I am constantly amazed how we cannot get the CLEAN and FUEL EFFICIENT Diesels of Europe over here in the US. To put it simply we are being flat out DUPED… Ripped off and LIED TO… Europe has had efficient Diesels for decades…and yet here we are with RIDICULOUS versions of gasoline Hybrids…Yeah I need a V6 Hybrid
Does this only bother me? I mean look at the ridiculous JUNK that is FOISTED upon us… They brought us the Smart ForTwo to the US…and Oh yeah they took out the 80Mpg Diesel engine BEFORE it hit our shores. Silly No? Yeah it is… Now I hear that Honda is contemplating cancelling their New Diesel engine program entirely…HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? There are full size Honda Accords overseas getting OVER 60Mpg…ALL DAY LONG…and here we sit in the US with our Thumbs up our collective A$$ES… I am angry with this…I always have it in the back of my mind but today a few friends were complaining about fuel economy…and it brought it up to the forefront of my mind.
What are your thoughts? WHy dont we have small Diesel engines powering our Hybrids? Am I THAT much of a genius that I’m sooo far ahead of the auto makers to hold such an idea. I mean C’mon…guys… Big Oil has certainly flexed its muscle in this country for years, but you would think that with the Seachange in thinking that is trying to propagate across the US with GREEN this and GREEN that… The automakers NO THE US POPULATION… would respond.
I guess we will whip out all of our fuel efficient engines and drivetrains when we are down to our last 4 Gallons of crude oil…then things will change I guess… Sad to know that it will lead to this to see any real efforts being made. I’m REALLY ANGRY AT THIS…
THOUGHTS?
People still remember our first go with diesels 30 years ago. And yes modern diesels are much better but they do have their drawbacks as well, they are more expensive up front, the cost of the fuel is even more varied than gasoline, maintenance and repairs are generally more expensive, and they are still pretty gutless compared to the gasoline equivalents. I had the opportunity to drive a two Jetta’s back to back one was a TDI model the other was a VR6. I’ll take the VR6 every time, it was a much more enjoyable car to drive IMHO.
The truckers are successfully fighting the requirement for ultra-clean diesel. Our dirty diesel fuel is not compatible. VW and Mercedes seem to be the only exceptions.
Yes I am aware of that…and the commercials are trying to address this…People in the US I guess dont travel more than 10 miles from home so how are they going to know about what goes on in Europe.
I remember those HORRIFIC Diesels that we put out…The Olds 350 Diesel I believe was the poster child…
But if you think Diesels are Gutless you REALLY need to take a second or third look…NOTHING could be futher from the truth really…
Diesel is just one of the options…and a really really good one…but there are others…This was just my example to start a RANT
Arent we using the ULSD…Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel here? No?
There are full size Honda Accords overseas getting OVER 60Mpg…ALL DAY LONG
Try about 40-45 MPG overall. The 2.2L diesel accord is rated for 50 MPG with the stick shift. Of course that’s in imperial gallons. U.S. gallons a about 15% less. With the automatic the diesel gets about 38-39 MPG, certainly better than the gas version, but nowhere near 60 MPG.
Whatever…I’d take 50 Mpg all day long…wouldnt you?
Just since 12/01/10, 3 months ago. If the economy picks up, and allows for economic risk taking of trying to make the import of new diesels viable, maybe.
Yes, ULSD is now mandatory here too.
Blackbird, you got to cut back on the caffein a bit. We’re not being duped, it’s just that the U.S. market for diesel driven automobiles has never been good. People simply aren’t interested in buying diesels except for a niche market, so the manufacturers don’t promote them. They’ve tried, but with limited success.
I’m one of those people. I’m simply not interested in a diesel.
That’s the thing. In the real world it’s not 50 MPG. Actually it’s realistically not even 40-45 MPG. The Euro cycle urban/extra urban figures are about as realistic as the pre 2008 U.S. EPA standards were, their figures are quite optimistic. In real world use, it’s likely you’d be seeing around 35ish MPG. Still not bad, but at that point the diesel isn’t looking hugely better than the gas version when all factors are taken into account.
LOL…I’ve never had a cup of coffee in my life. I got all revvd up because of my friends… Anyway…the purpose of this was to rant…I think I got that covered tho right? 
You can buy a diesel now. It will just cost a lot more than a gasoline engine will. A BMW 335d costs $44,000 while the 335i costs $41,000 ad the 328i starts at less than $34,000. It will cost at least $3000 to $5000 to get a similar car with a diesel engine. Even with the mileage improvement, it will take several years to pay off the premium. If we paid double our current rate for gas (the same as Europe), it might make more sense. You could pay off the diesel engine premium in half the time. And diesel is $1/gal less in Europe. It’s $0.45 more than gas per gallon around me.
At today’s prices in my area, I would have to drive almost 190,000 miles to pay the paltry $3000 difference between a 335i and a 335d. Do diesels make sense in the USA? Hardly.
I want to see some of the awesome performance vehicles they get over there, like the Focus RS
I wouldn’t mind seeing a small/mid-size pickup with a diesel in it. Like a Dakota or Ranger with a Cummins 4BT under the hood. People are retrofitting these engines a lot now, so we know it works…it’d just be nice to see one come from the factory that way.
Backstage, the oil companies have made a deal. Europe and Japan get the Diesel fuel and North America gets the gasoline. Today, in the States, Diesel costs $.40 cents a gallon more than gasoline. If the demand for Diesel fuel gets any higher, the price will spread out even more.
It’s not what you WANT to drive Blackbird, it’s what you will be ALLOWED to drive… The LAST thing the airlines and truckers and farmers and railroads want is a bunch of Hondas competing for THEIR fuel…$5/gallon gasoline is only about 10 months away…At $6/gallon, diesel cars lose their appeal…
Not ‘CLEAN’ enough, unfortunately. To meet US particulates/NOx regs all but the smallest diesels have to use expensive, complex technology (urea injection). It’s no conspiracy, it’s simple economics - take an expensive engine (turbo diesel) and add expensive pollution controls (urea injection), top it off with expensive fuel (diesel’s about 10-15% more than gas), and the car companies question the market, rightly in my opinion. There were lots of diesels planned when gas hit its peak last time, then demand for them evaporated with lower prices. We’ll see what happens now.
All I know is that I would LOVE to have 4cyl Honda Diesel in a 2dr Accord or a Prelude… Its just a shame we can have it. I do understand about the added expense and such… But a vehicle that has good performance and great MPG by anyones standards would be so much fun. And I couldburn up that filtered veg oil I have in my basement…I have at least 200 gallons left… Now if I could drive almost 50MPG FOR FREE, that’d be something to talk about.
Perhaps I will make a Civic Hatch with a JDM Diesel in it…Then I would modify an Accord Tranny to mirror the CRX HF gear ratios and see what MPG I could get…I will do it when I am more financially stable I think… When that will be though is anyones guess…Maybe I’m so broke because I take on so many BONHEAD projects…lol. Oh well, I’m just trying to have fun…
I’ve been looking for the Nissan and Toyota SUV Diesels for a few years. Both make them and sell in Europe. They are 4-cylinder turbo diesels…Almost the same hp as their V6 gas counter parts…but MORE torque…and boast a 40% increase in gas mileage over the V6 gas version.
Hybrid SUV’s make no sense to me…but a Diesel would be GREAT.
You mean a Diesel Hybrid right? Imagine the mileage on that…and you wouldnt need an engine larger than 4cyl by a long shot…