Agreed. Price-wise, it’s in the dreaded “middle” spot, between VW and BMW.

...assuming “wagon” is pronounced “C - U - V”

The last thing any Audi owner - especially an S4 owner - should do is use a *Groupon* for an oil change. Sucks to be him, but you get what you pay for.

Price-wise, this and the stretched Golf are neck-and-neck.

Da FUQ ?

Sadly, you are affected.

Sadly, yes, and every small-displacement diesel in the U.S.. With the ridiculously low NOx standards designed specifically for the L.A. basin (and largely not applicable anywhere else) and with the improvement in small-displacement turbo gas engines and hybrids, small-displacement diesels are DEAD in the U.S.A.

Yup. I’d be surprised if the BMW 328d is not doing this.

Yes. It’s a matter of chemistry : diesel power and efficiency requires high temperature, which means NOx. I don’t believe any manufacturer can make a small diesel that can compete with small-displacement turbo gas engines while meeting EPA requirements and not cheating.

U.S. diesel engines actually have *lower* PM and CO2 emissions than gasoline engines, and those are far more important than NOx in every part of the U.S. except the L.A. basin. In every other metro area, VOCs contribute more to ground ozone than does NOx.

Lots of us. You wouldn’t notice unless you looked for the very small ‘TDI’ letters on the upper right of the rear end.

For the price, the Golf R is a much better choice.

I’ll see your mountainous, hot driving at high speeds with large top carrier, and raise you by 15mpg, i.e. 50%. A couple of weeks ago, we drove into the N. Georgia Mountains and back on a pair of hot summer days. Averaged 45mpg for the trip.

Et VW Golf Variant/Wagon/Estate TDI, Brute ?

You’re joking, right ? I don’t think I can name a worse sound in a sports car. Sounds like a 1.6L I-4.

33mpg @ 80mph ? I think not.

This is very old news. Gerard t'Hooft and Leonard Susskind theorized this years ago: