DNRguide.com - Guide and Blog

When Winter Blows in…

Air Temp in Duluth, Minnesota:  - 7 F. 

Wind Chill:  - 25 F. 

Fishing?  I’ll pass on that today.

Boating?  Ditto. 

Enjoy the holiday. 

DNRguide

The outdoors that we drink in will create a whole new look when our lens has a different pace.  Follow nature in motion on this otherwise simple scene of life.

From Flickr.com

DNRguide is predicting (hoping) that the expected wave of diesel power & economy coming into the U.S. market as led by the 2009 VW Jetta TDI will eventually lead to better trailering options with diesel power & economy in the pickup & SUV class.   The market wants an option with reasonable initial cost, economy while in use, and of course good resale when you’re ready for a new color. 

Look what a New York Times article says about the VW Jetta TDI setting the example.

The Green Car Journal 2009 Green Car of the Year is the Volkswagen Jetta TDI which offers a peak at the bright future for what is in store for drivers who want efficiency without the sacrifice of power & preferred benefits.  On Edmunds.com, this 33mpg wunderkind is an both an “Editor’s” and “Consumer’s” most wanted car.  This most visible proof of its desirability is the fact that unlike almost all other car sellers who are deeply discounting all there vehicles - this one is selling around MSRP. 

(picture from VW & Edmunds.com)

VW packed 140 HP with 236 ft-lbs. of torque into this fast, powerful, and fun to drive five-seater.  Unlike the hybrids, this one doesn’t have to pull off the starting line toting five-hundred pounds of batteries.  The Green secret revolves around a well-designed use of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) or “clean diesel fuel”. 

The Diesel Fuel Forum has this to say:

More Americans are discovering diesel as an alternative fuel option. Annual registration of diesel passenger vehicles has grown by 80%, from just over 300,000 in 2000 to nearly 550,000 in 2005. And most analysts expect this trend to continue. Researchers at J.D. Power and Associates predict that diesel sales will triple in the next 10 years, growing to more than 10% of U.S. vehicle sales by 2015 - up from 3.6% in 2005. 

This market response will motivate manufacturers to finally bring efficient power options to the trailering scene. Clean Diesel power plants in light-duty trucks that can offer power and an efficiency that off-sets high fuel costs already has buyers waiting. What the VW Jetta TDI has done for car buyers, the smart truck manufacturers will do for those who need an equivalent solution for the recreational truck scene. 

It is just a matter of time.  Who will be the smart players in the tool-up for clean diesel light-duty trucks.  I have my checkbook ready to meet them.