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Detroit, 4:52 PM
Thu Dec 10
26 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/20/08
Clearly, there's more going on behind the scenes than the average person is aware of, and the end result is that in the U.S., and especially in California, clean diesel still isn't *quite* a mainstream reality (with this Jetta TDI being an obvious footnote). Regardless of how you feel about the Prius (and other gas hybrids), the stark reality is that you have been able to buy one in California since 2001 and use it as a normal car, when you haven't been able to do the same with an oil-burner.
11/20/08
Ground-level ozone is the big reason that CA opposes diesels. Can't say I blame them. While there's still reasonable doubt that human CO2 emissions cause anything at all, it's proven that smog particulates increase emphysema and cancer at higher rates than normal.
I'm a states' right advocate and I support their right to make a choice for what's right for their people/cities. The crappy flipside of that coin is that CA represents such a huge part of the buying market, manufacturers will rarely sell anything that won't pass muster in CA.
11/20/08
11/20/08
The current crop of diesels are better, but they had to jump through a lot of hoops to get them there (4-cyl with downstream filters. 6-cyl with filters AND urea injection)
11/20/08
(besides the fact that it is cheaper to buy, and use, a Prius hybrid)
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The awesome bit about diesels is that you can run them on oil palm sap straight out of the tree. Just run it through a filter and go.
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11/20/08
Next year, we'll have BMW and possibly Honda, as well.
Not sure why Nissan is dragging their feet on bringing the Renault powerplants over, though.
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11/20/08
But as for public perception, we have lots of people who remember a time when GM was putting crappy diesels into anything and everything (early 80s), as well as the current plethora of heavy-duty pickup and delivery trucks using diesels. It's so bad, Mercedes and VW both avoid the use of the word "diesel" in their literature for fear of association with that image (tdi or bluetec are preferred)
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12/31/08
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11/20/08
I probably will not be buying a Jetta TDI any time soon but not because I have anything against VW - I have owned three Jettas and a GTI. Before I bought the GTI I crunched some numbers on a TDI Golf and, although I was commuting about 100 miles a day, the price premium for the engine and the fuel did not save me very much money over a four-year span. I went for the 1.8T and higher trim level instead.
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11/20/08
True.
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11/20/08
I suspect the 335d didn't make it because the EPA mpg numbers are only 34 hwy (vs Jetta's 41), which is only incrementally better than most 4-cyl cars of that size. Never mind all the power you get from the BMW in return, which is obviously something a true consumer would consider. A 320d would have taken the award, I suspect.
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11/20/08
My ride (98 Passat) has been reasonably reliable. It's incrementally more expensive than a comparable Accord or Maxima might be, but not enough to drive me away from the brand completely. I still have yet to find a brand whose entire lineup are the best driving experience at almost all of their respective price points (especially the sub-$30k models)
11/20/08
11/20/08