What are the pro and cons of owning a diesel vs. gas engine?

Answer 1

Diesel cars and trucks deliver great fuel economy, 20 to 30 percent better than comparable vehicles with gasoline engines.
And while today's diesels may not be squeaky-clean, they're a far cry from the noisy and smelly pollution hogs that they used to be.

The price of the gasoline Jetta is $19,460. The cost of the turbo diesel Jetta is $20,480, a difference of $1,020. But the turbo diesel Jetta gets much better fuel economy, 46 miles per gallon, compared to the gasoline Jetta's 31 miles per gallon.

Let's say you drive 15, 000 miles a year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, (week of June 21, 2004), the national average cost per gallon of diesel was $1.90; the average cost per gallon of regular was $1.94.

Driving the turbo diesel Jetta, you'd save $383 in fuel costs each year. In three years, you'd save $1,149 in fuel costs, $129 more than the cost of your diesel engine.

Diesels in America
Passenger cars
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Jetta Wagon
Volkswagen New Beetle
Volkswagen Passat ( April 2004)
Mercedes E-320 sedan (April 2004)
Sport utility vehicles
Volkswagen Touareg SUV (2004)
Chrysler Jeep Liberty ( Fall 2004)

Pickup trucks
Chevy Silverado
GMC Sierra
Dodge Ram
Ford E-series, F-series


Here's one more thing to consider. A turbo diesel Jetta holds its value better than a gasoline Jetta. McManus estimates that a 3-year-old turbo Jetta will be worth nearly $300 more than a 3-year-old Jetta with a gasoline engine.

So even if you only owned your turbo diesel Jetta for three years, you'd save $1,149 in fuel costs and pick up an extra $300 when you sold the car. Your total savings for going diesel after just three years is $1,449, which more than makes up for the extra $1,020 you paid for the engine.

That's pretty impressive. But many diesel car drivers would balk at the notion of keeping their cars for a measly three years.

With proper maintenance it's not unusual for a diesel engine to run for 250,000 miles. And some diesel car owners are determined to get every penny of fuel savings out of their never-say-die engines.

You'll see these ancient Mercedes diesels that just don't quit. They keep running and running and running. It's almost a matter of pride for diesel owners."

Another advantage of buying a diesel is driving performance. Anyone who likes to zip away from a stop sign will like a diesel engine's pep.

You take off quicker,-It will be noticeably peppier and more fun to drive. So not only do you have better fuel economy, you have better performance, more of a sporty kind of drive.

Diesels are also great at towing. So if you need to haul heavy loads with your car or truck, you may want to consider a diesel. A diesel handles a heavy load a lot better than a comparable vehicle with a gasoline engine. And that's why larger, heavy-duty pickup trucks from Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge and Ford are available with diesel engines.

If you're worried about the noise associated with driving a diesel car, don't be. Modern diesel engines are a lot quieter than diesels 20 years ago. Today's diesel engines are almost as quiet as gasoline engines.

The engine is slightly noisier than a gasoline engine but they're getting real close now. It's really tough to tell.


The biggest downside to driving a diesel car has to do with emissions. Diesel cars may be cleaner than they used to be but they're still dirtier than gasoline cars, and a whole lot dirtier than a hybrid. And there's still a bit of a smell.

What you see and smell out of the tailpipe is typically worse than with a gasoline engine.

Diesel cars spit out more particulates -- tiny particles of soot -- and more oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which contribute to local smog.

But because of their excellent fuel economy, diesel cars also burn less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than gasoline cars.

There's a trade-off. You emit a little more particulate and oxides of nitrogen, NOx, but a lot less C02. Burning less fuel is better in the long run, but some people are worried about NOx and particulates contributing to smog.

Here's another thing you should think about before you buy a diesel -- where will you buy fuel?

Fueling up on the highway is easy -- all you have to do is find the nearest truck stop. Finding a neighborhood service station that sells diesel fuel may be more difficult. According to Diesel Technology Forum, only 30 percent of neighborhood retail service stations sell diesel fuel.

If you buy a diesel, make sure diesel fuel is conveniently available in your area, A lot of people don't like to go to truck stops because that means they have to gas up in line with big 18-wheelers.

A final downside to buying a diesel is you don't have that many vehicle choices. Only 3.6 percent of passenger cars in America are available with diesel engines

Answer 2

Volkswagen Jetta TDI (diesel) returns 42mpg combined hyw and city. Compare that to a honda civic which returns 32.6mpg. Factor in that a Jetta is a little bit bigger and 500lbs heavier (which is why it has the highest crash test ratings), you can see the fuel economy benefit of a diesel.

Also:

Less maintenance, oil changes every 10,000 miles and are longer lasting and more reiliable.

Myths:

Louder: A jetta TDI is only slightly louder in cab than a gas model, however slightly quieter at hyw speeds than a gas model.

Hard to start: not like the old diesels, they start right up just like a gasser

Dirtier: No longer true and the 07 emmisions requirements make them the cleanest ever. Use Biodiesel and particilate matter is virtually eliminated.





Diesels have come a long way. Go take one for a test drive for a grin. The only con to a diesel I've found is the cost of repairs if something breaks can be more, which I feel is offset by fuel savings and less repairs needed.

Answer 3

Gayle Banks Engineering has a lot of information Also the Ford Powerstroke site. Both links are below. I switched to a F350 Crew Cab 4x4 Diesel in 2004 and get the same mileage as my 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac got. I have more of everything except operating costs.

Answer 4

Diesel: Pros: Price of gas is often cheaper. More torque for hauling, less gas wasted in idling, car heater works a lot better, the vehicle can be modified to run on biodiesel, which can be made from used fast food oil.

Diesel: Cons: Stinks, price of gas is currently a lot more expensive. Stalls easily. Engine requires additional maintenance.

Regular cars: Pros: More fuel efficient, gas prices are currently cheaper, easier to get, able to accelerate faster.

Regular cars: Cons: Can't use biodiesel. Heaters don't work well. everybody has them.

Answer 5

The only positive I can think of about a diesel is that I heard that diesel cares can run on used vegtable oil!

Darryl Hannah talked about it on the Tonight Show or David Letterman once. She gets oil from the donut/hamburger restraunts in the city where she lives, in fact!

Answer 6

Diesel does NOT produce hydrocarbon so it will save the ozone.

Answer 7

better gas milage, they have been known to be more reliable. more time between maintenance scheduals--glow plugs, oil changes... etc. i mean look at semis, they run for millions of miles. however in colder climates the gas can sludge.

Answer 8

pros-better gas mileage

cons- smelly exhaust, noisy and your diesel gas is not any cheaper.
if you run out of gas with a diesel engine, you can screw it up royally