2010 VW Golf TDI starts at $21,990, rated at 29/40 mpg city/hwy or maybe 30/42?

For 2010, Volkswagen is again discarding the Rabbit badge in favor of the Golf nameplate used globally. The new cars will begin arriving in the coming weeks, starting with the GTI. The standard Golf models will again be available with diesel power, the same 2.0-liter TDI that arrived last year in the Jetta. Although it isn't linked from the main VW site, the new GTI and Golf pages are now live and include the TDI information with pricing.

The base 2-door, 2.5-liter gas engine Golf starts at $17,490 while the 4-door starts at $19,190. Like the Jetta, the TDIs come with a higher level of equipment than the base Golf and start at $21,990 (2-door) and $22,590 (4-door) with a 6-speed manual. The new GTI starts $23,290.

Of greater interest are the fuel economy numbers for the TDI. The Volkswagen site lists both the manual and DSG versions of the Golf TDI as getting 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway. However a quick check of the EPA's FuelEconomy.gov site shows the Golf TDI rated even higher, at 30 mpg city and 42 highway. Similarly, the EPA also lists the 2010 Jetta TDI with DSG at the same level an improvement from the 2009 model's 29/40. Assuming the EPA numbers are correct, VW must have done some recalibration work on the DSG model. Thanks to Jay for the tip!

[Source: Volkswagen]