Wait...How many MPG?

[af1 1982]

Any downsides to diesel besides speed and price of fuel?

Diesel is very interesting, that's what field I'm currently in with Heavy Duty. It is more efficient and burns cleaner as well. People have that bad picture in their heads of Heavy Diesel trucks with black smoke coming out of the stacks. That may have been true decades ago but nowadays, they are very clean, especially compared to gasoline. Diesel also delivers much more torque on the lower end than gas, hence why it's used for trucks for towing huge loads.

As for downsides, one main one is that you can't use the same engines that drink gasoline. The main difference between diesel and gasoline is that gasoline needs a spark (think match) to combust and to deliver power to the vehicle. Diesel auto-ignites, meaning that if you get it to a high enough pressure (think higher compression ratios), they automatically combust without assistance from a spark plug.

With that being said, diesel engines are much different than gasoline engines. Diesel engines require greater durability because you are compressing the fuel-air mixture so much more, causing a greater "explosion" in the cylinder. Combine that with a lot of exhaust treatment that needs to be done in order to pass emissions, and the cost of the vehicle running  diesel is a couple grand more. That's one of the main reasons why you don't see diesel cars. There are tradeoffs, extra vehicle cost vs. fuel economy savings. The Volkswagen TD models are great. They are a tad bit more expensive but I do know that the government offers rebates for higher fuel efficient cars. And the great thing about them is that they have the same engine (correct me if I'm wrong) as their gas counterparts in terms of displacement and number of cylinders. This means that you are getting a fuel efficient car that has the same kick as a regular vehicle. You're not going to be crawling around everywhere because they are actually fun to drive

And one last note. The price of diesel is more expensive than gas but not THAT much more. From my experience, Diesel has been sitting around $4.00 for a while now. Also, here is a link to the eia website regarding fuel prices: http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

 

[al audi]

you want diesel

VW/AUDI got ya covered

 

[rfx45]

The real challenge is having a car that gets 50+ MPG but is still a performance beast. 

This is where most supercars are heading these days, look at the Porsche 981. Even the Tesla S Performance edition can go 0-60 in 4.4 seconds but it's about $100k.

The real challenge is making it efficient and perform well enough for an affordable price. Once they can make/sell a sports coupe that can compete with at least the Z (around $30k-$35k) while doubling it's MPG, then they'd have something special there.

 

[futuremd]

Any downsides to diesel besides speed and price of fuel?

Diesel is very interesting, that's what field I'm currently in with Heavy Duty. It is more efficient and burns cleaner as well. People have that bad picture in their heads of Heavy Diesel trucks with black smoke coming out of the stacks. That may have been true decades ago but nowadays, they are very clean, especially compared to gasoline. Diesel also delivers much more torque on the lower end than gas, hence why it's used for trucks for towing huge loads.

As for downsides, one main one is that you can't use the same engines that drink gasoline. The main difference between diesel and gasoline is that gasoline needs a spark (think match) to combust and to deliver power to the vehicle. Diesel auto-ignites, meaning that if you get it to a high enough pressure (think higher compression ratios), they automatically combust without assistance from a spark plug.

With that being said, diesel engines are much different than gasoline engines. Diesel engines require greater durability because you are compressing the fuel-air mixture so much more, causing a greater "explosion" in the cylinder. Combine that with a lot of exhaust treatment that needs to be done in order to pass emissions, and the cost of the vehicle running  diesel is a couple grand more. That's one of the main reasons why you don't see diesel cars. There are tradeoffs, extra vehicle cost vs. fuel economy savings. The Volkswagen TD models are great. They are a tad bit more expensive but I do know that the government offers rebates for higher fuel efficient cars. And the great thing about them is that they have the same engine (correct me if I'm wrong) as their gas counterparts in terms of displacement and number of cylinders. This means that you are getting a fuel efficient car that has the same kick as a regular vehicle. You're not going to be crawling around everywhere because they are actually fun to drive

And one last note. The price of diesel is more expensive than gas but not THAT much more. From my experience, Diesel has been sitting around $4.00 for a while now. Also, here is a link to the eia website regarding fuel prices: http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

I was aware of the engine differences and access to diesel concerns, but I meant do you think you would purchase a diesel SUV if they came to the states for example?

Like I heard Jeep was considering making a Cherokee diesel...That might be the business. 

