Posted on 08/29/2012 9:28:16 AM PDT by .454Puma
I always said small diesel automobiles are the future...not hybrids, not electric cars. I used to be a Chevy guy, but no more; Ford is the American automobile company to watch. With his new 58 mpg turbo-diesel B-Max model (sold in Europe), Ford demonstrates clean diesel technology is the future. Not hybrid, not electric, not pixie-dust powered.
(Excerpt) Read more at transsylvaniaphoenix.blogspot.com ...
The EPA is basically bureaucrats.
But they have a big budget to contract for technology help.
Are the new diesel engines cleaner burning than the old smelly diesels of the eighties?
I looked at some of the Audi diesels and they weren’t high mileage, Mercedes, too. There was very little incentive to spend the extra $$ for vehicle that ran on more expensive gas with only a marginal savings in mileage.
Very much so, the ones we drove in Germany you didn’t even know it was running. No fumes to speak of, quiet and it had plenty of get up and go also.
(On the other hand I’m having a hard time hearing my own thoughts because there’s a Dodge Ram with a Cummins engine somewhere close...)
What part of the country do you think diesel is not readily available?
Very much different.
Not Your Father's Diesel
http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/21/diesel-cars-future-lifestyle-vehicles-diesel-cars.html
2012 Diesel Cars in USA: Here’s the Lineup
http://www.practicalenvironmentalist.com/automobiles/2012-usa-diesel-cars.htm
I hear that one flaw with European diesels is that there is so much alcohol in the fuel that the seals and other parts in the engines don’t last. Of course, a car salesman passed on that little tidbit, so whether it’s true or not, I don’t know.
I had a 1993 audi 100 full size sedan. 2,5 5 cyl inline turbodiesel. It had mpg of Prius 20 years ago and it wasn’t a dog either. 120 mph easily to keep up with traffic on autobahn. Modern diesels are way ahead. Germans have diesels on luxury cars outperforming larger displacement gas engines in hp and torque at better mpg than average American compact.
For example a European market 7 series BMW 730d has a 3 liter inline 6 diesel as powerful as 306 hp. It takes 6 seconds 0-60, it can go 160 mph. It is a large luxury sedan and it does 34 mpg city/highway.
There are no Pruis and Volt in Europe, they don’t need it and laugh at it.
We looked at diesels when we bought a car last winter, but the mileage savings just didn’t seem to cover the extra cost. We ended up buying a Volvo XC 70, T-6 AWD, that gets 27 mpg, regular gas, not high test.
Our needs are a little different than most peoples, and this vehicle was a perfit fit, literally. My husband is 6’6, and I am 5’4”. We try cars on before we test drive. At the time, I was driving a 1995 850 turbo wagon that we had for 16 years without any repairs, ever. We just had it serviced regularly and replaced a few things that just wore out (and those stupid chips for the emission monitors), but I was getting nervous about long trips and just wanted a new car, with cup holders, at least. So, 27 mpg and the most comfortable seats of all the luxury cars, along with cool blue tooth technology, and I’m happy. I haven’t tried it in the snow yet. I had the ‘95 fully detailed, even the engine cleaned and the windows tinted and passed it on to my husband, who drives a company car. He’s happy and I’m happy.
Where I live, Tucson. Now most gas station have it, though there’s still some that don’t, but even the ones that do it’s generally 1/8 of the pumps.
Yeah. All the old problems of diesel are pretty much gone, except the ability to pull in front of any random pump at any random gas station.
That is what I saw a few years ago as well. Hybrids the same way, but most of them don't fit my utility need anyways.
If most of the gas stations have it, how is it not readily available?
I don’t consider learning which local station lack a diesel pump the same as not available. And I have commonly found that a station that sells diesel, has a big sign out front with a diesel price. It just is not that hard to find. Learning to look for the different colored handle is not that hard.
MPG for a prius is a joke. The diesel VW rabbits from the early 80’s could get 50MPG all day long. The highest CAFE MPG ratings for US vehicles was for the 1989-1990 model years. For that reason I refuse to buy a vehicle built after 1995, when the OBDII specs. went into effect. The early 1990’s vehicle were some of the best fuel efficient vehicles ever built. As an example, I had a 1992 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup with a 5speed and a 350, and I could get 23-24MPG all day long. Now I have an equivalent Ford F-150, and I’m lucky if I get 14MPG, with a smaller 5.4l engine no less. That truck was sold, and now I have an old scout that gets around 20MPG, even though it’s 36 years old.
Because it’s not at ALL the gas stations. And even at the stations that have it it’s not at ALL the pumps.
You might not consider it not readily available, but it is. If you have a gas car you can pull in front of any pump at any station in Tucson (and other chunks of the southwest I find myself in) and be able to fill your car. Ready availability. If you have a diesel car you have to make sure the station has it AND then pull in front of the right pump, which will be in the distinct minority and could be occupied by people getting gas. Not readily available.
I didn’t say it was that hard to find. I said it was not readily available. Simple English sentence, and also true. As soon as you have to start aiming for the right pumps at the right stations ready availability is lost, now you’re at limited availability. Which isn’t horrible, but is distinctly different, and a reason for some people who don’t want to put that much effort into filling the tank to stick with gas.
Yes, I’ve driven them in Italy. They start and drive just like a gasoline vehicle. I didn’t relaize the first one I rented was a diesel until I filled up and the attendant pointed me to the diesel pump.
My issue is I don’t care about mileage, I care about horsepower. I’ve heard that the ‘chip’ guys are getting over 600 horses out of the big block deisels, and 17 mpg with a large heavy pickup. Now, that’s interesting. I want on of those motors installed a small pickup.
I’m on my second diesel now and will never go back.My current one is a year old with 15K miles and I hope to keep it another 4-5 years.After that I might downsize to a 4 banger...maybe VW,maybe something else that becomes available over time.
I've owned diesels for almost 4 years no and have never even come close to experiencing an emergency cause by an inability to find fuel.That includes having driven in about 25 different states and two Canadian Provinces.It's true that not *all* gas stations sell diesel but more than enough of them do so that it's not a problem.Of course it's not wise to let your gage get to "E",particularly in an unfamiliar area but with diesels it's not wise to do that *anyway*,even if diesel was sold at every single station (different fuel pump design).
Probably British gallons? One Imperial pint = 20 fluid ounces = 1.25 US pints. So 70mpUKg = 56 mpUSg.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.