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I've never been a fan of Diesel engines in automobiles, too slow, too noisy, too dirty, hard to start in the winter. However, we have at this site (Spangdahlem) three vehicles, a VW Freestyle, a Ford Galaxy crossover and an E class Mercedes..don't ask how we got that one , all of them are Diesel. I am unbelievably impressed. They're clean, quiet, will put you back in the seat when you put your foot down hard and all of them are 30+ MPG.

Dunno folks, I'm thinking the US is missing the boat by not pushing harder. With the newer low sulphur fuel I suspect they pollute little more than a gasoline engine. What's been everyone's experience with them?

OC

I own a 98 GMC 3500 w/ the 6.5l Turbo diesel.

I understand why diesels never caught on in the US quite like they did in Europe. They WERE loud, smoky, and too much work to maintain, so they were pretty much left in trucks and never pressed in regular POV's. Now regular gas is everywhere and basically has a monopoly, kind of like Microsoft Windows.

When I was on the way home in Sigonella last summer, our rental was a diesel. It was an AlphaRomero, I cant remember the model, but I was shocked to learn it was an oilburner. It was quieter than any gas engine
I'd ever heard, drove like a gas engine, even the RPMs were like a gas engine. I would have put regular gas in it by accident if it did not say Diesel Fuel Only on the dashboard.

Current diesels are VERY powerful. They also cost a fair amount more, it it is a worthwhile investment. The Cummins motor is barely broken in at 100,000 miles, whereas a gas motor is about 50% done with its life. All diesels cost a little more than a car to maintain (Do you have any idea how much an injector for the Duramax costs??) but they are also pretty simple to maintain (especially the older ones).

Diesels are NOT too slow. If one is slow it is not the engines fault. The Duramax is insanely powerful. There is talk of GM putting a light duty version of the DMax into the Colorado in a few years. You can blame the slow myth on the jobs diesels perform. They are in trucks that are very heavy to begin with, and geared very high so they can oull all that weight.

They are also not very hard to start in the winter. Not new ones anyway. Not until you start hitting -20. Almost every diesel has a block heater in it from the factory, keep it plugged in, no problemo. If it is excessively hard, the motor is probably worn and losing compression, or the glow plugs are shot.

As for pollution, the black smoke you see out of big rigs is just as bad fro the truck than the air, if not worse. Black smoke is unburnt fuel, it means the truck is not getting enough air, and it also means high EGT's for turbo equipped vehicles. Fortunately for me, in many states diesels are emissions exempt, so I cut out the stock exhaust on my truck and put in a 3\" downpipe and 4\" exhaust, no muffler, and more importantly, no cat.

Teacher in high school bought a diesel bug. It was quiet, many were surprised that it had a diesel in it.

I've always thought that a diesel should be in the larger SUVs at least. I've thought about converting my Impala, but I don't think the parts would be available. At least around here, diesel is twenty or so cents cheaper than gas, so you put that on top of the better gas mileage.

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Evil is evil, no matter how small.

I don't understand why diesel is so close in price to gasoline. It is basically an less refined version of oil than gas, so it (should) cost less to make, no?

Also heres some nice info to brag about diesel - it is more efficient. Diesel contains more enerygy per gallon than gas. Also, it is used more completely than gas is.

The new ultra low sulphur blends are changing that. Though once they get more of the refining capacity on it, it should drop a bit. What blows my mind is gas going up and down 30-40 cents, and diesel staying the same. If it was the price of oil like some say, they should both be affected.

The European makers would have a leg up, since probably half the cars over there are diesel. Just change what you need for America, and ship them in. You could start selling them in rural areas, where the farmers already have trucks and tractors running on diesel, so it's not too new.

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Evil is evil, no matter how small.

The last 4 cars (company cars) have all been Diesel.
Currently I drive a BMW 320 Convertible with the 150hp engine.
It´s a rather heavy car, but the mileage is 30+ miles/gallon.
The price difference between Diesel and Gasoline is bigger in germany...
And no, you cant compare the modern Diesel engines with those that were built 10-15 years ago...
Nice acceleration, no specific Diesel-Sound... even Porsche will build a Diesel-Car in the next years...

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\"My name's Pitt, and you ain't talkin' your ass outta this shit.\"