VW’s woes leave diesel buyers in neutral

Owners of Volkswagen diesel cars have been among the technology’s most loyal evangelists, spreading the word on how fun, frugal and oops, clean, a diesel-powered car can be.

Now, nearly 500,000 U.S. owners sit in recall limbo over Volkswagen’s admission that it equipped its TDI diesels with emissions-cheating software to evade detection of rampant diesel pollution. So put-upon VW owners are facing an ultimate test of their loyalty: Do they keep faith in Volkswagen to fix the cars that have served them well? Or do they look to other brands for high-mileage vehicles that are as clean as advertised?

For now, VW diesel fans have few comparable options.

Alexandra Llamas considered her 2009 VW Jetta TDI the perfect car for her. It was affordable and had great fuel economy for long commutes in Texas, where she lived before moving to California.

“It was my first ever full, adult purchase,” said Llamas, now the marketing director for the San Francisco Symphony. “I loved it.”

Now, like many TDI owners, Llamas is feeling duped. She is waiting to see what steps Volkswagen will take to fix the problem, but after all that has happened, she says she would still buy another VW.

“Definitely. Accountability is the key,” Llamas said.

For VW, the scandal “is unfortunate, because people are so loyal and passionate about the brand and the diesel technology,” said Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com.

But now, car shoppers might struggle to identify comparable alternatives, she said.

“There’s a bit of a hole in the marketplace,” Caldwell said. “Other vehicles certainly could be substituted, but there aren’t a lot of affordable funto-drive diesels out there.”

Other fuel-efficient and earth-friendly options are also more expensive. VW’s diesel technology has been the market’s most affordable, adding as little as $700 to the price of a conventional gasoline model.

While some pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles offer diesels, only one passenger car in America competes directly with the TDI for affordability: The $26,500 Chevrolet Cruze diesel compact sedan, which gets up to 46 mpg and can be driven 700 miles on the highway on a single tank.

Others are expensive European luxury models, including ones from VW’s Audi division. The BMW 328d sedan starts around $42,000, well beyond the budgets of many current VW owners. The Mercedes E250 Bluetec sedan costs $53,000. Jaguar and Land Rover will bring their first U.S. diesels to showrooms next year, but those will also be dearly priced.