Photo: Florin Profir
Back in September, Volkswagen became the center of attention in the automotive world in the most undesirable way: the US Environmental Protection Agency discovered that most of its diesel-powered cars had a defeat device that fooled readings during tests, releasing a lot more nitrous oxides when driven out in the real world.
What followed was a huge scandal that forced Volkswagen to make some significant changes, but its ripples seemed to threaten the diesel engine as a whole, regardless of the company manufacturing it. And even though the situation has been largely defused by now, there's still a bit of stigma associated with this type of engines.
Two months after the Dieselgate scandal broke loose, Volkswagen presented its solution. The two engines affected were the 1.6-liter TDI and the 2.0-liter TDI codenamed EA 189, and the Wolfsburg engineers identified a different solution for each. For the one with the smaller displacement a "flow straightener" was going to be installed (essentially a piece of plastic that modifies the flow of air going into the engine), while the larger unit would be cured of its affliction with a simple software update.
Two simple solutions to a huge problem, so simple in fact that it made people wonder why didn't they choose to use them in the first place and went the trouble of putting together a defeat device? Well, even though nothing has yet been confirmed, it would appear that the proposed solution isn't without its problems.
Volkswagen will have the mammoth task of recalling 8.5 million VW, Audi, Skoda, and SEAT vehicles in Europe alone, and the first step of this undertaking was fixing the 2.0-liter TDI units in its Amarok pickup truck. The second part of the operation would have seen 160,000 Passats make their way to the VW workshops, but the operation has been halted at the moment on reports that the fix is causing increased fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
According to Automotive News Europe, a Volkswagen spokesman admitted the hiccup in the recall process, but said that claims of any modifications regarding fuel consumption are mere "speculations." He went on to add, "We have to guarantee that noise and especially CO2 emissions are exactly the same as before the fix," which should go without saying. I mean, wasn't low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions the primary reason people bought diesel engines? Because it sure wasn't for their refinement and sporty nature.
Two months after the Dieselgate scandal broke loose, Volkswagen presented its solution. The two engines affected were the 1.6-liter TDI and the 2.0-liter TDI codenamed EA 189, and the Wolfsburg engineers identified a different solution for each. For the one with the smaller displacement a "flow straightener" was going to be installed (essentially a piece of plastic that modifies the flow of air going into the engine), while the larger unit would be cured of its affliction with a simple software update.
Two simple solutions to a huge problem, so simple in fact that it made people wonder why didn't they choose to use them in the first place and went the trouble of putting together a defeat device? Well, even though nothing has yet been confirmed, it would appear that the proposed solution isn't without its problems.
Volkswagen will have the mammoth task of recalling 8.5 million VW, Audi, Skoda, and SEAT vehicles in Europe alone, and the first step of this undertaking was fixing the 2.0-liter TDI units in its Amarok pickup truck. The second part of the operation would have seen 160,000 Passats make their way to the VW workshops, but the operation has been halted at the moment on reports that the fix is causing increased fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
According to Automotive News Europe, a Volkswagen spokesman admitted the hiccup in the recall process, but said that claims of any modifications regarding fuel consumption are mere "speculations." He went on to add, "We have to guarantee that noise and especially CO2 emissions are exactly the same as before the fix," which should go without saying. I mean, wasn't low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions the primary reason people bought diesel engines? Because it sure wasn't for their refinement and sporty nature.
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