Comparing the German and US offerings of Volkswagen is very frustrating. I’d imagine most people in the US won’t know (since they don’t speak German) and thus happily buy their 2.5 liter/170 HP Jetta with EPA estimated mileage of 24 MGP (9.8 liters/100km).
In Germany, this is not even an option, because the engine is weigh oversized for that kind of car. In Germany, you can buy this car with a choice of NINE different engine configurations for the entry level model (Catalog, Technical Data, Price List, all in German) . In the US you get ONE. But this isn’t the worst part. Why doesn’t Volkswagen offer at least a fuel efficient engine in the US market?
For instance, the 1.6 liter, 5 gear manual transmission with has 102 horse power and an estimated mileage of 31 MPG. This would be a good alternative for folks that like to have a fuel efficient Volkswagen and don’t want to wait for the Diesel version which is scheduled to come out later this year.