservedly dirty reputation in the U.S., thanks to the old-school diesels of the early 1980s. The Carter-era gas crisis brought Diesel to the forefront as a cheaper, more affordable fuel that also resulted in vehicles that seemed never to empty their fuel tanks. They also subjected the brave new American diesel drivers to engine shake, persistent underhood clattering, and plumes of smoke out the back with heavy throttle applications. No diesel from that era could be called quick, but at 14 seconds to 60 mph a Mercedes-Benz turbodiesel was no slower than your average heavy American family sedan with an emissions-choked low compression V-6. Ultimately, it was General Motors’ unreliable and ill-contrived Oldsmobile 350 Diesel helped to kill diesel passenger cars’ chances in America, as the German units from Benz and VW were excellent units many of which are still on the road today.

So Can Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, and Porsche (yes Porsche – a diesel Cayenne is rumored to be in the works for the U.S.) counter diesel’s gargantuan image problem in America? Time will tell. But after driving first the Jetta TDI Sportwagen, and now the firm’s 2009 Touareg 2 TDI Clean Diesel, we’re convinced they have a product that will shock the American car buying public if only The People make it to the driver’s seat.
Volkswagen recently brought us to Virginia to drive a fleet of Touareg 2 TDI Clean Diesels. My first concern was whether a 3.0-liter V-6 could really move a roughly 5,300-lb. beast of burden with anything approaching authority. When the first Touareg was released years ago with a 3.2-liter gasoline VR6, it was a depressingly sluggish vehicle. And this new diesel features a middling 221 hp, again not impressive considering the vehicle’s curb weight.

But it is torque that counts when you’re trying to move lots of mass, and 407 lb-ft (more even than the stout, optional gasoline V-8 in the Touareg 2) quickly erased any doubts about this vehicle’s ability to sprint. Even better, the torque comes on very low, making it brilliant for around-town driving and drama-free passing on the highway. This engine moves the Touareg effortlessly with all the pull of a big V-8, yet manages a 17/25 mpg EPA mileage rating (drivers in the Audi Mileage Marathon last fall earned considerably higher numbers on swift highway drives in the even heavier Audi Q7 3.0 TDI, which features the exact same engine as in the Touareg).
Just like our Jetta TDI, the Touareg 2 TDI Clean Diesel emits an exhaust stream so clean that a nose to the tailpipe finds only a mildly humid puff with no odor. Remarkable catalyst technology and particulate traps have cleaned the new generation of diesel exhaust to such an extreme that the vast majority of what exits the Touareg TDI Clean Diesel’s twin exhaust pipes is inert nitrogen gas and water vapor. This is also is a whisper quiet engine that emits only a subdued hum at higher RPMs and the faintest turbo whine that can be heard with the windows down when you’re hard on the accelerator pedal.
All of the Touareg 2’s attributes remain intact: interstate-eating ride comfort, stable handling despite the bulk, outstanding visibility, and copious comfort for five individuals and a good amount of their stuff. If you’re an off-road junkie, you’re in luck: all Touareg 2’s feature permanent four-wheel drive along with ridiculous trailblazing abilities. We kinda think its’ a shame, though, that you can’t get a rear-wheel drive model as most suburban owners will likely never use this vehicle’s considerable off-road capabilities. Those abilities inflict a penalty on curb weight and eat up more fuel to spin all of that extra mechanical componentry. What would a Touareg 2 TDI rear-wheel drive make on the highway – perhaps right at or close to 30 mpg?

All of the diesel engineering brilliance does come with a price penalty, ringing in at $42,800 base MSRP, $3,500 more than the base VR6 SFI model. However, the TDI is $6,100 less than the V-8 FSI, has even more low-end torque than that model, and kills even the gasoline V-6 in terms of fuel consumption (EPA14/19, and the V-8 FSI at a dismal 12/17). Also, buyers of the TDI are eligible for a $1,150 Federal Income Tax Credit (because the diesel is so squeaky clean, cleaner even than their gasoline brethren), effectively lowering the MSRP to $41,650.
We did the math, and it just makes sense in a big, heavy SUV: about $2,400 (after the tax credit) more for 6 more mpg, planet-shifting torque, incredible passing power, quiet operation, and super earth-friendly emissions. We wish Volkswagen all the best with their diesel onslaught, and think that if they get their marketing and outreach right, diesel may just enjoy a second wave of popularity in the U.S.
Watch this video from VW’s TDI Truth or Dare site

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