2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Review: High Torque, Modest Price

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI is in a class of its own in the US. While the regular Jetta is a solid (but less reliable) German alternative to the Civic and Corolla, the TDI model offers a driving experience that is rarely found in small cars.

CORRECTION: In the beginning, I said that VW bought back all diesels but it was not mandatory. They offered it to all of the owners whose cars were affected by the recall.

Things I should mention:
Horsepower = torque x (RPM/5252)
Volkswagen highly recommends a transmission fluid and filter change with the DSG (automatic) every 40,000 miles.
The Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are more consistent in reliability but the Jetta TDI comes with an impressive warranty that eases the mind when buying a pre-owned vehicle.
After the emissions modification, the Jetta TDI manual was rated at 32 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway.
The 2015 Jetta TDI has 150 hp.

Thank you Drew Walker for helping shoot this review!

Engineering Explained on torque versus power
   • Horsepower vs Torque - A Simple Expla...