German Car Zone

The state of California has the toughest vehicle emissions regulations in the world with its LEV II (and the corresponding national Tier 2 Bin 5) standards. Those rules treat all engine types the same regardless of what type of fuel they use. It doesn't matter if the engine runs on gasoline, diesel or cow dung, the rules are the same. Those rules are so tight, that no manufacturer has been able to sell light duty vehicles with diesel engines in California and four other states for the last several years.

That's all changing now beginning with last month's retail sales launch of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Jetta is the first new diesel-powered car to meet the T2B5 rules and it's fitting that VW invited the media out to the birthplace of emissions regulations to drive it. We spent a day driving the Jetta TDI in and around Santa Monica to gauge whether the Jetta has the right balance of Fahrvergnügen and low fuel consumption to make it a viable alternative to cars like the Prius, Civic and Focus.

Full article: autobloggreen