The grille of a Volkswagen car. (Brennan Linsley, Associated Press file)
I have long felt that Volkswagen built cars that were stylish, agile and efficient. But now the “diesel-gate” debacle has me questioning the company’s integrity.
My 2004 VW Passat has an on-board computer that consistently reports that I get 20 percent better gas mileage than what it is actually getting, based on the miles between fill-ups and the gallons of gas to top up again.
In view of the vaunted German engineering apparent in the W8 engine and the rest of the car, it is hard to believe that this is just some simple oversight or measurement error. Such a distortion could be easily programmed into the car’s computer.
Is your car’s computer lying to you, too? Check it out. VW may not be the only manufacturer that is up to such apparent chicanery.
Jim Bower, Evergreen
This letter was published in the Nov. 1 edition.
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