Series One with turbo diesel

[Walter Moore]

Plenty of late-model VW diesels from Canada on the TDI forums. They seem to deal with Winter just fine.

More likely the owners deal with the winter.

There are people who really WANT to drive a Diesel. For them, little things like plugging the car every time you park it, and constantly checking the weather report so you can make sure you added the right amount of fuel stabilizer is just part of the "fun". I knew a lot of people like that when I owned a Diesel, but in the end I just can't put up with the hassle. I don't have time to arrange my life around the needs of a finicky car. If it doesn't start the first time, every time that I need to go somewhere, what good is it?

Sorry about the attitude, I guess even after nearly 20 years I still have a raw nerve on the subject. I will slink quietly away now...:paranoid:

[ollie]

Tons, and I mean tons, of BMW diesels are being sold up here, mostly X5's and a lot of 335d's. There must be at least six X5d's around our place in Whistler and never have I seen anyone have any issues firing those up. I still prefer my 335i X drive because I can get it with a six speed however an X5D will be the next family car.

[Z train]

A Diesel in the series 1 sounds like a great idea. I for one would like to see Detroit produce a high mileage Econo car that weighs about 2000 pounds and has a 1 liter turbo diesel with 6 speed for a drive train. I'm betting you could get 60 MPG with that.

VW already does it.Detroit is too bleeping stupid.Here's a Mitz & a Toyota that are TDI 4-bangers.Of course they're not available in the U.S.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Z train

[Arne]

VW already does it.Detroit is too bleeping stupid.....

Of course they're not available in the U.S.

It's not just Detroit. As you note, VW already makes that car, but they won't import it to the US. Same with Mini and.....

[ncolz]

You must be thinking OLD diesel technology. My Jetta TDI gives no problems in cold. Technology has changed from the old-school Mercedes diesels my Dad had when I was a kid. Hell, my John Deere tractor fires right up on cold mornings too. Just hit the glow plugs a couple of times and keep the battery strong, no issues.

[cozye]

I think Detriot is in bed with the EPA to make our emissions standards impossible for diesel imports. Every other non US auto maker offers diesel cars and trucks over the entire world. They don't import them to the US because they don't meet our emissions standards. Germany has stricter emissions standards than we do, yet diesels are the car of choice over there. It's just a big lobby to keep the US car makers stuck on petro and have a leg up on the competition. They did the same thing with motorcycles back in the late 70's and early 80's to keep Harley Davidson selling motorcycles by using import tarrifs on certain size asian bikes.

[jmortensen]

Why would Detroit try to ban diesels? They can build diesels just as easily as the build gasoline engines, in fact they already do in EU and AU. The problem in the US is the environmental lobby. Diesel is dirty. Sulphur, particulates, blah blah blah. Look at what CA did to diesel just last year: http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/08/california-diesel-regulation-pollution-opinions-columnists-henry-i-miller-james-e-enstrom.html

[cozye]

Because detroit doesn't have any diesels developed for passenger cars, only big trucks. It would take them years to be able to compete with VW, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, etc..

Arguments can be made that todays diesel is cleaner than gasoline. The co2 emissions are significantly lower than gasoline. The sulfur is higher, yes, but the sulfur content today is 50x lower in diesel than it was 10 years ago. You trade one emission for another. Points can be made either way.

The other factor to consider is that you burn considerably less fuel and put out less emissions over all per mile with diesel.

The EU diesel standards are pretty strict, we should adopt those like the rest of the world. That would give us a plethora of economical cars to choose from and provide a lot more competitive atmosphere

[jmortensen]

I guess you're not familiar with the big 3's European offerings.

http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_best_darn_diesel/

http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-focus-econetic.html

http://green.autoblog.com/2008/03/25/chryslers-diesel-vehicles-why-cant-we-get-them-here/

[Arne]

I blame it equally on the big oil companies. For years they have fought against efforts to improve the quality of US diesel fuel. Until the recent (mandated) shift to Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD, 15 ppm), not even the European motors could meet US emissions requirements for cars. Face it, the last thing big oil wants is a fleet of fuel-efficient diesel cars reducing (even if only a few percent) our appetite for petroleum.

[jmortensen]

Are they fighting against efforts to improve the quality of diesel because it's more efficient, or because it's expensive to produce and if they jump through the hoops it's no longer cost effective vs gasoline. Looks like the regulations were projected to cost them $8-10B. If I'm in the oil business, I wouldn't be too happy about that, because it drives the price of my product up and makes alternatives more attractive.

I think the push against diesel is mostly environmental, and you see businesses come when they always do, as soon as it affects their bottom line.

[Arne]

It can't be that much more expensive to produce - the rest of the world has had high-quality, low-sulfur diesel fuel for many years.