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"Haven&amp;#039;t you noticed? Turbo-diesels are all the rage, and a certain VW Group race car has been short-shifting its way into the Le Mans winner&amp;#039;s circle for quite a few years now. We have fond memories of our long-term Jetta TDI too, so it seemed a natural for the test here.        2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI    Paired with the twin-clutch DSG gearbox, the Jetta&amp;#039;s 2.0-liter turbodiesel hits like a linebacker, its 236 lb.-ft. of torque helping it dig out of our autocross&amp;#039;s tighter corners to post the 3rd-quickest time, all the while churning out those low-pitched oleaginous sounds that diesels make. Another surprise: The Jetta achieved these times with cushy-sidewall all-season Hankook tires that returned the least steady-state lateral grip (0.78g) and slowest slalom time (62.8 mph) of the bunch. So notch a victory for the sort of tidy, handling composure and eager turn-in that let you attack the cones with impunity, if not ultimate stick.        2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI    For 2011, the Jetta&amp;#039;s redesign significantly increased its footprint to better compete with Civic, Corolla, et al., and it shows, as the Jetta is one seriously roomy sedan with almost business class rear seating and a large, grocery bag-devouring trunk. The seats are supportive and comfortable in the long haul, and the interior design manages to be clean and sophisticated without being too plain, with the well thoughtout controls with clean sight lines. Its Achilles&amp;#039; heel, as has been noted before, are the plastics on the dash, doorpanels and rear shelf. They&amp;#039;re shiny, hard and with a lumpy grain, reminding us that the stuff does indeed originate from blobs of petroleum. The Jetta&amp;#039;s predecessor was far superior in this respect, but the downgrade is partly what enabled to take out some cost.        2012 Volkswagen Jetta TDI    Where the Jetta TDI truly shines is out on the open road, where its precise yet pothole-inhaling suspension, no-stress straight-line stability and overall relaxed demeanor justify the monthly payment. And with the 2nd-highest fuel-economy average on our Ortega Loop (38.2 mpg) and a highway range in excess of 600 miles, TDI fill-ups should be blessedly infrequent. Your mileage may vary, of course, especially if you take advantage of all that torque around town when in stoplight holeshot mode.      Up Next:     "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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