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Diesel Cars

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Diesel Cars

Previously I’d talked about electric cars as an alternative to conventional gasoline powered cars. Today I am going to talk a little about another alternative, diesel. Diesel has a lot of negative connotation to it. Most people when you say diesel car think of something old and smelly that belches black smoke out the tailpipe. While perhaps this was true several decades ago, it’s quite far from the truth today. Diesel technology has come very far in the past decade. In fact, some car makers are discussing switching to primarily diesel engines. As with many automotive revolutions, it’s the Germans leading the way. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volkswagen have all started ramping up the availability of diesel engines. But what makes diesels better than gas and how have they changed from the smog machines of the 80s?

 

1. Better Gas Mileage: Diesel cars today can easily get upwards of 40 MPG. In fact, some European circuit diesel cars get upwards of 80 MPG! Not only is that many times better than gasoline engines, that’s even better than hybrids. Now diesel does cost more at the pump, usually about a dollar more than gasoline, but if you’re getting three times the MPG then that extra dollar is totally worth it. In fact, as diesel technology becomes more prevalent prices are dropping and most new diesel cars will pay off the difference between the gasoline car in less than three years. Mercedes is trying something new by only offering some of their base models as diesels. For example, the cheapest S- and GL-class Mercedes is only available as a diesel. That means you actually have to pay more to get worse gas mileage.

2. More Torque: I talked about torque with electric cars as well. Diesel engines generate a lot more pulling power than gas engines. That’s why diesels are used in tractor trailers and train locomotives. That means that engines can be smaller to move a big car which saves weight and burns less fuel.

3. New Diesels are Quiet: One of the oldest complaints about diesels is that they’re loud. Years ago this was very true. I have a neighbor at home that has an old diesel Mercedes. You can hear that car from across the neighborhood, nearly half a mile away. But new diesels are incredibly quiet. Yeah they sound a little different from a gas engine but in many cases they’re now actually quieter and smoother running than gas engines.

4. New Diesels are Clean: For a long time diesel fuel was pretty dirty. But modern diesel is low or ultra low sulfur, which means it doesn’t smell nearly as bad and it isn’t anywhere near as polluting. In fact, new diesels are usually cleaner than their gasoline counterparts. Advances in filter and catalytic converter technology have driven this change and will hopefully continue to revolutionize the diesel industry.

 

Overall, diesel cars have come a long way in recent years and now are a very competitive alternative to hybrids and gasoline powered cars. They still have the problem that they are fueled by a non-renewable resource, but they use less of it to get more and for that, I endorse them.

  1. Tess Haverstick says:

    I think a lot of hybrids are overrated. My family has a small Toyota Echo, and we manage to get more MPG than some hybrids. But I didn’t know diesel had so many benefits!

  2. Rob Bablak says:

    Very interesting post. My one good friend from back home is on the diesel kick, and just loves VW. It is very interesting that the diesel engines can actually provide real benefits compared to standard unleaded

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