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Not presently. I am sure when low sulfur diesel is mandated next year there will be a flood of modern, quiet & powerful diesel cars, minivans and SUVs. Europe has had them for several years. It is only because we have not cleaned up our diesel that they have not proliferated in the USA. They are a much more practical solution to the energy and CO2 problem than gas or gas/hybrids.
PS
The vans built by Mercedes and sold in the US as Dodge Sprinter are very economical to drive. They get an honest 25 MPG on diesel. They have a great safety record and LOTS of room.
While I'm not a minivan buyer, I'd take that engine in a heartbeat in a compact pickup married to a 6 spd and a hi - low range transfer case (ideally a Tacoma but a Frod Ranger Crew cab would be OK - see those Ford CC's in Mexico all the time),
Fred
It is not the import duty that is the problem. It is getting it past the EPA. If it is not on their list of acceptable vehicles you will have a hassle. The only diesel van right now, that is EPA approved, is the Mercedes/Dodge Sprinter. The big one gets an honest 22-25 MPG. And they are big inside. You can haul a lot of people and stuff. The shorter 118 inch wheelbase model should get even better mileage.
That Dodge Sprinter is UGLY UGLY UGLY. I think I am going to change my quest from a Mini van to a truck with the diesel such as a Ford F-250 with the power stroke diesel. I have driven this truck and really like it, however it is a bit pricey, again married with kids.. Perhaps a used one may fit my budget better. The journey never stops..
Frustrated in the USA.
My last 410 mile tank I got 24.58 MPG. Mine is a fully loaded conversion van. So I am happier than a pig in mud. Which is also very ugly.
36.5 is still good for sure. To get 37 mpg in the US you have to drive a Fit, Yaris or hybrid.
BRING ON THE SMALL DIESELS!!!!
I like the Sprinter, but my wife just won't compromise on the looks. It is fugly.
The Sprinter may be ugly but it tops anything else sold in the USA in the Van/MiniVan category. Not perfect but practical.
So I have to ask the question, "Why a small four pot diesel when a larger five pot unit will still give great mileage and very decent performance too?"
Best Regards,
Shipo
I think in the Caravan it would easily get 35 MPG.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/11/chrysler_canada.html
but maybe a 'microvan'.
30 mpg for a minivan maybe. because
air drag is proportional to the square of frontal surface area.
in sprinter news, i test drove the tiniest one and found handling & turning radius much better than expected. road noise at highway speed was horrid however. gagrice how about a photo of the decked-out conversion in yours. where was the conversion done? how is road noise at 70 mph?
Heres a diesel review by a New Zealand publication.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0607/S00137.htm
The 2.2l CRD, turbo:
Hows 335 Nm/ 247 lb-ft of torque between 1800-2500 RPM and 47 mpg(Imperial) average. Also cruises 2000rpm 100kph.
I'd like to see it here, in N/A.
Still, i would prefer a Touran like design. But thats only me, since I would prolly want to squeeze the most mileage from a tank.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/FVDP/Preview/styleId=100217699
However, my dreams are shattered every month with the arrival of my mortgage statement, plus it's also destroyed daily by the noise of two girls bickering at each other.
Can you also post a picture looking in the van from the driver's seat?
PS: they girls will be gone before you know it.
VWoA has a tease on its coming joint venture with DaimlerChrysler of a modern version of the icon Microbus. It is hinting it will be coming by 2008. The tease is a restored 1964 Microbus carted to various media events and trade shows.
Man...if it becomes true, hope a TDI version is offered with 40+ mpg. Hope it also would come with an affordable price tag seeing it will be built by Chrysler in NA.
Gotta hold on to my 2000 MPV for another 3 to 4 years and start putting away some money.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/FREE/70115007/1528/L- ATESTNEWS
Dodge Sprinter - this one has been discussed and dismissed for being "fugly". Yeah, kinda. We'd like to take this industrial van and make a family hauler out of it. I could convince my wife to look beyond the "fugly" (especially if it had a Mercedes nameplate on the back instead of Dodge), but it looks like it only has a passenger-side rear sliding door. Compared to the Odyssey's and Siena's, this is a deal breaker. The PHEV/diesel version could trump all that, though.
The R-class diesel - NICE!! For something that size, I'd like a little better mpg. But it's pricey. I'd have to be pretty well off to be ok putting >B10 in a $44k Benz.
The Jeep Liberty - wrong category.
Ideally, I want a Mazda5 diesel or a VW Touran to be sold at dealers in the US. I want 3 rows of seats (with the 3rd row removable/stowable), 2 sliding back doors, good diesel economy (>38mpg) with the Biodiesel option. Why is that so hard. Our options for this in the US are non-existent. That's frustrating and it sucks. Our options for electric cars are non-existent, but that's a story for another town-hall. I don't tow a boat or trailer, I don't go off-road, I'm not a contractor, I don't need or want an SUV but we have a crap load of those.
... I can't help but assume a lot of you feel my pain.
Is it possible to legally import a Mazda5 or Touran from Europe?? Has it been done? Can't be from England, driver's on the wrong side.
And another 2 cents... other non-van diesel options I'd like in the US are the Dodge Caliber and the SmartCar. Canada has 'em. Thank you.
Then I thought I wanted Touran for a long time, even signed up an online petition several years ago. I’ve also scoped out a Mazda5 just in case Mazda decides to introduce a diesel version in the future.
