awd_driver

I realize of course that with diesels it's a real plus to have turbo's and so twin turbo development continues.

Potomac-Greg

As much as diesels seem to be the obvious answer to SUVs (torque and efficiency) the author theorizes that diesel popularity is due to taxes on gasoline; and that Europe's cities are being coated with soot (and are getting stinky) as a result of the proliferation of diesel engines.

Any Euro-folks have a response?

Audi S5 TC

At least this is what I have been hearing here on AudiWorld and from the Automotive press for the past several months. Also, I believe that Audi will eventually reserve single turbos for their diesel models, but I am not 100% sure on this one.

TraderAlex

diesel engines that output far fewer emissions than 20 years ago, and even less CO2 than current state-of-art gasoline engines. Couple that with the fact, given it's inherent nature of construction, a diesel engine can last almost forever, relative to a gasoline engine. The problem is that there has always been a prejudice in North America against using them for passenger vehicles. And that perception will probably remain difficult to overcome.

TwoTrey

You know it's bad when your home carpeting gets a lot of soot.
But how can you blame them for choosing diesel when they pay over double what I pay in Canada for unleaded petrol. Or over three times as much as what I would pay in the US.
Diesel technology has come a long way; that A8 4.0 TDI is actually faster than our old 95 4.2 A8. And it gets double the mileage!!!

A RO 95

Diesel Particle filter. European legislation will require a dramatic decrease in the amount of particulate being released into the air. In order to comply with the egislation most manufacturers are working on solutions using DPF's.

Currently PSA or Peugeot/Citroen are the only company fitting DPF's to current generation diesels and VAG have hinted that they believe they can meet the legislation without a filter.

Interestingly it is the particles you cannot see that are carcinogenic!

And the air in our cities is actually getting cleaner due to the fact that more stringent emissions testing and certification means that vehicles not meeting certain standards have to be withdrawn from service.

The major offenders remain however the heavy duty vehicles. Don't forget our CAFE is far better than the average consumption in the US and our high fuel prices also have a dampening effect on vehicle useage.

The current small boom here in Germany is natural gas powered vehicles a number of manufacturers now offer BiFuel vehicles.

Potomac-Greg

... performance or efficiency.

First, since the last diesel binge (early 80s) gasoline engines have gotten cleaner, stronger, more reliable and low-maintenance. Given that most folks keep cars 3 years, the longevity of a diesel really means nothing to most folks.

Second, diesel fuel is more expensive than most gas grades. Unless car makers can find a way to advertise an "adjusted mileage" or "cost per mile" demonstrating lower operating costs, people will still favor gas. Diesel is also not available at all stations.

Too bad. Given the trend toward heavier cars and SUVs, diesel is a great solution. Let's hope they clean them up in Europe and bring them here!

A RO 95

Soot coverage in London is due mainly to the buses and lorries, see below from TraderAlex and myself

TheBrit

In the UK, I think diesel and unleaded are almost taxed at the same rate IIRC, if anything diesel is a penny or two cheaper than unleaded, but there's not a lot in it. Because of their lower CO2 emissions, company car tax is often cheaper on a diesel despite their higher purchase price and slight increase in company car tax rates.

Diesel's biggest draw seems to be it's good MPG returns.

Audi were instrumental in showing that a diesel engine could also provide good performance, perhaps with the new range of V8 TDIs, this will help ioncrease diesel's acceptance further in the executive / luxury segment.