Posted on 05/25/2009 1:57:15 PM PDT by seatrout
It’s rare that we test two-year-old cars, but this particular Accord is rarer—in the U.S., anyway—than burlesque houses in a Texan polygamy camp. Under the hood is a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine.
It’s happy as low as 1300 rpm, but power starts at about 1600, with a whopping 251 pound-feet of torque (55 percent more than the current four-cylinder Accord) available at 2000 rpm. There is a nearly imperceptible difference between 70- or 80-percent throttle and flat-footing it, meaning the car feels quick when driven at about 8/10th, but sluggish when it’s really hammered. It took 8.9 seconds to wind the speedo to 60 mph and 16.8 to get through the quarter-mile at 82 mph.
It’s happy as low as 1300 rpm, but the power starts at about 1600, with a whopping 251 pound-feet of torque (55 percent more than the current four-cylinder Accord) available at 2000 rpm. There is a nearly imperceptible difference between 70- or 80-percent throttle and flat-footing it, meaning the car feels quick when driven at about 8/10th, but sluggish when it’s really hammered. It took 8.9 seconds to wind the speedo to 60 mph and 16.8 to get through the quarter-mile at 82 mph. The last TSX we tested ran 7.2 and 15.7 at 91.
While gas costs are skyrocketing, diesel prices are seemingly strapped with an additional booster rocket or three. We observed 51 mpg on a 150-mile highway loop at 70 mph and only managed to bring our overall figure down to 32 mpg by hammering the Accord around town and through our usual testing regimen. Assuming $4 a gallon for gas,[this] works out to 16 cents per mile. If diesel costs $4.80 a gallon, our overall observed economy of 32 mpg means 15 cents per mile, and that includes some pretty aggressive miles.
(Excerpt) Read more at caranddriver.com ...
I used to have a ‘96 VW Passat TDI. Phenomenal car, and most people never knew it was a diesel. I could routinely drive 700 miles or more on a tank of gas. Unfortunately, our EPA has its focus in all the wrong areas, and when I went to look for a new car, the TDI wasn’t available. I’d buy a good German diesel any day- Audi has a Q7 SUV now.
Older article. Diesel is now comparable to gas in price and I've seen diesel fuel for less. Diesel makes sense to me.
My first new diesel car was a 1985 Ford Tempo. I could squeeze out 700 miles to a tank if I was really careful. Had a Mitsubishi diesel engine. I loved that car.
I have to say that I'm sure part of the reason the manufacturers don't give us more diesel is they are suspicious of regulations that may change at a moment's notice to ban them, as was done in CA, MA, etc.
My hat's off to VW for sticking with it and if they decide to put a diesel in their new VW CC, I'll buy one tomorrow.
This is true. A place near me (central PA) had both diesel and 87 octane for $2.39/gal. Last year diesel was around $1.00/gal more than regular gasoline.
Diesels have come a long way from the old diesel Mercedes. No black smoke and very, very little odor. VW and Mercedes both have very good technology, and I would presume that Honda’s is very good as well.
I think the new diesels perform a lot better than the diesels of years past (the GM diesels of 30 years ago were horrid, so I’m told). I just wonder if they’re more expensive to maintain than a gasoline engine.
I think the new diesels perform a lot better than the diesels of years past (the GM diesels of 30 years ago were horrid, so I’m told). I just wonder if they’re more expensive to maintain than a gasoline engine.
It seats what, four? Or five if four of them are midgets? Useless.
I would have thought putting gas into a diesel car would ruin it.
Okay then, semantics aside, it went well over 700 miles on a tank of DIESEL.
Funny, I just posted the other day about my 1982 VW Rabbit Diesel which I recall got about 44 MPG in semi-suburban traffic.
It was a great car until some teen smacked into me head-on doing about 25 MPH. I was OK but the car was totaled.
The Accord is still a dinky tin can!
I think the automakers will have to go to diesel to make the CAFE standards. Europe did it out of necessity. It will be more difficult to meet the standards in pickups and large SUV’s even with diesel. I think we’ll soon see diesels in 1/2 ton pickups that may do pretty well.
I’ll just keep driving my 65 Chevy PU.
It’s only got 1,300,000 miles on it so it’s got a long ways to go.
That is only because those were gas motors converted to Diesel. GM Duramax Diesels are great motors.
I had one of those—and I got about the same, 45 or so per gallon. It was loud, though, and it sure did leave black smoke behind me.
>>>> It was loud, though, and it sure did leave black smoke behind me. <<<<<
I remember the clackity-clackity-clack but not that is was smokey.
I see OBama pushing standards that “Surprise!” his revamped auto company is able to mass produce and it saves all those jobs, reverses globull warming, restores the ozone layer and showers every hippie.
Some of those "old junk Pintos" had German-made 2-liter OHC engines that would really scoot. The Pinto body was pretty light (2000 pounds of car for $2000), so it was a sleeper.
I had one and raced it on SoFla road courses. They're still being raced today!
Pinto got a bad rap on gas tank vulnerability, but the fatality wreck that got media-showcased was a "stoplight" rear-ender with a van at 40-MPH.
In the fall when refineries start producing heating oil diesel prices will surpass gasoline once again. It happens every year.
It really ran slow if you put gasoline in it—guess how I know? :-\
1980 Dodge Omni Horizons got near 50mpg. There was even a Dodge Duster that got 40mpg.
Emissions Nazis and Safety Nazis killed it off.
Right now it is the mileage Nazis turn to ratchet the car makers around, then next at bat the safety, and so forth.
They won’t be happy until we are back riding burros.
Are the newer diesels any better than the old ones at starting in really cold (0 to -20 degrees) weather? I remember guys I worked with running their cars all day because they wouldn’t be able to start them again otherwise.
The problem is that some oil is good for making gas and other oil is suited for making diesel. If everyone wants diesel it is going to get very expensive.
no, if everyone wants diesel, it will become cheaper. supply and demand. When it gets more needed, more will produce it and more competition should lower the price.
Then the gov will raise taxes on it to bring the price higher
:)
Uh...OK.
Pre tubo, test drive a turbo one, several of them, the bmw will take on a corvet!
Yes, newer diesel start as easy as a gas car.
I think they have a handle on it!!!
The new trucks will have a separate urea tank that will have to be filled whenever it gets low, otherwise the engine will quit running. Hopefully, the cars will have a less complicated solution.
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