Volkswagen announces the 2009 Jetta TDI will be priced from $21,990 for the four-door sedan, while the SportWagen TDI will start at $23,590.

The 2009  Jetta TDI will be the first new diesel passenger car to meet the Tier 2 Bin 5 (T2B5) emissions standard.

Volkswagen spokesman Keith Price tells Diesel Forecast that the TDI will be roughly equivalent to the mid-level SE trim on the gasoline engine Jetta. The 2009 Jetta SE with a 2.5L five cylinder starts at $19,990.

Jetta TDIs will be offered with a choice of either manual or DSG transmissions, all with 6 speeds. The 2.0L four cylinder TDI diesel produces 140hp and 235lb-ft of torque which should give it a performance advantage over the 2.5L gas engine in addition to increased fuel efficiency.

In the wake of lower than expected EPA mileage number for the TDI, Volkswagen also announces that it has commissioned third party test agency, AMCI, to conduct real world mileage evaluations. The DSG equipped Jetta has been rated at 29mpg city and 40mpg highway by the EPA.

AMCI's on road evaluations exceeded the EPA results by 24 percent. In urban conditions AMCI achieved 38mpg with 44mpg on the highway. Price previously told DF that "TDIs typically do better in real world mileage performance than the official ratings" which seems to be backed up by these results.

North American Volkswagen dealers are expected to receive Jetta TDIs to be used for test drives in the next few weeks. The cars go on sale in late August.

JUNE 2008