Diesels in the News

moparbad

quote- Maloney also told dealers that Isuzu will develop a new diesel engine in the 3-liter class that will be sold in the United States. No date has been set for the diesel.-end

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101711

 

Another manufacturer to add diesel.

moparbad

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B1EE5B748-0A59-4- 844-ACB7-80FEA9235B1F%7D&siteid=google&dist=google

Amid all the hoopla surrounding hybrid cars and fuel cell technology at this year's Detroit auto show, lost in the din was diesel, the lowly fuel of trucks and tractors now quietly touted as one of the best ways to stretch the nation's mileage.

fintail

I read in Motor Trend today that Mercedes is going to bring over a new powerful 8cyl diesel in the upcoming few years

moparbad

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/02/BAGIGB402- 71.DTL

 

I'm happy to see the culprits (large commercial vehicles) of the greatest source of diesel pollution being targeted, instead of the cleanest (private passenger vehicles.

moparbad

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0502/04/autos-79883.htm

 

Another factor, Pratt said, will be "competing technologies such as more fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel options that will be available after 2006."

jrdwyer

That engine has nice specs. I would like to someday buy a mid-sized SUV that is off-road capable (work purposes) that has this or a similar engine. 27/37 mpg in a 3800 lb vehicle is great, especially considering the massive torque.

 

The current Jeep Liberty diesel engine is ok, but is only rated at 21/27 mpg. Granted, the Jeep is a box of a vehicle and 500 lbs heavier. Also, thinking over the next 20 years, diesels for passenger vehicles may be critical if gasoline prices continue to go up. Europe has already shown what high fuel prices do to consumers choice of engines. And if fuel went sky high, biodiesel would surely enter the retail market as a competitor to full petrol diesel.

moparbad

Cleaner = less emissions = more diesel vehicle options.

http://www.platinum.matthey.com/media_room/1107792006.html

moparbad

http://fleetowner.com/news/diesel_catalyst_matthey_020705/

moparbad

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/02/cadillac_to_pre.html

 

This is a Euro only model. Doubt that we will ever see this one in North America, however, stranger things have happened.

It is possible that GM-Fiat diesel engines could see use in North America if clean diesel in 2006 fuels diesel popularity.

moparbad

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2004/07/new_saab_diesel.html

 

Here is link to the diesel powertrain being used in SAAB and Cadillac vehicles in Europe.

 

The engine meets Euro 4 emissions.

moparbad

Whew! A little bit of everything being combined into an urban delivery vehicle.

http://www.autospectator.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=620

moparbad

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0502/15/C06-89961.htm

ranger2001xlt

I have been following the auto industry for several years now and I have to say I am disappointed with the selection of diesel technology on the market. You'd think that after 9/11 the auto companies would of rushed the developments of these engines to market. They already had a good test pool in Europe by then. (We could of gotten a good grade of diesel before 2006).

 

I had my hopes up in 1998 when a Durango was fitted with the Delta engine and I was hoping to see that come to market. NOT!

 

Then around 2000, Ford announced they were developing a 'baby diesel' via International. That was nixed a few years later. So much for a camless lifter.

 

GM has had their thumbs up their [non-permissible content removed] even having a vice-president like executive going so far as to say they were not going to develop a diesel for passenger vehicles a few years back.

 

You would of thought that these car makers could of gotten some type of 6 - 7 passenger vehicle out in America by this time. I know about the Liberty and the Mercedes, those respectively don't fit my life style or income. Don't even mention VW, they can't design a power window which doesn't fall in side the door. Or an MAF which doesn't clog.

 

Plus look how many times DC delayed the release of the Liberty CRD. And Ford's Expedition was a gas hog with an oversized powerplant for the need in that vehicle.

 

I even considered a Sprinter for my family vehicle because it had enough room to fit my family of five comfortably. That is a poor indication of diesel progress when I am considering an airport shuttle vehicle for my family car.

 

Ford had a better idea at the recent auto show with the Meta One concept. Gee... we may actually see that powertrain in a Ford by 2010. Unfortunately, I'd be willing to bet it will stay an idea.

 

I think this thread is a good one but I don't have much confidence we will see main stream diesel engines in the near future in this country. I am tired of all the talk of diesel engines of the future and am still waiting to see this mainstream product in large passenger vehicles. Monitoring the auto news daily I don't read of any plans for one coming to market soon. A KIA perhaps, that is all. Perhaps Asia can build one for a reasonable price because I don't think Detroit can anymore.

moparbad

Passat TDI, Jetta TDI, Golf TDI, New Beetle TDI, Jeep Liberty CRD, Mercedes E320 CDI, Touareg TDI are all offered in North America.

