One aspect we LGBT folk know well is the closeted period, where we told lies about ourselves to others and ourselves. Once we move through it, we rarely want to revisit that period of lying and deception.
That’s the phase Volkswagen is moving through, as it navigates the worst corporate crisis in its history. Funny coincidence that the Passat TDI was chosen as a column subject at a time when its “clean diesel” engine has been uncovered as a fraud—and it’s a willful one at that, on the part of the company that made it.
By now, you’ve heard that Volkswagen has been gaming global emissions tests by switching the car’s computer program when a diagnostic machine is detected. The car then adds much more urea, a substance that neutralizes NOx emissions, to the exhaust.
If the VWs in question added the amount of urea required to pass emissions in regular driving, then we’d need a network of urea stations besides those that sell diesel. That’s why some VWs were clocked at spewing as much as 40 times the amount than it emitted at the diagnostic station. It’s a public health issue, as NOx emissions are one of the most harmful parts of a car’s exhaust.
This is a full-blown crisis for VW. The CEO is out, and there will likely be criminal charges in VW’s many global markets. And the whole idea of a “clean diesel” has been called into question; VW’s misbehavior may do much to encourage a more permanent move from diesel to electric as the dominant green-car direction.
So while I have many positive comments regarding this week’s Passat TDI, it is a car that is impossible to recommend, unless it’s at a steep discount. One of the biggest blows to VW is to its reputation, which means a certain drop in resale values, at least in the short term.
It’s also impossible to accurately report on the Passat TDI’s performance, because we really have no idea how these cars will perform after they’ve been recalled and “fixed,” meaning detuned enough that they can pass smog without an IV of urea. Mileage will also likely suffer.
And so the Passat TDI is a wait-and-see. On the other hand, Honda is plugging right along with its hybrid technology, and the Accord Hybrid Touring proved to be a perfectly fine interpretation of the breed.
It still seems a shame to burden the fleet-footed Accord with a hybrid’s uneven power delivery and goopy brake response, but as cars that get 50 mpg EPA highway go, the Accord Hybrid is as appealing as any you’ll find. With the Accord, it comes down to basic honesty in its design; it’s easy to see out of and comfortable to sit in. There’s roominess and features aplenty. It’s as straightforward as car design gets these days.
That lack of pretension is a big part of the Accord’s appeal, and it’s an opposite philosophy from the lies told by VW.
Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant at www.gaycarguy.com. Check out his automotive staging service at www.carstaging.com
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