 

[af1 1982]

This is where most supercars are heading these days, look at the Porsche 981. Even the Tesla S Performance edition can go 0-60 in 4.4 seconds but it's about $100k.
The real challenge is making it efficient and perform well enough for an affordable price. Once they can make/sell a sports coupe that can compete with at least the Z (around $30k-$35k) while doubling it's MPG, then they'd have something special there.

Was just about to post this. Because after all, correct me if I'm wrong but I read that electric motors are supposed to be more powerful that internal combustion engines.

 

[rfx45]

Any downsides to diesel besides speed and price of fuel?

Diesel tends to have more torque while gasoline produces more HP. Diesels advantage comes handy when you need to tow or haul heavy stuff.

And even though the old days of Diesel producing terrible smells far gone, it does still produce some smell in comparison to gas. Diesel also tends to be noisier and I've heard that it might there are some drawbacks in cold weathers as Af1 explained, due to it having no spark plugs. I live in SoCal so I don't have any experience with diesels problems in cold weather.

 

[rfx45]

Was just about to post this. Because after all, correct me if I'm wrong but I read that electric motors are supposed to be more powerful that internal combustion engines.

Not powerful but the torque/power is instant and can usually launch cars faster off the line.

 

[futuremd]

Any downsides to diesel besides speed and price of fuel?

Diesel tends to have more torque while gasoline produces more HP. Diesels advantage comes handy when you need to tow or haul heavy stuff.

And even though the old days of Diesel producing terrible smells far gone, it does still produce some smell in comparison to gas. Diesel also tends to be noisier and I've heard that it might there are some drawbacks in cold weathers as Af1 explained, due to it having no spark plugs. I live in SoCal so I don't have any experience with diesels problems in cold weather.

So...I should look into it.

Cool. 

 

[af1 1982]

I was aware of the engine differences and access to diesel concerns, but I meant do you think you would purchase a diesel SUV if they came to the states for example?

Like I heard Jeep was considering making a Cherokee diesel...That might be the business. 

If the money and price was right, absolutely. Cleaner emissions and better MPG, especially if it would be my daily driver.

I was actually thinking about trading in my Civic for a TDI model later down the line. Hell, I just browsed the VW website and this is what I came across:

http://web.vw.com/tdi-clean-diesel/index.php

But to answer your question for downsides, really the only downside is the price of the Diesel model to the gas model. They are usually more expensive, you just gotta do the math to see if it's worth it. It's all about tradeoffs. Paying more for the car but saving more with the fuel. I'd say if the price was right (a bit below MSRP) and you planned to drive it to the ground (150k+ miles), then it is absolutely worth buying. 

 

[af1 1982]

Thanks RFX for the clarification on a few things.

And yeah Future, it's definitely something worth seriously considering when buying a car. It is great alternative option to hybrids if you're looking for a fuel efficient car. 

 

[jrdnsrnss]

I was under the impression that the Volt is an electric-powered car that uses gas (for the generator) instead of plugging in?

No you plug in for power and can use strictly electricity as long as you keep it charged. If you run out of electricity you use fuel to power the generators. In theory you can drive this car and not use a drop of fuel as long as you keep it charged, of course, range is limited though.

 

[rfx45]

So...I should look into it.

Cool. 

Definitely consider it.

For me, personally, if it is an SUV or truck I am looking at, I'd highly consider diesel because I'd use it for hauling a bunch of people or groceries or when I have a family or maybe camping and going outdoors. I would not really be worried about beating someone when the light turns green on an SUV/truck. .

If it is a car, I like my car fast and not really too worried about efficiency so it'll be gasoline all the way for me.

 

[girlslovewaffles]

BMW 335d is in my very near future.

 

[SHERLOCK87]

diesel freezes, or "gels up" at low temperatures.

 

[girlslovewaffles]

diesel freezes, or "gels up" at low temperatures.

I'm in LA.

LA > * thread in disguise

 

[lakersusctrojan]

My only hold back would be the reliability factor. If this is Chevys first electric car, I would anticipate problems in the near future.

 

[al audi]

diesel freezes, or "gels up" at low temperatures.

plenty of ppl drive diesels in new england area

 

[girlslovewaffles]

Just read that BMW canceled the 335d in favor of their hybrid line.

**** BMW!