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anyone drive a diesel fuel car?

chstr

chstr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 25, 2009
672
0
I want to trade my range rover, which is ***** on gas, for a 2005 benz e320, which is diesel powered. from what I can see the cost benefit of diesel, especially coming from a rangerove, will be significant even though diesel is like 10-20 cents more per gallon in ny state. I drive a lot too so I am thinking this could be worth it. I need to get back in a benz. I like my range but I've been missing my slk ever since trading.
 
tristangage said:
Get a Fiat Punto! You'll save rather a lot.
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No Fiats have been sold in the US for quite some time. Mainstream diesel options are just now coming/returning to the US--most of them are still only in the high-end German cars (MB E/GL-Klasse, BMW 335d/X5, etc)--the VW Jetta diesels just got here in the past year, leaving only the Golf as a mainstay of US-available passenger cars running on diesel.

*I guess MB offered the W210 as diesel for a bit, too..beyond that, back in the 80s, Volvo had a 240 diesel--ones in good condition with low milage are still worth several thousand dollars!

Short answer is, the diesel is just now becoming widely available to the mainstream US consumer. Next time I buy a car, I'm planning on a Jetta TDI Wagon--if we can't get something like an Alfa 159 Diesel, that is ;)
 
Mum used to own an '07 Golf TDI ... while it sounded like a mini-truck, it's diesel consumption was phenomenal. She'd get something like 600-800km on a full tank on average. Its torque was rather high as well.

If you do lots of country/highway driving...you'll get at least 700km out of a full tank, no doubt.
 
We have some diesel people carrier that gets between 35-40mpg. It's rather good.
 
We have a 2.0 Tdi Seat Leon DSG.

Used to have 1.8 Zetec petrol Focus.

I swear, the torque from the diesel is astonishing. 3rd gear, 25-50 mph, it's the blink of an eye. Get 40-45mpg on long trips, 25 around town. Used to get about 2/3rds that with the petrol Zetec.

We get about 400 miles per tank (at £55/tank)

I've been looking at used cars in LA recently (I live in the UK a.t.m. but may be moving in '10) and there's so very little in the way of diesel - it's a shame.
 
I'm waiting for a Mini Cooper D to be delivered and can't wait.

I test drove the petrol Mini cooper, cooper s and cooper D and honestly the D was the most fun.

Diesals produce massive amounts of low end torque which translates to real acceleration when you want it. They feel so sporty.

Forget the myth that diesals are agricultural slow and noisy. All the real development has gone into diesals.

Take the Mini cooper D. It has a variable geometry turbo, stop start technolgy regenerative braking and gear change indicator.

They are so much fun to drive and will get 70-80 MPG!!

The future is diesal.
 
All of my neighbours have small diesel cars. The noise in the morning is phenomenal. While a new, well serviced luxury car can have a quiet diesel, not all cars are new, luxury, or well serviced.

Remember that diesel torque is partly a byproduct of having a turbo. Every consumer diesel has a turbo these days, but few petrols.

My 2L VW Passat was fantastic between 2-4k RPM when the turbo spools in - below it's like a 1.2 litre petrol in a big car and above it's a case of getting on the gears due to the low red-line.

You also ought to consider the higher servicing costs of diesel compared to petrol. For low mileages, it can push the cost advantage to petrol. Also, diesels cost more to buy - both new and second hand due to the demand (in Europe, at least). Again, that can push the advantage to petrol.

New diesels also have the issue of the DPF (in Europe) - as they emit more particulate pollution that petrol (those big clouds of black soot), from 2009 onwards cars are fitted with filters in the exhausts. These currently have a small but significant performance/MPG impact. And they do seem to break a lot!

Diesels of course return great MPG, particularly at cruising speeds, and the torque compensates for poor driving techniques.

It really isn't all that easy a decision to make.
 
Heh, if you're looking for some diesel grunt, pick up the Audi Q7 W12 TDi. A cool 500 bhp/375 kW and 1000 Nm of torque.

I drive my parents Land Rover Discovery 3 V6 Diesel or the BMW 320d. Depending on which one is unused.

In Sydney Australia, diesel is usually on par with non premium petrol, and on a good day is a little bit cheaper.
 
thanks for all the great info guys. The specific car Im looking at in the trade is 2005 Benz E320. It looks like it will be a tough decision. I'll have to test drive it and see what I can get on the trade at the stealership. also I am located in the usa new york state
 
I also live in New York, and I drive a 2006 Jetta TDI. One thing you need to remember is that there are 2 blends of diesel to deal with. In the winter, you will be using a blend that gets about 5 mpg less then the summer blend. Winter blend is far less prone to gelling up in extreme cold. I would suggest a winter fuel supplement, like Diesel Kleen, which will also help prevent gelling.

Also ask the dealer about cold weather starting. Will you need an engine block heater? I don't have one personally, but VW allows you to warm the glow plugs by leaving the key turned to the pre-start positon for 20 seconds or so.

FYI, I get about 39 mpg in the winter, and 44 mpg in the summer....
 
ButtUglyJeff said:
I also live in New York, and I drive a 2006 Jetta TDI. One thing you need to remember is that there are 2 blends of diesel to deal with. In the winter, you will be using a blend that gets about 5 mpg less then the summer blend. Winter blend is far less prone to gelling up in extreme cold. I would suggest a winter fuel supplement, like Diesel Kleen, which will also help prevent gelling.

Also ask the dealer about cold weather starting. Will you need an engine block heater? I don't have one personally, but VW allows you to warm the glow plugs by leaving the key turned to the pre-start positon for 20 seconds or so.

FYI, I get about 39 mpg in the winter, and 44 mpg in the summer....
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Good info here :) I'd suggest the OP definitely consider how cold his car will get in the winter...
 
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