Jetta Diesel vs Prius

Surprising result: the Jetta beat the Prius in highway driving fuel economy and is more fun to drive to boot. [Link]

Our $24,190 Jetta TDi Loyal Edition DSG came fairly well equipped but did lack a navigation system, while at $28,254 our 2008 Prius came with a luxurious $5925 Touring package that included navigation and leather. Nonetheless, we devised a two-day, two-tank regimen to give the fuel economy on both vehicles as thorough a run as humanly possible. Day One crammed in an approximation of a full week's worth of pure city commuting. The second day estimated a typical highway road trip locked on cruise control at a constant speed. Since fuel economy is so dependent on driving style, we accelerated as smoothly and consistently as possible in both tests. Our general rule was to accelerate from each stop with just enough throttle to be as quick as the slowest car leaving the light. This, we believe, best approximates the driving style that an average consumer would adopt with fuel economy as a main priority. So who took the mileage prize? The newfangled diesel or the reigning champ? Here's the bottom line from PM's exclusive test. Warning: The numbers aren't what you might expect.