Yorkieabroad

Costco at 2.35, but the independent in old katy is at 2.29

Yorkieabroad

Bil in the UK has a 5 series diesel (3.5l?) and it goes like hot snot. Very nice car, which is high praise indeed from me as I'm not really a BMW fan.

Pulaski

I have read very good things about the Range Rover Evoque turbo diesel, but it isn't sold in the US with a diesel engine. ..... If the TD ever makes it over here with a manual transmission I will eat my hat.

andrewlohnes

My BMW 330d revved to 5000. All the people that have lived in America over 10 years, you have no idea what you are missing. Diesel cars are just a fast, if not faster, than petrols. My 3 series BMW was a 3 litre turbo 300bhp and did an average of 45mpg. It was the fastest and most economical car I have ever owned and I have owned a 1998 Honda Integra Type-R and a 1994 Toyota Celica GT4 which was 4wd and about 290bhp, it did about 20mpg.

Michael

From my understanding, the Buick diesel engine was a gas engine converted to a diesel engine to try to keep the cost competitive with gasoline engines. It was cost competitive but it was also an unreliable engine.

I suspect it also cost and arm and leg more than the equivalent BMW gasoline engine.

Michael

I've never heard of anyone racing a diesel engine against a gasoline engine.

andrewlohnes

Then you've never watched British Touring Car Championship!

Edit - Le Mans winning car http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...ning-Audi.html

Michael

I don't consider that a race but an endurance test with speed. If it was F2, Indy car, NASCAR, or drag race, those need pickup and top speed and I'd be very impressed.

Now China is putting on a race with electric cars and I've never seen a race dedicated to diesels.

andrewlohnes

All those that you just mentioned don't use gasoline, they use a special fuel that is pretty much methanol or similar, right? I was at the Phoenix NASCAR the other weekend and the smell was great, and definitely wasn't gasoline.

Pulaski

Not the stuff you can buy at the local gas station, but it was gasoline: Sunoco 98 octane E15 blend.

Michael

It's definitely not gasoline that you get at your local gas station. Top Fuel and funny cars at drag races use mostly nitromethane (nitro) or basically treated propane gas which normally wouldn't be used in any type of road race car since it needs very little oxygen to ignite, can be very dangerous, and can destroy an engine. A methanol mix just gives the gas a higher octane rating allowing for higher compression but can be dangerous if spilled on a hot surface since it's hard to see the flames. If it wasn't for that, methanol probably would be safer than normal gasoline which is much more explosive.

I agree that gasoline engines can be designed to use a variety of different fuels that a diesel engine can't.

I'm not knocking diesel cars but I don't see a lot of use for them in America. With Europe's high petrol prices, spending a significant amount more for a diesel engine may possibly be worth it.

andrewlohnes

Uh Which you can actually buy in the US I believe for $11 a gallon?

Michael I don't disagree with you on that, when gas is as cheap as it is in the States then there is no real need for diesel cars over there so you are right, but for us unfortunate enough to still live in the UK (only 13 months to go, wahoo!) in my opinion diesels are superior.

Pulaski

The opposite is also true, and I would argue more true. Diesels can be made to run on all sorts of things, including reprocessed cooking oil. A neighbour actually ran his Ford Excursion diesel on kerosene without any modifications, when there was a fuel shortage. There is a tree in South America that has sap that can be tapped and a diesel engine will run on it, roughly, but it will run. The original diesel, designed by Rudolph Diesel, ran on coal dust!

andrewlohnes

I can't see any of those enhancing the power like the other gasoline fuels do though

Michael

I agree, I misspoke. I meant that I don't think diesel engines can be designed to use powerful fuels like nitro or high octane fuels to get increased power.