[B]"Cruising on the highway, however, it

 

Diesels never really bothered me and now that we sell low sulfur diesel here they are a viable option for many companies. The ridiculous torque they generate at such low rpms are perfect for cruising and heavyweight luxury cars. Not saying the 3 series is overweight, was thinking more about the 5 and 7 series, but they could all stand to lose a little weight as you aluded to.

 

I know that diesel is a biproduct of making gasoline, but with all of these diesels coming out do ya'll think that diesel will just become more expensive? I remember when diesel was a lot cheaper than gasoline, then when all of these diesel trucks started coming out, the price overtook the price of gasoline.

 

[QUOTE=wills2k106,Jan 23 2008, 08:31 PM] Diesels never really bothered me and now that we sell low sulfur diesel here they are a viable option for many companies.

 

I calculated it a while ago but am not sure it still holds true. The higher price of diesel almost exactly negated the extra mileage you could get with a diesel car. Oil companies apparently wanted the same price per mile driven, they don't care what fuel you use.

 

So would you say that the higher prices for diesel right now are due to price gouging (just because they can)? If the higher prices are due to high demand and a lower supply, then marketing diesels in the US wouldn't be that effective. The better mileage benefit would be outweighed by the increased prices.

 

That is exactly what I was wondering... whether or or not the increased price was because of demand or just to make an extra buck by bringing up the price to the same proportions as gasoline...

 

Unfortunely, most diesel cars would not come to CA.

MB is having problem justifying the CARB requirement for emission control rule with bluetec. That is why MB can only lease out their E-class diesel cars (with service).

I am aware of only VW's 2.0 TDI not requiring urea so it can be sold (make that to be sold) in CA. Maybe Honda if they bring their 2.2 CDI over. Don't know what Toyota is going to bring over, but it is supposed to be CA carb legal, I think.

 

My wife has a Jetta TDI, and even w/ the higher cost of diesel, it's still clearly much more economical. We've become big fans of diesel through this experience - even though it only produces 100hp, the torque makes it feel like quite a bit more. The 325d and the other upcoming diesels are great candidates for the Jetta's eventual replacement.

I'm also awaiting an economical light-duty diesel to replace the Avalanche - a 30+ mpg Ridgeline diesel would be awesome.

 

love the mileage, love the concept... my guess is that it isn't as good as the regular 335 in terms of driving - probably doesn't rev the same, given that it has like 40% more tq and fewer ponies. If it revved the same, it would be faster than the normal 335, I assume.

I'm not excited about all these diesels coming out until they prove they perform and drive nicely. What good is 700 lb of tq when you have to use gears that are twice as tall?