Many hybrid owners, or occasionally just hybrid enthusiasts who can't afford one, make my blood boil when they start to brag about what they consider a "perfect" vehicle, but they seem to forget that it might not fullfit the requirements of other people. In my opinion, a Prius or any other gasoline-powered doesn't make so much more sense than a Diesel-powered vehicle which has similar performance and fuel-efficiency figures.
Diesels have their advantages regarding the higher thermal efficiency than an Otto-cycle engine, and also their adaptability to alternative fuels. For me they're most practical, altough some people often don't agree. And I can actually understand why some folks are objecting to Diesel, since they're getting too complicated due to the poorly-designed emissions control devices.
It's also worth to note what Mazda achieved with the SkyActiv-D engine, which has a 14:1 compression ratio, extremely low for Diesel standards, but leads to a complete combustion at lower temperatures, and then a lesser amount of NOx is generated - doesn't even require neither EGR or DEF to meet current EPA requirements, and also doesn't require a DPF. To avoid some smoke-belching during cold-starts, there are ceramic glow plugs, which also last longer than a metallic one, requiring less replacements.
I'd still rather get a Diesel instead of a hybrid, both for practical reasons (mainly regarding old-school Diesels due to their simplicity and ability to operate under harsh environmental conditions) and also because I like Diesels.
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Originally Posted by oil pan 4
You can antifreeze your water for water injection.
Likely addtives are methanol, propylene glycol, maybe glycerol and urea.
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The DEF has 32.5% urea and can freeze. Also, I'd not want to run urea inside the engine.