2009 Toyota Prius - Review

John Voelcker

Senior Editor BIO

John is Senior Editor for High Gear Media. In addition to news coverage and new car reviews, John creates and oversees all editorial for High Gear's... More

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18,633 views March 12, 2009

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By now the Toyota Prius defines the image of the high-mileage hybrid, with more than 1 million built and a full 750,000 sold in the United States. But it's hardly the only "green" car that gives 35 miles per gallon or more.

While a lot of buyers don't realize it, the difference between, say, 35 mpg and the 50 mpg of the 2010 Toyota Prius doesn't save you a lot. You use 86 fewer gallons of gasoline over 10,000 miles, or less than $200 at current prices. (Ah, but 10 mpg to 25 mpg, on the other hand? You save 600 gallons, or $1,200!)

So we view any car with EPA mileage ratings of 30 mpg or higher as a Prius competitor. And one of the most popular is the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, a "clean diesel" mileage champ with a fan base as avid as any Prius acolyte. And it's comparably priced, in the $20,000 to $25,000 range.

Despite EPA ratings of 29 (city) / 40 (highway) miles per gallon, our colleage Colin Mathews got 41 mpg in a recent Jetta TDI drive, and 51 mpg when he worked at it. And...