Good grief. How do journalists think they can get away with this?
"The starting MSRP is $22,175 for a base Jetta Trendline with the
five-cylinder gas engine and a manual transmission. ... The least-expensive
Jetta TDI is $2,300 dearer, and that doesn't include $1,400 for the
automatic transmission. ... its higher MSRP means that, ... you'd have to
wait at least a couple of years to make back in lower fuel costs the extra
dough you spent to buy the car." As a professional, show the math.
According to the above, a Jetta TDI with auto is (22175+2300+1400=) $25,875
+ ~12% taxes = $28,980. In your article you mention several Asian cars for
comparison on the topic of fuel efficiency, including the Elantra.
Hyundai's web site
(http: //www hyundaicanada com/Pages/buildprice/step2_trims.aspx?model=ELANTR
A) shows a base Elantra with auto is $13,199+12% = $14,782. A savings of
$14,197.
Transport Canada's fuel ratings page
(http: //oee nrcan gc ca/transportation/tools/fuelratings/ratings-results.cfm
) shows that a Hyundai Elantra (rated as a mid-size car) would cost $1380/yr
in fuel costs by their test standards, and the Volkwagon Jetta TDI Clean
Diesel (a compact) would cost $1276/yr, a reduction of $104/yr. To simply
breakeven on the added $14782 for buying the Jetta would take 136.5 years!!
This is "at least a couple of years"