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Thread: Diesel cars in America

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    With ridicolous fuel prices? Why?
    for the benefit of all of us, who also want to keep using mineral fuels?????
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by FastDriver View Post
    You all have completely lost me. I am talking bout fuel economy for a family car. Not high performance or being fun to drive. I want a car that I can comfortably take my wife and 2 kids from point A to point B and get 50 - 60 mpg and still have the luxory of a mercedies, audi or bmw. forget about the rest of that crap. If i wanted something fun to drive Id drive a sports car with a petrol engine and manual gear box...
    So what exactly is it in Europe that you want? A 1.9 TDI powered A6?

    You can have BMW 3/X5, Mercedes E/ML/GL/R, pretty much all the VW in US, Audi A3/Q7 in diesel. Between those I think you have spread of Mid 20k to probably 60+K in price spread and 2 door 4 passenger to 8 passenger.....

    I doubt any of them gets 50 mpg though.

    What we DON'T get is higher performance variant of the diesel models, and small diesels. And small diesel won't exactly be luxurious.....
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  3. #18
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    I was listening to a VW exec say that 20% of their US customers were choosing diesel.

    I'd say they have the niche market for now in your average consumer vehicle.

  4. #19
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    LS1 pulls from 0 in 5th or 6th and sits on 100ks at about 1000rpm give or take. And my fuel costs half what yours does so we would be equal!

    And FastDriver, you live in the US why worry about fuel costs? Enjoy the fun while you still can. In any case doesn’t the US have hundreds of capped oil wells at their disposal after we finish using al the Arabs oil!?
    "A string is approximately nine long."
    Egg Nogg 02-04-2005, 05:07 AM

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    Frankly I still don't understand the obsesion US car enthusiasts have with diesel.
    People want what they don't/can't have. New and exciting!
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by crisis View Post
    LS1 pulls from 0 in 5th or 6th and sits on 100ks at about 1000rpm give or take. And my fuel costs half what yours does so we would be equal!
    not quite, as I noted that the gasoline price down there is about 1 Euro (AUD 1.35) and I am paying about 1.30 Euro for a liter of diesel.
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  7. #22
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    $1.35 on a good day.. it was $1.56 up the road from me last week.
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  8. #23
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    We had 1,53€ a litre for 98, last week. Now it's down to about 1,47€ a litre.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    I have frankly never understood why US car enthusiasts like diesels so much.

    They, that are able to avoid them...
    Forbidden fruit... at least until recently. Americans associated commie Diesels with smelly & noisy largely because we allow hi-sulfur fuels, and there was all the clackety until the recent generation of commie Yurrupean diesels. There's also the attraction of bio-fuels now. Stories of running on grease are mighty compelling to people not familiar with Euro 1.30 per liter. Hell, we can't even get with the metric system.
    Quote Originally Posted by RacingManiac View Post
    I think up to some price point people ceased to care about fuel economy and diesel makes less sense....I think that point is about where the E class/5 series diesel sits....

    We(North American) are generally lacking in diesel options IMO in smaller cars. The mid-range car we can get them in diesels now if you buy European. Big diesels(Q7 V12, Tourag V10...etc) are probably niche even in EU that it makes even less sense here.
    This. VW sold the old Jetta TDI (55 mpg) in small numbers compared to ROW. Some Americans are embracing the new models because we're still subsidizing fuel companies to the tune of billions per year, and diesel looks pretty attractive.
    Never own more cars than you can keep charged batteries in...

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by csl177 View Post
    Forbidden fruit... at least until recently. Americans associated commie Diesels with smelly & noisy largely because we allow hi-sulfur fuels, and there was all the clackety until the recent generation of commie Yurrupean diesels. There's also the attraction of bio-fuels now. Stories of running on grease are mighty compelling to people not familiar with Euro 1.30 per liter. Hell, we can't even get with the metric system.
    Poor us commie euros with our massive fuel prices. If only we could have the prices of the land of the free...

    For us forbidden fruit is anything bigger than 1100cc...
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
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  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ferrer View Post
    Poor us commie euros with our massive fuel prices. If only we could have the prices of the land of the free...

    For us forbidden fruit is anything bigger than 1100cc...
    I hear ya bro', I hear ya...
    Never own more cars than you can keep charged batteries in...

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dino Scuderia View Post
    I was listening to a VW exec say that 20% of their US customers were choosing diesel.

    I'd say they have the niche market for now in your average consumer vehicle.
    ...only because they sell their cars in other markets than germany, where everybody has/ wants a diesel. And it's really no miracle that so many people want one.
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  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by henk4 View Post
    not quite, as I noted that the gasoline price down there is about 1 Euro (AUD 1.35) and I am paying about 1.30 Euro for a liter of diesel.
    Yeah well its actually gone feral here at the moment. Especially Premium. I dont eve look at the moment.

    Actually my mate did buy a nice diesel. Twin turbo v8 200 Series Cruiser. That thing is rediculous.

    All crap aside I never could see the point of small cars with diesels. Like how economical do you need?! However now they are actually a better choice due to the torque and power they now produce. If you have to have a small front wheel drive car you may as well get something with a bit of grunt. Only thing I would say is in some cases the premium purchase price can take a fair while to recoup in mere fuel savings alone.
    "A string is approximately nine long."
    Egg Nogg 02-04-2005, 05:07 AM

  14. #29
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    £5 a gallon and you see why folks over here buy diesel.
    tbh the likes of the Skoda Fabia VRS diesel is as competent a sports saloon as many other "sport" petrol cars out there
    My sis embarrasses many a larger "more powerful" car when she choses to use the TORQUE and not have to change gears in accelerating on motorways
    "A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'

  15. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine View Post
    £5 a gallon and you see why folks over here buy diesel.
    tbh the likes of the Skoda Fabia VRS diesel is as competent a sports saloon as many other "sport" petrol cars out there
    My sis embarrasses many a larger "more powerful" car when she choses to use the TORQUE and not have to change gears in accelerating on motorways
    switching to Hightower mode: Your sis uses POWER and not torque, torque is an illusion...
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

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