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It'll be slightly offset by the fact that it has a diesel engine. Not enough to make it equivalent to car, but it's something...
by rcfox 14y ago
It'll be slightly offset by the fact that it has a diesel engine. Not enough to make it equivalent to car, but it's something...
- carlob 14y agoI've always wondered: why aren't there more diesel cars in the US?
- newbie12 14y agoBecause they used to stink and rattle.
- rcfox 14y agoFrom what I gathered from a quick look at Wikipedia, probably the biggest factor is that diesel engines are best used for high-torque, low-speed applications.
- shocks 14y agoThis. In Sweden 90% of the cars are diesel because they need the high-torque and low-speed in the snow, plus Sweden is big and there's only 9 million of them so most journeys are pretty long.
- tyskis 14y agoThe 90% number is not true. Although the percentage of diesel cars has gone up dramatically, it is not that high. In 2011 only 17% of cars were diesel driven[1]. During the first two months of 2013, 63% of new cars were diesel[2]. [1] http://www.scb.se/Statistik/TK/TK1001/2011A01B/FORDON_2011_v2.xls http://www.scb.se/Statistik/TK/TK1001/2011A01B/FORDON_2011_v... [2] http://www.scb.se/Statistik/TK/TK1001/2013M02/Trafikanalys_1302.xls http://www.scb.se/Statistik/TK/TK1001/2013M02/Trafikanalys_1...
- bigiain 14y agoWith, of course, the usual "exception that proves the rule": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_R10_TDI http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_R10_TDI
- sliverstorm 14y ago1) They developed a negative reputation as being stinky, noisy, and complete dogs when it comes to performance. 2) Something to do with the sulfur in US diesel. Up until somewhere around 2005, US diesel had more sulfur than, for example, Europe. I think the issue was that diesel passenger cars would have trouble passing emissions requirements due to the fuel. (Trucks generally have more relaxed requirements) Edit: Ah, here we go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-low-sulfur_diesel#United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-low-sulfur_diesel#United_... Start at the paragraph beginning with "The allowable sulfur content..."
- fnordfnordfnord 14y agoEarly on they earned a reputation for being expensive, slow, powerless, dirty, junk; thanks mostly to GM. GM for whatever reason, didn't want to invest much in a diesel engine, so they cobbled one together from gasoline engine plans, with different heads, crank, cams, etc. The engines were terrible, and it was a well known failure. Maybe it will be forgotten with the death or dementia of the last baby-boomer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_engine http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/top-automotive-engineering-failures-oldsmobile-diesels http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/top-...
- X-Istence 14y agoDoubtful, even today's kids are wary of diesels, and I say that as a 24 year old...
- Daniel_Newby 14y agoThe capital expense of a turbo diesel engine is unattractive given low U.S. fuel taxes. If fuel costs approached European levels, Americans would go nuts buying them.