Driving down the Autobahn at 120mph is fun no matter what, but doing it in a 2010 VW Golf TDI clean diesel technology prototype makes me a truly inspired driver. The dialed European suspension handles as fluidly at 120mph as it does at 30mph (not that we recommend breaking any speed limits but there are none on the Autobahn).

Passing through countless villages while carving up the German countryside in a clean diesel engine makes passing all those wind-farms (clusters of giant wind energy turbines that look like robotic windmills) feel more like a pleasure cruise through a clean technology futureland than a press event — so much so that me and my fellow journalist/go-to driving partner/guy who took the picture, Big Dan Barna , accidentally got lost in four-wheel euphoria and completely missed the afternoon session at the track. That’s cool, I’ll let the real car guys take my turn there, because I’m much more inspired by the forthcoming 2010 Golf TDI than anything that whips around a track — besides, I’m doing 120mph on zee Autobahn, what more could I want?

With all do respect to the techies (particularly the green techies) of the world, here’s the skinny from VW representative Thomas E. Wegehaupt:

What makes these diesel engines clean diesel? How are they different from traditional diesel engines with regard to sustainability?

Our current 2.0 liter clean diesel TDI engine is very different from its predecessors. Perhaps the largest and most important change is the addition of a Common Rail injection system with Piezo fuel injectors. This system allows for an extremely efficient combustion process that results in a quieter engine, improved mileage, and cleaner exhaust leaving the combustion process which equates to cleaner emissions down the line.

The exhaust system of the 2.0L TDI engine is also very different from previous engines and contains, among other things, a Diesel Particulate Filter, NOx Reduction Catalytic Converter and Sulfur Catalytic converter.

Between the new common rail injection system and the advanced exhaust system, our clean diesel TDI’s meet the most stringent emissions standards of California and all 50 states…all without compromising driving dynamics.

How did VW arrive at the decision to back diesel as opposed to other clean fuel technologies?

Volkswagen believes very strongly that today’s clean diesel technology is the best fuel alternative technology that is currently available in the marketplace today because of the many benefits that today’s clean diesel technology provides, such as:

· Provides more than 30 percent better fuel efficiency.

· Approximately 25 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable gasoline engine.

· Our current clean diesel technology eliminates 98% of p...