Volkswagon Jetta TDI Named 2009 Green Car of the Year

Hey, all you people that read this site to learn what car to buy: the Green Car Journal says that your 2009 green car of the year is the Volkswagon Jetta TDI. Treehugger gives us a report:

The 2009 Jetta TDI is a quiet-running, diesel-powered car. It beat out hybrids and mini-cars to take the title. The Jetta uses a technology called "clean diesel" which actually lives up its name pretty well. It has a very clean tailpipe, and an EPA estimated 41 mpg highway fuel economy.

Also, it's a Jetta, which means that you can drive it and it makes you trendy and hip, automatically. But ready for some more technical jargon? Good. Me too.

The Jetta has a diesel particulate filter to further reduce particulate emissions, and it has uses a NOx-storage catalyst, which is basically a reservoir that temporarily holds the noxious emissions, like a particulate filter, until they can be burned off during one of the engine cycles. Because of this, it is one of the first cars to qualify a Tier II Bin 5 vehicle (equivalent to California's LEV II rating), therefore allowing it to be sold in all 50 U.S. states.

If I knew what that meant, I would definitely tell you, and it would be awesome. But I don't, so...takepart and learn more about the Jetta receiving this honor, and then takepart to visit Auto Blog Green for more environmentally friendly auto info.