What is so great about diesel cars?

[abcdefgary]

I'm in the market for a Prius, so I've been watching comparisons and reviews, especially some videos. I know that there are cars that get more miles per gallon than the Prius, but all of these other alternatives are powered by diesel.

Okay, yes. I understand it may get more miles than a hybrid system but isn't diesel much, much, more expensive than regular gasoline?

Isn't it correct to say that I could fill up the Prius twice and travel even more miles than a diesel powered vehicle with the money I would need to spend on diesel fuel for a diesel vehicle?

Is there something I'm missing here?

[eurosteve]

I think the newest "clean" diesel on the block is the 2009 VW Jetta TDI - coming in August. Although the EPA rated it around 41 on the highway, it seems that it may really get around 50 mpg - although we won't know until we start getting some real world experience with it. It's supposed to be non-polluting. So it might get around the same mpg's on the highway that the Prius gets overall (city plus highway). But since diesel is selling for 20 to 25% more than regular gas, it seems to me that the Prius will be cheaper to run. Another variable is reliability. The Prius is known for low maintenance reliability. Who knows how reliable the new VW diesel will be. I think Toyota has it hands down over VW in terms of reliability. That's why I picked the Prius over the Jetta.

I'm not sure what other diesels your looking at that are "clean diesels."

[vtie]

The torque...

[john1701a]

Originally Posted by eurosteve

It's supposed to be non-polluting.

Tier-2, Bin-5 is the emission rating.

That's the dirtiest allowed for legal new vehicle sales in the United States.

The advertised "clean" references are with respect to the older diesel vehicles, not everything else on the road. Prius emits much less smog-related emissions, as the SULEV/PZEV emission rating clearly indicates.

.

[abcdefgary]

So the only reason why diesels are more attractive than hybrid systems because they are cleaner and faster?

[thelemite]

I had a 1985 Mercedes 300sd. I retired it at over 400k miles. It still had life. I powered it on used fry grease for almost 100k miles.

I had a 1999 VW beetle TDI, I reguarly got 48 mpg with it and regularly had 700 mile tanks.

There is room in the automotive market for both Gas electric hybrids and diesels.

I have owned a Prius and a diesel tdi, they BOTH have a place in my heart.

1- I like to drive stick.
2- I like fueling my car on something that was grown in Iowa.
3- I like torque.

I drive both thanks.

[Spectra]

Every diesel I ever hear reminds me of my 1st trip to Israel in 1967 -- where the taxis were ancient (even then) 1948 DeSoto limousines, whose original engines had been replaced with black-smoke-belching diesels.

[miscrms]

Originally Posted by abcdefgary

So the only reason why diesels are more attractive than hybrid systems because they are cleaner and faster?

Well, cleaner than they used to be. Still dirtier than a Prius. And they feel faster due to high torque, but 0-60 of an '06 jetta tdi is actually slower than the prius. The TDI is probably more fun to drive though. The '09 TDI is faster, but then again so will the '10 Prius be.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hy...s-results.html

If you drive exclusively at high speeds on the highway, you might use less gallons than a Prius. But since the fuel is more expensive and puts out more CO2/gallon you still end up worse off. For any sort of mixed driving the Prius rules hands down.

So the TDI is probably more fun to drive (at least with a stick), but the Prius is cheaper to buy, cheaper to own/maintain, cheaper to fuel, puts out less CO2, puts out less smog emissions, is larger, uses less petroleum, etc. No real competition in my mind. And thats from a guy who used to drive a WRX. I have as much fun trying to see how good I can get the mileage on the Prius as I did squealing the tires on the WRX. Its a lot better for my blood pressure too.

Rob

[allemandeL3ft]

Not responding to the diesel question in general, but the tdi specifically: comfort. The TDI (drove one yesterday) has both height and lumbar adjusts (pretty silly, a rolled towel still is better), and much longer leg room. For someone with sciatica it was a really comfortable ride!!! The prius is pretty painful for me. OTOH, for people in the 2nd row, the prius wins hands down. There is no leg room in the TDI for 2nd row passengers (not an issue in my case as the passenger is a dog), but in the drivers seat the benefits all swing the other way!

[PriusSport]

What's great about diesels right now is they run on used vegetable oil--the stuff that restaurants have to pay somebody to take away--or used to.
I met a guy yesterday with a VW passat diesel who said you can either mix the oil with diesel fuel ( more oil vs diesel in warmer months), or pay $2000 to install an oil tank in your spare tire well. I understand some owners of old Mercedes diesel cars are running their cars on diesel/veggie oil mixtures. You can run on 100% oil when the engine temp. is above 110 F.
Restaurants now have no problem disposing of used oil for free, and may even be selling it. Some people are trying to make a business of selling it.

Cheaper than running a Prius, if you can get your fuel for free.