Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Sophisticated Diesel engines to US customers
Sweet timing..!
VW of America is bringing some more really sophisticated turbodiesel engines to customers in USA, when the gasoline prices never seem to stop rising. When I test drove the Touareg gasoline V8 a couple of months ago, I liked it a lot but was not impressed by it's weight. It came loaded with the Brembo brakes, but still it felt a bit too heavy during the stops at every traffic light. But, imagine the Touareg with a 5L V10 TDI engine with 310 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque..! To put that into perspective, the Hummer 6L gasoline V-8 delivers 325 hp and just 365 lb-ft of torque. But, again, the Touareg TDI weighs about 5,825 lbs. This VW engine is considered as one of the most sophisticated light-vehicle diesel engine on the planet.
On the other end (and my favorite) is the new Passat TDI with a 2L 4-cylinder turbodiesel produces 134 hp and whopping 247 lb-ft of torque. I own a 2000 Passat 4-cylinder 1.8T and love that small engine, especially while driving in mountains in Colorado. Now, imagine 247 lb-ft of torque with 27 to 38 mpg for a car costing less than $24K...!
So, for all of you living in those states that accept compliance with federal Tier 1 emissions standards, you can get a chance to drive these automobiles with these great engines.
IMHO, this is definitely a great move by VW of America.
VW of America is bringing some more really sophisticated turbodiesel engines to customers in USA, when the gasoline prices never seem to stop rising. When I test drove the Touareg gasoline V8 a couple of months ago, I liked it a lot but was not impressed by it's weight. It came loaded with the Brembo brakes, but still it felt a bit too heavy during the stops at every traffic light. But, imagine the Touareg with a 5L V10 TDI engine with 310 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque..! To put that into perspective, the Hummer 6L gasoline V-8 delivers 325 hp and just 365 lb-ft of torque. But, again, the Touareg TDI weighs about 5,825 lbs. This VW engine is considered as one of the most sophisticated light-vehicle diesel engine on the planet.
On the other end (and my favorite) is the new Passat TDI with a 2L 4-cylinder turbodiesel produces 134 hp and whopping 247 lb-ft of torque. I own a 2000 Passat 4-cylinder 1.8T and love that small engine, especially while driving in mountains in Colorado. Now, imagine 247 lb-ft of torque with 27 to 38 mpg for a car costing less than $24K...!
So, for all of you living in those states that accept compliance with federal Tier 1 emissions standards, you can get a chance to drive these automobiles with these great engines.
IMHO, this is definitely a great move by VW of America.
