Most-Read Car Reviews of the Week

Perhaps using its imposing makeover for 2013 to scare off competitors, the Toyota RAV4 continued its reign of terror atop our list of most-read reviews of the week. The compact crossover's nearest opponent, the 2013 Ford Fusion, generated a little more than a third of RAV4's reader interest. Maybe newcomers to the list, including the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid (No. 6) and the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid (No. 10), will gain enough confidence in coming weeks to face down the RAV4.

Until then, check out what was popular this week:

1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
2. 2013 Ford Fusion
3. 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
4. 2013 Ford Explorer
5. 2013 Ford Escape
6. 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid
7. 2013 Toyota Avalon
8. 2013 Nissan Altima
9. 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
10. 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

Your Family Car is a Volkswagen Jetta?!

I have a baby. I carpool a lot with other moms who have babies. I have two rear-facing child-safety seats installed in my car the majority of the time, and I just got a new 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.

You may not have seen it atop any family-car lists lately, but the Jetta has a family-friendly secret that's about to get out: The backseat is big.

It's bigger than every other compact sedan on the market (in terms of rear legroom), and it's big enough that it doesn't feel like a small sedan at all. It even fits rear-facing child-safety seats comfortably, and my adult co-pilots don't feel cramped with their knees in the dash when riding shotgun, either.

2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius
• Looks like: This Jetta's headlights have been bedazzled
• Drivetrain: 150-hp, turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine and a 27-hp electric motor with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Late 2012

A longtime proponent of diesel engines as a way to save fuel, Volkswagen has also begun appealing to consumers' green sensibilities with hybrids, first the Touareg Hybrid SUV and now the Jetta Hybrid compact sedan. Available at dealerships toward the end of this year, the 2013 Jetta Hybrid will get an estimated combined gas-mileage rating of 45 mpg, Volkswagen says. That’s 1 mpg higher than the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid. With the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder and an automatic transmission, the regular gas Jetta gets combined gas mileage of 25 mpg.

More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

In a break from other hybrid cars currently available in the U.S., the Jetta Hybrid has a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine that makes 150 horsepower. Most hybrids have a normally aspirated engine. The four-cylinder works with a 27-hp electric motor. With this powertrain, the Jetta Hybrid can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 9 seconds, according to Volkswagen, and drive at speeds up to 44 mph on electric power alone. The electric motor is powered by a 1.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack behind the rear seat.

Mileage Challenge 5.4: The Results

Our latest mileage challenge had editors logging more than 300 miles each in three hybrids and a diesel: the 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, 2010 Toyota Prius and 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. We tallied up all the numbers and corrected for a brief photography stint between Legs 2 and 3. (Angling cars around for the camera — complete with rapid stops, starts and idling — has a way of dinging your mileage, and it’s not representative of real-world driving.)

The results were striking.

Mileage Challenge 5.3: Dizzying Displays

Most people think all of the advanced technology in today’s hybrid cars is under the hood. While automakers continue to enhance new engines, batteries and drivetrains, they’re also working on ways to wrangle the one factor they can’t control — the driver.

To gain maximum efficiency in a hybrid, a driver must be taught to drive properly so fill-ups are few and far between. In the crop of cars we tested on our mileage drive, there were a dazzling array of displays to teach people to drive as green as possible.

Mileage Challenge 5.2: Avenues and Interstates

Our latest mileage challenge took three hybrids — the Honda Insight, Mercury Milan Hybrid and Toyota Prius — and one diesel, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, from Chicago to Fond du Lac, Wis., and back. The total distance came to just over 300 miles: The first 38 miles were in urban gridlock, the next 230 miles or so consisted of relatively open highway driving and the final 35 miles took place in afternoon interstate traffic.

As in our other mileage challenges, the ground rules remained largely the same: Four editors filled the tires to their recommended pressure, kept windows and sunroofs closed, drove as we normally would and switched cars at each leg to control for driving habits. But this being a challenge with hybrids there were some added things to look out for that could sway the results.

Mileage Challenge 5.1: Hybrid vs. Diesel

Despite gas prices averaging below $2.50 a gallon nationwide, hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles are as popular as ever. The redesigned Toyota Prius is one of the country’s best-sellers, and Volkswagen’s TDI diesel was in short supply after it debuted at dealers earlier this year. With interest in these types of vehicles still high, we held another mileage challenge with the most popular of these cars and included both hybrids and VW’s most efficient diesel.

VW Diesels Doing Well Versus Hybrids

Automotive junkies know that modern diesel engines in fuel-efficient cars can be more fun to drive — while delivering high mileage — compared with modern hybrids. That’s why Volkswagen has relative hits on its hands with diesel versions of its Jetta sedan and wagon.

In July, VW sold 3,865 Jetta TDI sedans and 1,932 TDI wagons. Honda’s all-new Insight hybrid has been off to a slow start, posting another lukewarm month of sales for July: 2,295. Ford’s hybrid versions of the Fusion, Milan, Escape and Mariner totaled 5,353 sales in July.

However, the Toyota Prius set a sales record during a Cash for Clunkers-fueled July, with sales of 19,173. VW may have a ways to go to catch up to the Prius, but compared with other hybrids — and even other VW models, like the new Tiguan crossover (1,088 sold) and CC sedan (1,413) — diesel Jettas are doing very well.

The Jettas are the best example of what diesel engines can do in small, relatively affordable packages. Besides large trucks, most diesel offerings are found in German luxury cars and SUVs. The low price of diesel this summer also has to be taken into account, but perhaps all this will lead to other automakers bringing the technology to smaller cars.  

MotorWeek Names 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Best of the Year

The diesel-powered Volkswagen 2009 Jetta TDI is MotorWeek’s Best of the Year 2009 Drivers’ Choice award winner. MotorWeek cited the Jetta TDI’s fuel efficiency and performance as the major factors influencing the decision. The TDI also won Best Eco-Friendly car.

MotorWeek’s Drivers’ Choice Awards evaluated 150 vehicles based on a range of factors — everything from price value to technology perks, and although the Jetta TDI won top honors, a number of other vehicles nabbed awards as well.

The winners will all be featured Friday on PBS’ MotorWeek show. For a full list of winners, check after the jump.

Cars.com Videos: 2009 VW Jetta TDI, 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, More

2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Forget all your misconceptions about diesel cars, the Jetta TDI is a diesel that’s as clean as a gas engine, Joe Wiesenfelder says.

2009 Hyundai Elantra: If you want a car with cargo room but an SUV is just too big for you, Bill Jackson says you should consider the Elantra Touring, a hatchback with good ride quality.

2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: Based on the entry-level C-Class, the C63 has an aggressive-looking exterior that’s backed by a 6.2-liter V-8 engine, Mike Hanley says.

2009 Ford Mustang: Mike takes a look at the last year of the current Mustang. It has an optional glass roof on some trims and offers modern styling cues that mix well with this Ford’s retro look.

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