While diesels of yesteryear were loud and sluggish, today’s diesels offer better performance. Diesel engines have come a long way since the 80’s for emissions. Today’s diesels are cleaner for the environment unlike the bulky beginnings of the 1900’s. Thanks to the EPA’s new National Clean Diesel Campaign, diesels have underwent some meaningful changes. And it’s becoming better as we start focusing more on our environmental issues. The new engines are now called “clean diesels”. Plus you can convert them to bio diesel for a small cost. This will offer you more savings in the future. The reason is bio diesel can run on different oils like vegetable oils. Now these are still in their infant stages, but it is only a matter of time when we start seeing some serious alternative fuels.
We purchased our first diesel vehicle last year. It is a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4×4 limited turbo diesel. We bought it for a primary reason which is traveling between our home in Florida to our vacation home in northeast Georgia. Prior to this we had a 1997 BMW Z3 which ran on gas. So we were able to observe some major differences. Our main focus was getting good gas mileage and a durable engine performance for years to come.
One nice difference is the gas mileage. As the price of gas is increasing, the cost of diesel is the lowest out of all the fuels. There was a time that it was difficult to get diesel and that was one reason it didn’t take off as much as it did in Europe. However today, you can go to about any gas station and find diesel. Our gas mileage has been 28-30 miles to the gallon on the highway. A gas engine 2006 V6 Liberty shows 22 miles to the gallon on the highway. There were no V4 Liberties under gas engines. The usage of your vehicle will determine your real gas savings. Our Liberty actually has a better savings than the sticker price which shows 26 highway miles to the gallon. Most gas stations offer ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. Ultra low sulfur diesel came out in the beginning of 2006. This type of diesel is cleaner than regular diesel.
Even with our V4 engine, the performance of diesel in our Liberty has a lot of capacity. Diesels have more low-end torque than gas and many like our Liberty are turbocharged to give you that added power. The strength, reliability, and efficiency are far better than any gasoline vehicle we have owned.
The cost of a diesel is as affordable as any average car. The only trouble was trying to find them. When gas was going over $3 a gallon many people were focusing on buying alternative fuel cars like the diesel.
So let’s see what the pros and cons are between diesel and gas.
The pros for diesel are:
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Better performance with more energy than gas
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Stronger engines
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Better gas mileage
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When premium gas is over $3, it is the cheapest fuel
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Can run on bio diesel for an inexpensive conversion
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Wears longer
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Low end torque than gas vehicles
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It’s safer than gasoline
The cons for diesel are:
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Can be more expensive to maintain
The pros for gas:
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When premium gas is under $3 gas can be cheaper
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It runs smoother than diesel
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They are more flexible in their performance
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Easier and cheaper to maintain
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Better throttle advance
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There are more cheaper cars than diesel
The cons for gas:
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Contributes more to global warming with its pollutants
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Most vehicles don’t get as well as gas mileage as diesels
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If higher gas prices are here to remain, then it will cost more than diesels
Now, the point is, “Which is better?” That can still be an individual decision. It all depends on what your objective and usage are. The way we looked at our purchase was for the future. We believe gas will be moving higher. However, most of all, we felt compelled that we owed it to our environment to be more conscientious on greenhouse gas emissions that the cars today release into the atmosphere. By using our low sulfur diesel fuel we are succeeding. For more information on the efficiency of diesel you can visit:
http://fueleconomy.gov/
