Volkswagen to combine diesel and hybrid tech to improve efficiency

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Recently, I had a chance to take a look at and drive some new and interesting cars from the Volkswagen team in Wolfsburg, which was a somewhat illuminating experience.

For years, Volkswagen – like most of the European car manufacturers – tended to hedge its bets with diesel as the most economical solution to the problems of both emissions and fuel economy. And, some would say, they made the right decision over hybrid technology.

Within the last five years, diesel has become a greener solution due to new exhaust systems and the introduction of low-sulfur diesel to the market. You just can’t beat the low-end power combined with high mpg.

But selling diesel cars in America, unlike in the EU, where the take rate is over 60% in some countries –- I’m looking at you, Italy –- is a harder slog. In order to diversify their power-train strategy, Vee-Dub has been developing a few new technologies.

First introduced in 2008, the “Twin-Drive” is like a combination of the Chevrolet Volt’s Series and Toyota Prius’ Parallel drive-train systems, meaning, that Volkswagen mated a TDI diesel engine to an electric motor/generator to create what is essentially a Golf that runs on electric power up to about 35 mph and then switches to the diesel engine.

Furthermore, the battery is charged by both brake regeneration and plug-in methods. There are all sorts of other mechanical and computer doodads on the Twin-Drive that help to switch between the electric and diesel motors for maximum efficiency.

While we applaud the Twin-Drive as an interesting piece of technology, combining the best of all worlds into one package, we expect this technology to be quite expensive. But who said saving the world was
going to come on the cheap?

That said, while we look forward to the new Twin-Drive, the technology is a long way off -- four years, if not more. VW will soon begin their government and utility testing of the vehicle, and we all know how red tape has a tendency to delay product releases.

For the here and now, there is the new sixth-generation 2010 Golf TDI. While we like the gasoline-powered Golf, there is a soft spot in our automotive heart for the TDI. With its 2.0-liter, 140 horsepower, 236 lb-ft four-cylinder common rail injection engine, the TDI, like its Jetta TDI sibling, is a smooth and green little package. On an Autobahn drive from Wolfsburg to Berlin, which about 143 miles, where speeds average much faster than rush-hour traffic on the 405, we averaged about 33 mpg.

This is at Autobahn speeds, mind you. Back in the States, you would be lucky to keep your license if you were caught driving so briskly.

On the bright side, Southern California’s lower freeway speeds should yield higher fuel economy figures. Plus, at $21,990, the 2010 Golf TDI presents a model for the here and now.

-- Jon Alain Guzik

Guzik is Editor-in-Chief at DriverSide.com