2006! 2006! 2006! That is when low sulfur diesel fuel will be implemented in USA. The sulfur amount in diesel fuel in North America is among the highest level anywhere in the world and the European diesel engines sustain damage when they burn high sulfur diesel.
When the fuel standard is clean the diesels will arrive.

moparbad

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212618_biodiesel18.html

moparbad

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=807

moparbad

Scroll down in the article for the E320CDI.

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/mar05/0305car.- html

moparbad

Hybrid diesel bus.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmView- Id=news_view&newsId=20050228005610&newsLang=en

mike91326

The thing you miss is that the forums are run by the hosts and are owned by Edmunds. Your post is "drawing a line in the sand", how do you expect them to react? I for one would e-mail the host if I had a question. I'm sure they would be happy to reply.

I for one am more interested when I will be able to buy a clean diesel in California so keep those news items coming.

kyfdx

It makes you wonder why he keeps getting banned, doesn't it?

Or, maybe not...

merc1

Mercedes is showing new diesels at the Geneva Autoshow this month, pretty interesting:

http://www.cwwcardesign.com/mercedes_slk320_cdi.html

"A new V8 engine generates 231 kW/315 hp in the Vision SL 400 CDI and provides the eight-cylinder’s crankshaft with an outstanding torque of 730 Nm. The SLK 320 CDI tri-turbo, meanwhile, can generate an impressive 210 kW/286 hp and 630 Nm of torque from three litres of displacement (70.3 kW and 211 Nm per litre of displacement)."

M

pusterracing

Look at the figure on the SLK 320 CDI tri-turbo V6....... It takes the car but 5.3 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h.....the diesel roadster consumes only 7.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.

In other words...0-62mph in 5.3 seconds.....and averages 31MPG. Impressive from a diesel sports car.

merc1

I hadn't thought of this before, but with a open top diesel car wouldn't that diesel engine sound be kinda awful to hear? I mean diesels still sound like rocks in a can from outside the car in most cases.

Other than this reservation I think these new engine options will make the SL and SLK more appealing to Europeans who won't touch a petrol engined vehicle.

M

moparbad

..of all the wonderful diesel vehicles that are not available in North America.

http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0900icmotors/roadtests/tm_objectid=15273943&method- =full&siteid=50061&headline=sporting-diesel-delights-from-mercedes-name_page.html

merc1

Yeah the SLK320 CDI outperforms the petrol (love that word) SLK350 and the SL400 CDI outperforms the petrol SL500, in both speed and fuel economy.

My only worry about a a diesel droptop is the noise factor.

M

moparbad

http://www.news-gazette.com/localnews/story.cfm?Number=17827

Not everyone likes diesel," said Peter Alexander, mechanic and owner of Peter B.'s, a repair shop in Urbana.
Because diesels were fraught with problems back in the '70s and '80s, "it took a real special person to love a diesel," he said.
According to Alexander, diesel owners tend to be mechanical and understand how diesels work. They like to drink fine wine, but they're also economical. They watch their money. They're not in any hurry.
"With diesel, everything is slower," Alexander said.

Liberty diesel is quicker than Liberty gas V6, Mercedes CDI is quicker than Mercedes gas, every thing is NOT slower with diesel!

moparbad

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05063/466021.stm

merc1

That underlines the main problem with diesel, perception. Mercedes has some truly fast diesels in Europe as does BMW, Audi and VW, but they'll never sell in good numbers here because before clean diesel can be had in order sell them here, hybrids have captured the spotlight.

M

pusterracing

hybrids have captured the spotlight.

I believe the is both positive and negative and we will see a rise in the purchase of diesels and numbers of diesels being offered. When I purchased both of my diesel passenger cars in the past year I looked into the hybrid alternatives for both of them (when I purchased my diesel truck, there were no hybrid alternatives for a 1-ton crewcab with diesel).

Here is the problem I ran into....I purchased an '04 Jetta GLS TDI in April. I also researched and drove the Civic HCH and the Prius. For the Civic, I could buy an LX, with a few incentives for about $15.5K, but the Hybrid was $20.5K, a $5000 increase for the hybrid technology. The Prius, OTOH, was $25K and had a 6-9 month waitlist and in both hybrid cases dealers were not coming off of MSRP and one was actually trying to charge more, mouch more. I lookes at the TDI, got it for less than either Hybrid and get ALMOST the same real world fuel economy. AND the Jetta, IMHO, is much better appointed than the Civic. Let's face it, a Civic is still a Civic, even with Hybrid Drivetrain.

Fast forward to Feb '05, it was time to purchase another vehicle, so I looked at the Passat GLS TDI, the Accord-Hybrid, and the E320CDI. The Accord, I could purchase a regular gas Accord for ~$27K, or I could get the Hybrid for $33K and get roughly 7mpg better fuel economy, and all the worries about battery life, new techonology, etc. That's ~$6K premium, just to appear to be green. Not worth it. So I ruled it out, and while the MB was extremely nice, at the end of the day, a car is just a car, and I didn't see enough bells and whistles to justify paying and extra $30K for a car. That money would be much better spent or invested elsewhere. I went with the Passat and have absolutely no regrets.

