Volkswagen 1998 versus 2010 - how far we've come

My first real car was a 1998 Volkswagen GTI and for anyone else out there who has owned a VW, you'll know what I mean when I say that there's something very special about driving one.

It's hard to put a finger on what exactly it is, but it a VW just drives differently than the others.

In overall design, Volkswagen vehicles have come a long way since then, but have they come a long way in terms of fuel efficiency? I bring up the question because a lot of people mention VW's when it comes to lowering fuel consumption and, in turn their overall environmental footprint.

So how far has the VW come in this regard? Here's a quick list of some of the more popular models comparing the 1998 to the latest 2010 specifications. All the measurements I used for this comparison come from the US Department of Energy's fuel economy website.

Volkswagen Jetta

1998 Volkswagen Jetta  = 21 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway

2010 Volkswagen Jetta = 23 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on the highway

Not much difference between then and now, so I thought I would also look at the diesel engine versions.

1998 Volkswagen Jetta diesel = 33 MPG in the city and 44 MPG on the highway

2010 Volkswagen Jetta = 30 MPG in the city and 42 MPG on the highway

Compared to their gasoline counterparts the diesel engine is by far superior when it comes to fuel effciency, but it's suprising to see that the newer model diesels are actually a little less fuel efficient than the 1998 model.

Volkswagen Beetle

1998 Volkswagen Beetle = 19 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway

2010 Volkswagen Beetle = 20 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway

A little more efficient for sure, but nothing mind blowing.

Volkswagen Passat

1998 Volkswagen Passat = 18 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway

2010 Volkswagen Passat = 22 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway

By the looks of things, there really hasn't been any improvement in the last 12 years in these popular Volkswagen models when it comes to fuel efficiency. What surprised me most is that the diesel line hasn't shown much improvement despite the fact that many people I know bring up the VW diesel as a good choice when it comes to fuel efficiency.

What do you think? Have you heard people talk about the VW line when it comes to fuel efficiency? Does it surprise you that there really hasn't been much improvement over the last 12 years?