As a Happy owner of a 2000 VW Golf TDI, I found this thread most enlightening with the links to what the big shots have been thinking of lately pertaining to Diesel emmissions. Enjoy the read! http://forums.tdiclub.com/showflat.php?Number=919087

 

(While it is true that North American truck diesels are crude beasts, the modern automotive oil-burner from Europe is an amazingly sophisticated powerplant. Quiet, smooth and powerful, many modern diesels from companies such as BMW, Mercedes and, yes, even Volkswagen, are the performance equivalent of the very best gasoline engines. Mercedes' E320 turbodiesel is quicker than its gasoline equivalent, not to mention just as silky smooth. And is there a better SUV engine than the Volkswagen Touareg's twin-turbo V10 TDi?)


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I consider it a compliment. My Harley, my Hemi, my four Cummins Rams, and my next Cummins Ram will hopefully be a crude beast! The Mrs' Durango is said to ride rough and handle lousy! Gotta love that sound!

 

N.Johnson,
I've been around diesels most of my life. Farm engines, boat engines, Dodge CTDs, and automotive diesels. They are all great and I love my new Passat TDI. The Cummins is probably my all time favorite and I'll have it for the rest of my life, but I'll never claim it's the last word in diesel design. Or be offended if someone else notices it isn't perfect. Far from it. A new era of diesels is comming. Lighter and more powerful designs are the way of the future. Noone should be offended if someone else produces or enjoys something other than a Cummins! Even the current CTDs came along through competition. Soon (hopefully) many of us will be driving diesel cars that not only get better mileage than current gas models but are faster too. As good as the Cummins is it's not suitable for general automotive use and good diesel cars are very nice to drive. A mid size pickup like the Dakota with a 300 HP light weight diesel would be fantastic. And they could make it today if they wanted to.
My Passat aveages 40+ MPG on trips, has plenty of power and would cruise all day at 100MPH if asked.

PS. This the "General Diesel Discussion" page so why can't someone post about a diesel that is not a Cummins?

Wetspirit

 

While over in Germany last May I was amazed at the performance of the BMW and the Ford diesel in the two cars I rode in. I was truly impressed as I did not know they where diesels.

Quiet and powerful. Picture a BMW wagon with five guys weighing 300 pounds plus and a driver tipping the scales at about 140 pounds.

 

I know that my 05 CTD meets all 50 states standards and is approved for sale in all 50 states including California. Real crude. It is ashamed that our government has not taken the lead in fuel research as in Bio-Diesel. They could get the farmers that grow tobacco to change to crops that could be turned into Bio fuels and stop our reliance on the Middle East for oil. It would work and could be done fast but it would make sense which doesn't seem to meet government standards.

 

I don't think that bio diesel is going to ever have the ability to releive our dependence on oil. How could it? Crops that are grown for fuel must be planted, irrigated, harvested, processed, and shipped. All requiring fuel. It's hard to imagine all those requirements being met AND producing enough to stop the need for foreign oil. I don't even know if there is a net gain after all those built in costs are met. A little conservation would help but noone seems to be interested. I'm as much to blame as anyone with all the driving I do. People, in general, are not interestd in using less. In fact they want to use more. With more and more horsepower, bigger vehicles, larger homes, and more travel. Most people seem to feel it's their right to use more instead of considering if it's a good idea to use less, or do more with the same amount. Just think if everyone had a diesel car, drove the same amount, and reduced the overall demand by 50%.

Wetspirit

 

It will take a mixture of the different type of Bio Fuels that could and can be grown and refined to get some releif. There are so many different types of fuel that could be produced to at least put a dent in the problem and yes some conservation would be nice. Still, I would like to see some interest in this by the Government to see that real concerns are being looked at seriously . I reckon that when big industry wants to look at it the Government cronies will take an interest then and probably not until then.