If the price of diesel was lower than gasoline's would you still buy a Prius?

Most people in my country keep saying that buying a Prius here is stupid since diesel is cheaper than gasoline, and diesel engines tend to be more efficient than gasoline engines and as much as efficient as a hybrid.

So let's imagine that fuel prices were the following (current average prices in my country):

Diesel: EUR 1,168 - USD 1,7207 per liter
Gasoline: EUR 1,324 - USD 1,9505 per liter

Let's imagine also that a high efficiency diesel like BMW's is considered by the law as much as polluting as a hybrid, my question is:

Would you still buy a Prius?

Diesel engines are more polluting than the Prius.

So, no. I would not. It isn't just about the MPGs, it is also about the exhaust. I'm a fan of cleaner air.

Yes, you would then (still buy a Prius ), you voted no instead of yes!

I owned a diesel Jetta for many years and loved the gas mileage, but it was a very expensive car to maintain when it needed service. I went back and forth between getting a new Diesel Jetta or a Prius, and finally decided that there was no comparison in quality - and bought the Prius.

I would say, that if Toyota made a Diesel car, I would be pretty tempted to get a Diesel again, as much as I'm loving my new Prius.

I would still get the gas, easier to find a pump to fill up when traveling and I do not like the smell of diesel when you get it on your hands. Sometimes the diesel nozzle will have some residual on the grip which sticks to your hands.

What do you mean with "reduce my personal dependency on foreign oil"?
I mean: since diesel contains more energy than gasoline and both derive from oil then if both fuels had the same price, you would end up using a volume of fuel almost equal by driving a diesel car instead of a hybrid.
I am asking because I don't understand the reasons behind your assumption..

Diesel by itself is not as good as any Prius. In years to come, the Prius of all Generations will have a PHEV option that the non hybrid diesel will not. The enginer battery pack is a good example.

So the diesel by itself is old technology and antiquated, so no I would not buy a diesel just because the cost of fuel was cheaper.

Good point. I own a Dodge diesel truck in addition to the Prius, and have driven it from coast to coast several times. Many, many locations, (yes, there are exceptions) the diesel pumps are off the side; the area around the pump is oil saturated; the pump filler is foul, oily, and unpleasant; plus, many times (because the pump is off to the side) the card reader is different, and you need to go inside to pay. Oh, and so often cars are in line with big pick-up trucks (like myself) (often with RV's behind, or other trailers) they must wait while the big tanks are filled. I endure this in my truck .... I am not interested in filling up my automobile at the same outlet ... especially considering I might be better dressed in my car.

We have both cars, our 2010 Prius, and a 2003 Jetta Station Wagon 5 speed TDI Diesel engine.

The Jetta is more consistent on MPG. The MPG's are usually about 53 MPG. There is no big hit like with the Prius.

The Prius can get over 57 MPG and than the next time 46 mpg. The jetta, which has over 128,000 miles, never has that much of a swing in MPG. Also the Jetta has a 10,000 mile oil change interval with Mobil One 5-40"Delvac".

I enjoy both our cars.

alfon

clatter clatter no clatter clatter

Though I know the U.S. will be converting to Low Sulfer Diesel soon, and that it burns cleaner than our current Diesel, I still dislike the rattling engine, smoking exhausts (though that will also diminish( and oily residue.

So my vote would be YES, I'd still purchase a Prius!

David (aka Blind Guy)

I don't know how many cities in Europe (similar to Stockholm, London and Manchester) impose a congestion charge on non-hybrid automobiles. However, if I lived in Europe, I would still at least consider buying a Prius as a moral imperative, even if I had little intent of driving to London, etc.

An environmental comparison between diesel and gasoline is not a simple one. Starting in 2006, "clean diesel" fuels and engines that pollute vastly less was phased in, so one no longer sees any newer diesel vehicles belching black smoke. Useful reads:
What is the difference between diesel fuel and regular gasoline? - Ask.cars.com
The last comment there by "sean" is based on simple organic chemistry. Now I get that the crude oil the refinery uses determines the ratios of gasoline, diesel and other products that result.
The Return of the Diesel - Cars.com
These advances were developed mostly in Europe, and in the US by Dept. of Energy. Vehicle manufacturers were on board early on.

Yes, I'd still buy another Prius.

I'd also be interested is seeing a diesel powered version of the Prius. New technology in diesel engines make them much more quiet and the new low sulfer blend will reduce some of the noxious fumes. Coupled with a plug-in capability with the engine just charging the hv battery (a la Volt) a diesel option makes a lot of sense. When operating at low, nearly constant RPMs a diesel is hard to beat for efficiency.

I guess you have not been in a new diesel , they are very quiet

If there was more room around the driver legs I would of look at the new Golf wagon a lot more

ya i've been in them
still clatter clatter to me

WOW, the E320 Bluetec I was in is quiet then the Prius when u step on the gas

Stinky, noisy and not as techie. I will stick to my Prius (oops already did that when I traded my 05 for a 1!!!

Been in a few tdi's. Don't like them. Noisey, rough riding and idle. Not to mention vw can't make cars as far as I'm concerned.
I looked at them when I bought my Prius as I bought a house before the gas prices went up last year. I was going to spend over $400 on fuel a month with the car I had at the time, under $160 a month with the Prius.
I looked at tdi's, but after poking around online, talking to owners and looking at them at dealers decided not to bother....just wasn't worth it with the 'after the purchase' problems...such as being told (by a few owners) that I'd spend more time looking at new ones more then driving my own.

To this day, I always get asked by tdi owners when I'm filling up what kind of mpg's I see and not ONE has yet been even close to me....and I only average 4.5L/100km.

My only complaints are that Subaru hasn't come out with a hybrid system yet and Toyota hasn't put the HSD in a mini van yet.