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Old 08-21-2008, 10:56 AM   #11 (permalink)
tasdrouille
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mirabel, QC
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The Guzzler - '08 Hyundai Elantra GL
90 day: 33.12 mpg (US)

Got Soul? - '11 Kia Soul 2U
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Quote:
The upfront cost of a diesel engine plus the cost of fuel more than offsets any fuel economy benefits.
I have to disagree. Fuel is the often single biggest expense over the lifetime of a road vehicle, sometimes exceeding the purchase value of the vehicle itself. Diesel would have to cost a whole lot more than 16% over gasoline to offset FE benefits.

I own 2 compact sedans, one a gasser and the other a TDI, so it's easy for me to compare. I think it's a fair engine comparison, both being 4 cyl engines with pretty much the same displacement.

Doing the same type of driving with both my cars I get the following:

Highway only
TDI: 65 MPG
Elantra: 43 MPG

City only
TDI: 50 MPG
Elantra: 33 MPG

In a 50/50 city/highway mix and gas at $4/gal while diesel at $5/gal, a 25% difference, the TDI cost $1830 less per 100k miles than the Elantra.

The premium you pay for the diesel engine is partly transferred to the resale value so it's not a sunk cost.

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