Oh, yes, they consistently get 42-46 miles per gallon.
So, in this corner ... two "B Class" diesels would be a very good fit ...
This is why I have been advocating diesels to everyone I know. As a Ford fan, (think "Ranger" in RangerM) I can testify that Ford can build a decent vehicle when they want to.
My company switched to all diesels last year, from an all gasoline fleet and our fuel costs did not change and were perhaps a little lower, even as the price of fuel went up.
Environmentalists say these are dirty engines, and they are right on a gallon per gallon basis, but what they fail to account for is the SIGNIFICANT increase in effiency that a diesel provides (MPG), and their tendency to last longer because the engines are built stronger than their gasoline counterparts (they have to due to the higher compression ratios)
I was going to purchase an F150 had they made their V6 diesel available, but they killed it when it couldn't meet emissions regs for 2007. They KILLED an F150 that would get 35-40 mpg (claimed by Ford) on the highway!
Does that make sense?
I'm curious..how many times have you changed the "glow" plugs?
As I recall from my days in Germany, the 190D was a staple in the German Taxi fleet, for many of the reasons you state and more.