Diesels and hybrids.

PositionFROM READERS - Letter to the Editor

Not to disparage the growing hybrid market in the United States, but I feel that diesels come out unfairly when the two are compared [see "Diesels versus Hybrids: Comparing the Environmental Costs," July/August]. I realize that hybrids are cleaner with respect to emissions but I don't think the EPA comparisons of gas mileage are accurate. In speaking with many hybrid owners, they are getting nowhere near the EPA estimated gas mileage, whereas many diesel owners, especially those using biodiesel, are getting significantly higher mileage than the EPA rating. Having just purchased a 2002 Jetta diesel (and still looking for a source of biodiesel), I know that I am getting around 50 miles to the gallon in mixed driving conditions.

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In addition, diesel motors tend to last longer than traditional petrol engines (notice the remaining Mercedes diesels still on the road). I think potential car buyers should be aware of the real world advantages of purchasing a diesel car.

JOSHUA POPPEL

New York Bicycling Coalition

Albany, New York, U.S.A.

It would be interesting to know if our government has a prejudice against diesel engines. Why else would the EPA put out such erroneous statistics on fuel mileage? Consumer Guide says the Prius got 42-45 mpg in "normal driving" in their tests, and as low as 36 mpg in "gas eating performance runs." This doesn't agree at all with the EPA numbers of 60 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway.

If you talk to Prius owners, I don't believe many of them get the EPA advertised mileage. On the other hand, the EPA mileage for the diesel Golf/Jetta is ridiculously low. Again, Consumer Guide reports the Golf diesel with manual shift averaged 41.5 mpg, which is low if you ask people who own them. My wife and I bought a Golf diesel with manual shift a year ago and have kept meticulous records of our mileage, and for the first 18,000 miles we averaged 46.7 mpg. Other VW diesel owners have told us they average close to 50 mpg.

If your author goes back and recalculates the numbers for environmental costs using realistic numbers for mileage, instead of what appears to be propaganda put out by the EPA, the diesels would come out much better.

JAMES R. SAUER, M.D.

Minocqua, Wisconsin, U.S.A.

Thanks for another interesting issue. I might mention, however, that it has become widely acknowledged that the miles per gallon figures you give for the Prius are greatly exaggerated. For example, in the real world my...

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