In these days of $1.16 a litre regular gas and everyone and their dog going on about global warming just about every automaker has been climbing on the bandwagon and trying to make smaller cars that will get better gas mileage.
The only problem with a lot of these vehicles is that either there is only room for two people, or if there are back seats, the people who have the daunting task of trying to sit in there usually end up with their knees up round their ears and the toes of their shoes poking through the front seats.
Electric and especially hybrid vehicles are flying out all over the place, but no-one seems to have figured out what to do with the multitude of batteries each one uses when the batteries are no longer useful.
However, one auto dealer has gone a different route, one that European car buyers have been on for decades. Volkswagen has included a diesel version of each vehicle they have in their lineup. And as the Europeans will tell you, a diesel vehicle gets much better mileage than a gasoline vehicle, and in most cases gets better mileage than a hybrid vehicle.
So why haven't other auto manufacturers hopped on the diesel train? Who knows.
All I know is the new ultra-low sulphur diesel VW Golf gets 42 miles per gallon in the city and 61 miles per gallon on the highway, and VW didn't have to make any compromises on the vehicles size.
You can still fit full-sized adults in the back with ease and there is also luggage space in the back.
It is the same size as the gasoline version of the Golf, and not only has VW got a diesel version of each vehicle in its lineup, in some instances the vehicles are bigger than last year's model. Better mileage doesn't necessarily mean having to go on a diet or drop a few belt sizes.
There are also n weight-saving gimics like plastic windows or carbon fibre body work or no stereo or AC because they weigh too much.
The Gold TDi was loaded with options and with the turbo diesel engine and all its grunt available at low rpm, the Golf got up to speed in a hurry.
Fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox the Golf loped along at 100 km/h at only 1,500 rpm. This sixth gear also adds to the excellent fuel mileage.
The Golf was loaded with options as I mentioned earlier, with a power moonroof, climate control, touch-screen navigation system, satellite radio, Bluetooth hands-free phone with controls on the steering wheel, heated leather seats, power windows, doors and mirrors, side and curtain airbags, iPod dock and AUX input.
On the road the Golf is quiet. Not something you would expect from a diesel, but VW has worked long and hard on this technology and it is near impossible to tell the difference between it and a gasoline version.
There are no identifiable fumes coming out of the exhaust, which means there is no worry about choking someone in the vehicle behind with your plumes of black smoke.
The Golf also handles the road with ease. There is no lean when flying around corners and the extra bolstering on the seats helps keep the driver in the right place.
Despite the winter conditions the Golf didn't let too many bumps through to the driver's butt and handled the snow and ice with ease.
The Golf also came with an onboard computer allowing the driver to change many settings. One that is nice is the lane change signal. The turn signal is set to blink three times when tapped once. This means you don't have to push the lever down all the way for the signal to come on, and after three blinks it shuts off.
There is also an option for those of you who don't like cruise and who may av a bit of a lead foot from time to time. The driver can set the computer for a certain speed. Once this speed is passed an alarm sounds to let the driver know he has gone past the speed.
The Golf TDi is no less of a car tha its gasoline drinking siblings, in fact some would say it is a better vehicle because of the mileage. Either way it is a good vehicle that will get you where you want to go and back without putting a dent in your already hard hit wallet.