But even at 5’9” thin as a rail asian immigrant, I cannot fit myself in a Mazda5 3rd row seat. Maybe Tourans are packaged better but unless I see one I won’t sign for one anymore (if ever they even become available).
My point is the primary reason I look into small cars is fuel efficiency, ideally at more than 40mpg combined. Size can be sacrificed and is even somewhat chic. But only if there is:
1) a corresponding increase in mpg, 2) interior space efficiently utilized to maintain practical use, 3) price is kept reasonably low, 4) safety is not overly compromised.
When it doesn't there just isn’t any point, specially when we risk the lives and safety of our loved ones.
Hence I also gave up on the Honda Fit (good space, safety is addressed, ho-hum mpg), and all other tiny cars out there for now.
My best hope is that car manufacturers finally see the light and start providing diesel engines in the not so large minivans to provide us with the fuel efficiency we want.
Just in case you haven’t yet, check out the (possible) future 2010 Chrysler minivan with the (possible) 2.2. Benz diesel engine:
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070205/FREE/70205002/1528
As for other non minivan tiny cars, its too bad SmartFor4 was pulled out when it would have been the model to pull that brand out of the red.
Hopefully the Chevy Volt will be built. Yes I also signed the petition for that one here:
http://www.gm.com/company/gm_exp_live/events/naias_2007/index_flash.html?navID=3- .0.1.1&seo=goo_volt
I agree. 3rd row seats are just a much wanted convenience not really intended for frequent adult use. Most likely only be used by the kids when we have the occasional extra kid, friend, or in-law.
The Volt came out of no where and the concept is awesome. I followed your link and voted. Not sure it'll do any good, but I voted. The only issue I had when I first saw the Volt is the styling. It looks like a muscle car. It has an efficient drive train, but it looks heavy (like a Dodge Charger). Feels contradictory.
I have a 13 year old heavy Jetta diesel that still gets 44mpg combined. Not even the new small Yaris and Fit gets that mpg. So size/weight is secondary only to engine efficiency. My ex 2001 Prius got only 5mpg better and was too complex and costly to fix.
I would get a Volt primarily for efficiency, secondarily for lesser maintenance, and lastly for smaller carbon footprint.
Back on topic, it is too bad VW's new CEO just pulled out the plug on a planned mild hybrid Touran for 2008.
Think of it, why would VW build a hybrid Touran when a TDI would be cheaper and readily available in Europe?
My suspicion is it was supposed to be targetted for North America.
Still a 2010 Chrysler Minivan with a 2.2 Benz diesel, rotating middle seats, and removable table would be something to look forward to.
"There've been rumors that VWAG might kill another vehicle on its production plans - an all-new, American-style minivan. There are all sorts of reasons why the project should be in jeopardy, conceded Hallmark. For one thing, it is being developed in a joint venture with Chrysler, the U.S. marque that parent DaimlerChrysler is likely to sell off."
"Then there's the fact that the minivan was conceived by ousted VWAG brand boss Wolfgang Bernhard. But after looking long and hard at the project, corporate officials realized it was too good a product to abandon, whoever got credit. It will reach showrooms late next year, about twelve months after Chrysler launches its own, next-generation minivan."
link
I don’t normally come here that often anymore.
Not sure what’s the latest on Honda’s plan to offer diesel in light SUV’s (possibly includes the Ody. Anybody care to share info?).
The Koreans are also thinking of doing same – offering diesels on light SUV’s, so who knows we might have a Kia diesel also.
The bad news is Daimler dumped Chrysler, so that probably eliminates the 2010 Chrysler with nice rotating chairs nada.
So only a Chrysler based VW diesel seems definite right now. The good news is VW’s diesel engines have gained/regained the efficiency they lost sometime after 2003. Who knows they might even give us a manual, after all what good is a diesel if an auto tranny simple saps it down to a gassers level? So, one of those omniscient pre-selective double clutch thingy would be waaaaayyyy nice VWAG( ..pweeease?). And since it’s N.A. built, keep the price competitive too, double pweease?
On the tiny cars, there’s lots of promise. From Mazda2’s to Honda hybrid that’s tinier than the Fit, future Mini’s with hopefully diesel that gets 60mpg (there’s increasing clamor to bring that to the U.S. now).
Toyota is also thinking of making a smaller version of the Toyota Prius (bad news from Toyota is they are not going to use Li-Ion batteries for the next version).
Still a Volt (with diesel engine pweaase) would be the best. So much less moving parts means long term reliability. This is when car brand will no longer be a reliability indicator. Then only price matters.
Since north American built will mean cheaper parts, I relish the thought that this will be when American cars kicks butt ..ta da, Empire Strikes Back!
Btw, it’s probably easier to regulate/improve pollution per power plant than per millions of individual cars out there. Whether its carbon capture and storage, or molecular/chemical breakdown to different useful forms, or whatever, power plants would be the best place to catch them.
I just applied for one of those Shell gas cards, and in reading the fine print I found out you can't get the 5% rebate for diesel purchases.
Prices fluctuate, sure, but right now, around me, diesel costs about the same as regular gas, both around $3 per gallon.
The card's 5% rebate makes gas $2.85, diesel still $3.
That might ease the wait a little bit.