Diesels are given a bad name for particulate emissions, which have still improved a lot. They are however lower in greenhouse emissions which means different things to different people. The technology in them is really amazing nowadays. I too had a VW Diesel and it was awesome.
Secondly let me add that they last longer, considering that diesel engines are made heavier and turn slower, due to the nature of their compression and fuel burn.
Due to a changing rule in US emissions laws VW has had to not sell them this year, but in 2008 they’ll sell a Jetta wagon that can get 60 MPG on the highway.
Look, the general consensus is that you need new technology to be the most ecological efficient, but the honest truth is that diesel, although it had a bad name in the past, is certainly a viable candidate for being a true master of efficiency. Have a look at Europe, I believe in Germany nearly half of the vehicles sold there are diesels and they pay an arm and a leg for fuel. Probably about twice US costs. Don’t you think they’d be more interested in hybrids if they were just as easy? Thing is that Europe has been dealing with high gas prices for ages (due to taxes) and they learned that diesels were the way.
Not to say that hybrids are bad. I think if you driving anything that gets 50 mpg, then it’s a good thing, but it’s not inherently better than diesel. The diesel combustion cycle is inherently more efficient.
Plus if you’re going to be so ecological, how do you think those batteries in the hybrids will get disposed of? Not to mention that if you want to get totally crazy and use 100 percent biodiesel, then you’ll be on a closed carbon loop. Meaning that the carbon you release into the air will only have been carbon that had been sucked down by a plant at some earlier stage. Plants are used to make biodiesel. That’s only possible if you use ethanol in a gasser which is less available.
Sorry, I am outdated. Toyotas no longer get any credit at all.
On a Ford Escape Hybid you could get $3000 off your tax bill. Not $3000 in deductions, but $3000 off the final bill, which is a $3000 larger refund for most dudes. YMMV. Civic is $2100, Saturn Vue Green Line is $650.
That credit can easily save you half the difference in the Hybrid price.
However, the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris all get milage similar to a hybrid and cost $10000 less.
We have a Diesel Kubota G-5200 garden tractor, 3 cylinder normally aspirated diesel engine, the tractor is at least 25 years old, still runs just as well as the day it rolled off the production line.
it’s been used weekly to mow the lawn from spring to fall, to plow the driveway in the winter with the snowthrower attachment, hauling rocks and branches, this thing’s seen regular, heavy use and is just as solid as it was 25 years ago, Diesel engines are unkillable
we’re running Clean Diesel in it now, and the diesel fuel is as clear as water, the only smoke we see in operation is when it’s cold-started, or when climbing a particularly steep hill while the mower deck is running, even then, the smoke only exists for two seconds or less, 99% of the time, there are no visible exhaust products
we have at least 5 acres of lawn to mow, it takes about 2 hours to completely mow the lawn, and the tractor will typically burn about a quarter tank of fuel in doing so
Diesels are great, my next vehicle will be a diesel, as i’m skeptical of Hybrid technology, especially during a cold New England winter…
My personal opinion is that hybrid cars are a waste of money. Modern diesels are cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, and are better for the environment. They are nothing like the loud, dirty, smelly diesels from the 80’s.
Gasoline hybrids really strike me as a triumph of marketing, and little else. You could make a hybrid diesel, I suppose, and get the best of both worlds - but no one is doing that, yet.
i remember reading somewhere that the benefits of hybridization of a diesel on a small scale (like a car) doesn’t have as much as a relative benefit, although the absolute benefit would probably be highest. Wouldn’t be worth all of that gear to go from 60-70 MPG i guess
Anyone know the emission level of modern (or the new Honda) diesels? LEV? ULEV?
If current (or new) diesels meet SULEV or better emission standards. then and only then would I consider them environmentally friendly
IIRC Biodiesel reduces SOx emissions but increases NOx emissions. But NOx emissions are easier to reduce.
Brian
Here’s a brief piece on Honda’s planned diesels. In skimming the article, it looks to me like they’re pretty aggressively working to cut the engine’s emissions. IMHO, a diesel is a more environmentally friendly vehicle than a hybrid.
~*~
I looked at hybrids when I bought my Civic, but I didn’t want to spend $4000 extra on “new” technology. I think it might have been the first year the Civic was offered in a hybrid model.
The Civic turned out to be impractical for my needs. I am a geologist and have to drive off road and haul a bunch of equipment. The Civic was not meant to be driven on really crappy dirt roads. I traded it in for a (used but nice) 4Runner. Not so great on the mileage (average of 22 mpg), but it suits my needs. When got the 4Runner, the only SUV offered in a hybrid was a Ford. I don’t like Ford vehicles.
Now with more options available for hybrids all the time, when my 4Runner becomes decrepit (hopefully not for sometime since it only has 45000 miles on it) I will buy a hybrid.