I know there are some diesel owners here... who might find this poll going on at The Diesel Driver of interest. Take the poll here. Poll: Would You Buy Another Diesel? Read the full story »
Yes, I have had diesels for the last 40 years with no complaints. Very long life, simple maintenance, and economical. At least the older ones. The new ones are too complex.
Nope. I've only owned one diesel but have driven loads and would never buy another myself. Overly complex, noisy, loud, emission issues, require more frequent servicing, heavier and generally not viable unless you do lots of highway/motorway miles (and I mean lots). Should I buy a petrol or diesel car? - Telegraph Great diesel myth: They DON'T save you money and petrol models 'are more economical for most makes of car' | Mail Online
The poll is over and there was probably little interest from the Prius audience as my guess is the vast majority of Prius owners never owned a diesel. I bought a Mazda 626 diesel in 1985 and drove it until 1992 when I discovered the Infinity G20, which was a blast to drive. The 626 consistently gave a bit over 40 MPG and on a trip it would average 45 MPG. It was flawless the entire time and only required fuel and oil changes, but for a guy who likes to tinker, it was boring. (The same Mazda engine was used by Ford and Mercury in some of their small cars.) Nevertheless, it failed to draw enough attention, and was discontinued in the U.S.
When it comes to resale, how do diesels do over there? Here they depreciation less than their gasoline counterpart.
It's the same here. They cost more to buy but also hold their value a bit better too. But diesels have changed in the last 5 years or so and are now much more complicated and more expensive to fix. The days of easy diy on a simple engine are over. We've been told for the last decade that diesel = 'green' in that you use less of it and thus emit less of the dreaded CO2. But air quality has taken a significant turn for the worst in this time too and the politicians have realised the connection. Sure a modern diesel can be clean(er) but they are soo complex compared to a petrol car. I think you guys will learn that soon. I could list off the turbo issues (though newer petrol cars are now having turbos), DPF issues, dual mass fly wheels self destructing, needing servicing more often than petrol. Our love affair with diesels is starting to turn sour. They have a use for sure and in some situations are very beneficial but the days of the slow revving, reliable and super economical diesel in a car is long gone. They're highly strung thorough breds now. You'll all find out soon enough though - the hard way
Smog and mainly NOx which many cities have failed on. Pollutionwatch: Diesel cars emit more nitrogen oxides than petrol cars | Environment | The Guardian We have over 10 years of having significant numbers of diesel cars - many from before tough emission regulations came into force. Many petrol cars have had catalytic converters since the late 1980's and catalysts were compulsory from 1992 onwards and as such, emissions went down significantly. However, diesels were not really regulated until about 10 years ago and even now a Euro 5 diesel emits significantly more NOx and other pollutants than petrols. Previously I have quoted examples against the Prius. The UK/Euro Prius (and Auris hybrid) emits 5.7 mg/NOx per km. A similar sized diesel Auris emits 114.1 mg/km! Imagine how many Prii you could have running to emit the same NOx as one brand new, modern Euro5 Auris diesel. Now imagine millions of similar (and worse) diesel cars on our roads.
But hydrocarbon emissions come mainly from petrol vehicles... Green Car Congress: Pollution plumes in Paris air are richer in gaseous aromatic compounds than in LA; gasoline engines main source of VOCs Without VOCs, ozone (primary constituent of "smog") will not accumulate regardless of the ambient concentration of NOx. So VOCs are an air quality problem also.
I don't know much about chemistry but if that were true, European cities would be full of fresh air and not the smelly, smoggy places they are now. In many countries like France, you'd be hard pushed to find a petrol car as the cost of diesel fuel is significantly less to buy, yet their cities suffer smog. Nah, diesel stinks. End of Read the following. Then imagine trying to live in that. It makes the LA smogs of the 70's a walk in a fresh aired park. BBC News - North Circular named as London's most polluted road
I don't know the ambient chemistry of the European cities, but in the U.S., VOCs have been found to be the primary culprits in poor air quality in urban areas, not NOx... Biodiesel Magazine | biodieselmagazine.com news: Study confirms ozone weekend effect at most US metropolitan areas Are you aware that the Euro 6 version of the BMW 320d has a tailpipe emission profile that is actually lower ("better") than the Prius in the NEDC according to the official certified emissions? Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools
I don't think anyone is trying to claim diesels weren't dirty in the past. But that's just it. With the US's, and Europe's soon to be, stricter emission standards on diesels, this pollution will be in the past. There will be a transitional period, which can be awhile in areas with a large number of diesels. Their relative long life is actually a hinderance. Perhaps a tax or a 'clash for clunkers' type program is called for to expedite the retiring of the old, dirty diesels. For the US, diesel cars aren't going to be a problem for emissions. They currently sell in numbers lower than hybrids. The higher cost of diesel will likely keep sales on the lower side. The regulations already mean a diesel car is going to be as clean as a gasoline one. So even if they suddenly took off in the market, they won't cause the problems London and other European cities are facing. As to the link, if the UK had the gasoline to diesel mix of the US, Clean Air in London might call for the ban of petrol cars do to the benzene emissions. Keeping the air clean is an on going project that requires continuing study, and is regionally specific.
I just sold my 2003 Jetta TDI wagon. It was the best car I have owned. 180k trouble free miles at 47MPG. I picked a Prius to replace it. VW is charging too much for the TDI in the US. Also I didn't like paying 15% more for diesel than unleaded prices. I'd buy a TDI again but not at the prices they want for it. The Prius is 20% less than a TDI jetta wagon and gets better MPG. I'm into my second tank and getting 60MPG. The Prius is slow and not as fun to drive but for the price I can live with it. Time will tell if the Toyota holds up as well as my VW did. Russell
