What is the benefit of diesel engines in smaller cars?

Question

I know many cars such as volkswagen jettas have diesel engines. I was recently at the New York auto show and I was told that a diesel engine version of the subaru forester would be coming out soon. Does it burn cleaner or something? I am curious as to why this might be beneficial.

Answer 1

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Ill add.

Older diesels were known to be dirty, but with the technology today, they have gotten a lot cleaner, almost to that of regular gas engines.

They get great gas mileage, some VW's are getting better mpg than that of hybrid vehicles(half gas and electric). Rumor has it VW is building a diesel prototype that may achieve 70mpg. Despite diesel being more expensive than gas, it still is cheaper to run.

They also were real noisy, but today that are just as quite as a gasoline engine, some diesels are whisper quite.

Also used to be a pain to start in the winter, but today they start fairly easy (even without the use of a block heater) at temperatures below freezing.


A big selling point for me is the use of 'Biodiesel'. Which is diesel that is made from renewable resources. From the use of old waste Vegetable oil from restaurants to a new Algae based diesel that can be grown, both produce far less pollutants than gasoline and still maintain the power and economy that a diesel is known for.
Waist vegetable can be obtained for free, but must be processed to produce a burnable fuel by adding chemicals, but when broken down to price per gallon, it will cost you about $1.50 per gallon(including the chemicals used) but excluding the price of the machinery(whether bought or built buy yourself) that process the fuel.

Source(s):

http://www.homebiodieselkits.com/homepro…

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Asker's Comment:

This thouroughly answers my question...thanks!

Answer 2

A diesel engined car should return better gas mileage because diesel has a higher calorific value than petrol.

The exhaust content is also slightly different than from petrol, although it would be hard to say it burns cleaner. There are fewer noxious gases but more carbon particulates (soot) from diesel. However, advances in catalytic converters and suchlike mean that a manufacturer can take any given engine and clean up it's emissions in the exhaust system after the fuel has been burnt.

Diesel engines are pretty good and have been getting better over the years. The first diesel I drove was normally aspirated and dog slow. It was great for going up hills but it wouldn't accelerate as well as a petrol. The second diesel was a VW turbo-diesel that required a me to change my driving style to get the best out of it. The turbo meant it accelerated better but there was an amount of lag and you could "lose" it altogether if you fluffed a gearchange or revved it too hard. I'm now onto my third diesel which uses a Ford turbo-diesel engine and is the best of the bunch. There is no discernable turbo lag and it can be revved more like a regular petrol engine.

The cold starting problems with diesel referred to in the previous answer will really only be an issue at extremely low temperatures which causes the diesel fuel to thicken and become waxy. However, the gas companies are aware of this problem and have been formulating diesel for years so that it doesn't wax so easily.

Source(s):

Experience.

Answer 3

All good answers above.....Diesels get better fuel economy (pound for pound) which is why big rigs run diesel engines, and have a longer engine life than gasoline engines. Downside, as said above is availability and price. Diesel used to be dirt cheap, not like it is today because of taxes placed on it. Gelling is not the problem that it used to be. I am not sure what Subaru has done, they make great cars. See what they are touting. If it is a high fuel economy vehicle, with a maintenance plan, and great performance, it will be worth checking out.....Think I will take a look myself. Liked your question and telling of the car!

Answer 4

Personal preference. Remember all stations do not carry diesel. Some times winter starting can be tricky. The big selling point used to be a cheaper fuel price and mileage, but not anymore.

Source(s):

been there done that.