2004 VW Jetta Wagon TDI Road Test

Sensibly Efficient

From one extreme to another. Having just tested a massive new SUV for a week,

After a week spent driving a massive SUV, the 2004 Jetta Wagon TDI was a very welcome change. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada)

it was a pleasure both in my pocketbook and on my parallel parking nerves to pilot a 2004 Jetta Wagon.

Equipped with the German automaker's soon-to-be-legendary 1.9-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, this sensible vehicle is the right car for these very non-sensible times. No, not the fact reality TV shows dominate our airwaves nor that a great Montreal Canadien goalie has become a garden variety politician. I'm talking gas prices, a subject of daily conversation these days from Halifax to Victoria.

Long the redheaded stepchild of the North American automotive marketplace, the diesel engine is making a strong bid in these high-priced petrol times to finally get a decent foothold in Canada and the United States. A full 60 per cent or so of European vehicles

Powered by a 1.9-liter turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, VW's most fuel efficient powerplant, the TDI was also a welcome relief on my pocketbook when it came to filling up. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada)

run on diesel fuel, and major improvements to reduce both emissions and engine noise have been made over the past decade.

VW has long been a diesel engine champion, and it's great to see this compact 1.9-liter engine in so many of the vehicles sold in Canada these days.

Producing 100 horsepower and a formidable 177 lb-ft of torque, VW's most fuel efficient powerplant is more than up to the job of hauling a loaded Jetta Wagon up and over B.C. and Alberta's mountainous roadways let alone the tedious grind across the prairies and into Central Canada.