Hopefully, with all of the media attention and the growing numbers of vehicles on the road, the diesel cars are starting to shake some of the reputation they have garnered in the past.

'03 Ford F350 CrewCab KingRanch 6.0L Powerstroke
'04 VW Jetta GLS TDI
'05 VW Passat GLS TDI

chrisducati

I too looked at a (ten passenger) Sprinter. If it were not for the size of it I think I would have bought it. You can walk back standing up to all the seats. The problem came when thinking of parking and such. Once the public is aware of how much power and how dependable new diesels are I think it will catch on. The whole Oldsmobile thing is still in a lot of peoples minds for reliability. Others remember the VW Rabbits and how much vibration was passed into the passenger area. We crossed the Rockys in a Dasher Diesel once... just once.

gagrice

I am looking into the diesel Sprinter as well. This one has caught my eye and maybe my wallet. All this and 22 MPG, what's not to like?

http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/sections/projects/sprinter_2.asp

chrisducati

WOW...now that is a conversion van! I would love that but...That would be way out of my price range. I was looking at the Dodge for about 28-30grand area

gagrice

I don't think I can justify that one either. You can get Sprinters that are fully ready for travel for $65k and up. That one being as high up as I have found. They drive real nice and from all indications and the people I have talked to, 22 mpg is what they are getting. If you just need a station wagon those are going in your above price range. They have a good warranty on the drive train. My wife really likes them so I imagine one is in our future. This site has several good links all dealing with Sprinters here and abroad.

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/sprinter.html

merc1

As always it is very interesting to read how a person reasons when purchasing a new car. I'm sure for the American and especially the German makes the cleaner diesel can't get here fast enough.

M

mtbarr

I keep seeing references to diesels as being dirtier compared to Hybrids and that those seeking a truly green vehicle should go hybrid.

I must point out that my 2002 Jetta TDI running 100% Biodiesel is cleaner in emissions 50% to 80% depending on the whether HC, CO or NOx than regular dinodiesel.

The NOx are higher, but that would be handled by currently available technology if we had ULSD (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel) now since the equipment is destroyed by sulphur.

Also Biodiesel has no Benzene or Sulphur and therefore puts out less "toxins" which are emissions.

So when one compares the greeness of a car, they need to consider all the other "pollutants" besides HydroCarbon, Carbon Dioxide and NOx. All the current EPA standards are on these three components when talking about acheiving "zero" emissions. So when you think your gasoline car is "cleaner" because of this "Zero emissions" you are still dumping toxins in the air from the petroleum. Biodiesel lacks most of these other toxins.

gagrice

What part of the US are you in? and what do you have to pay for B100?
I think it is overall greener than any fossil fuel. Including EVs powered from coal or who knows what.

moparbad

http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BA51B0681-D3BC-4EFA-A912-428D0E569F3B%7D&- siteid=google&dist=google

moparbad

http://firstnews.com.ua/en/industry/industry.html?id=29316

More diesels please.

gagrice

Things may be looking up. I think I would really like that R class MB. Maybe sell my new Passat when it gets 7500 miles on it. Keep the Good news coming, I read it.

fintail

They need to bring the S-class diesel back to NA

With the E diesel being a hit, and the old S diesels being huge and still followed today...they'd sell

perry40

800cc 3-cylinder turbo injected diesel, 40HP, 60mpg, semi-automatic tranny ... base price $16,000CAD ... Smart ForTwo by Mercedes Benz ... an ideal urban commuter ...

moparbad

http://nbc15.madison.com/news/headlines/1450727.html

gagrice

I wonder if the groceries will fit.....

http://www.seriouswheels.com/top-vw-1-liter-car.htm

moparbad

From Automotive News 04/13A Honda Motor Co. executive says the company is studying ways to offer diesel-powered vehicles in the United States. The only thing stopping Honda is its inability to meet U.S. emission regulations, says Michiyoshi Hagino, Honda senior managing director.

moparbad

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102163

moparbad

at Edmunds http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Articles/articleId=105345

michael10

vtec.net has a small article on Honda developing diesels for US. take a look...

moparbad

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102193

merc1

I expect BMW, MB and Audi to start sending some really nice diesels here around fall of next year once the diesel fuel supply is cleaned up and proven out.

M

fintail

I wish the S320 diesel would make it over

moparbad

Diesel is renewable.
http://www.faz.net/s/RubB443EC63397F4BAFBD6ACED075B4B2CC/Doc~E8F0A7144F0C349C8B1D941C61809- 617E~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html