Not everyone wants a large diesel engine

[trollbait]

As the Ward's Auto best 10 engines of the year stated, for a little more, you can get the Ram 1500 with the 3L diesel instead of of the Colorado with the 2.8L.

There is a demand for midsize and full size trucks with a reasonably sized diesel in the US. The manufacturers are just doing what VW did with diesel cars here; they are milking it.

Some Ford F150s with diesels were spotted running around. Hopefully we will see one offered there, and the gouging will decline with more competition.

[Draigflag]

I don't think costing is a factor here, commercial vehicles regardless of size, are always expensive compared to what you can get for the same money in the US. The best, what you guys would call "small" truck here is the Mitsubishi L200, now it's fifth series, it won all the awards, best off road ability, best towing capacity, lowest emissions, best fuel efficiency etc etc. The 2.4 diesel can tow 4 tons which I gather is about 9000lbs? Which for a small truck that gets over 40 mpg is remarkable in my opinion.

[trollbait]

The compact pick up truck died with the last Ranger in the US. All the others had become midsize before that, and they aren't likely to get smaller with the CAFE targets for smaller trucks being higher than larger.

With the lack of diesel options on trucks and cars, the few companies that do other them can load them up with features to bump up the price. For the longest time, the base Jetta TDI was the equivalent as the mid trim gas model in features. The diesel Cruze was also well equipped.

With those two off the market right now, we are left with BMW and Mercedes-Benz for diesel car options in the US. Neither have an affordable option here. My understanding is that the 328d is just a 320d in the UK.

In terms of trucks, those that really wanted a diesel had to shell out the big bucks on a 2500 or higher class truck until the Ram released the 3L V6 a couple years ago. Now they just have to pay for features they don't want, as it is with cars.

[14Corolla]

I have to agree with trollbait... They're milking it.
People here are impressionistic and pretentious. It's actually too easy for them. The manufacturers are greedy. Trying to milk every bit out of the consumer they can. Give them nothing back, if they can. The nothing: example is the extras you don't want or need.

I'm one of the few people who owned a Nissan Diesel Pickup. Bought in the early 80's. It's really wasn't that good a diesel. Not great mileage. I was always having to fool around with having the injectors cleaned. I also paid too much for it. But I 'wanted' it. ... Doh!

My father bought a nice little Isuzu Diesel car. That was in about 85. Only problem was, he bought one without power steering. It was a bear in parking lots. Otherwise, it was a great little car. He offered to give it to me. Turned him down. Wish I hadn't. Might still be driving it.

The minute you mention Diesel to a sales person. They're eyes light up with greed. Treat you like a fool. I wish they would just cut out the BS here. Smarten up like europe/england. I would have been very interested in exploring cars that got 50+ mpg.

Large trucks are a disaster here now. The average over the road truck. In the first year, spends two to three months in the shop. That's in the first year. Intolerable...

[pbr333]

Hello All, this thread caught my eye so this will be my first post on this forum. Cummins developed this not so large but not so diesel engine that I thought would be promising for 1/2 ton trucks. Cummins Ethos E85 Turbo Four-Cylinder Engine. The specs were really good , but as of yet no one has put it to use. Probably the E85 fuel. Cummins is diesel, and I think this was designed by their engineers so more like a diesel than a petro ?
I'm curious if anyone knows more on this other than the initial R&D was funded with California tax dollars. The engine sounded really nice with big 250HP, bigger 450ft/lbs Torque numbers and high MPG with very low emissions. The CO2 emissions cut 50-75% using alcohol fuels.I live in the southern United states and we have E85 available here, not sure on price per gallon. Sounded like a step in the right direction depending on the final product and how its packaged.Although it has been 2 years since I first read about it.

pbr333

[trollbait]

The Cummins Ethos E85 is a spark ignition engine that has a compression ratio high enough to take advantage of the ethanol's much higher octane rating. Currently available flex fuel engines in the US have a compression ratio for our regular fuel. Which is part of the reason why they get worse fuel economy on E85.

The Ethos isn't a flex fuel though. Being E85 only is a big hurdle to it coming to market. Technically, it might be possible to make it flex fuel. The fuel sensor and fuel system components compatiable with ethanol and gasoline already exist, and would add about $100 to the price.

It will need advanced valve control to reduce the effective compression ratio. This is starting to show up on higher end car brands right now; the engine can basically switch between Otto and Atkinson cycles. It has a turbo, which means switching it with or adding a supercharger in order to maintain performance while on gasoline in an Atkinson cycle, thus a Miller cycle instead. The cost of these, and possible performance loss on gasoline, will reduce its appeal. The only saving grace is that the emission controls will be cheaper than a diesel.

We'll see an ATLAS diesel in the Frontier first.

http://cmipef.cummins.com/CMIPEFMIG/...S_Flyer_FA.pdf
http://cumminsengines.com/uploads/do...nal-report.pdf

[SteveMak]

I'm new to diesels, new to Audi, new to SUVs, and new to AWD. In May 2015 I took delivery of a new, custom configured 2015 Audi Q5 with a 3.0L diesel engine. I'm sold! 11 months and 15,000 miles in, I can't say enough about it. Biggest deal is that since day one, I'm getting 6.57 L/100 km = 38.8 US MPG = 43 Imp MPG. My best tank ever, across 528 miles, was 4.54 L/100 km = 51.8 US MPG = 62.2 Imp MPG (50 mph, all highway, mild weather, 40 PSI tires).

As much as I love my car and the engine, I wonder how much better the fuel economy might be if I had a 2.0 L diesel. It's great to have 428 ft-lbs of torque available on tap, but I rarely use anywhere close to the limit. Unfortunately, we North Americans are obsessed with power, horsepower numbers, 0-60 mph times, and so on.

[Draigflag]

I'm sure now you can see why diesels have always proven more popular in Europe, it's very hard switching back when you've been spoiled by the Brutal performance AND economy too. Yes the smaller 2.0litre would probably be more efficient, but not much more, with those figures you have, I'd be happy as you have a nice balance of performance and efficientcy, with it being a fairly large vehicle you might miss the extra torque with the smaller displacement engine.

[SteveMak]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

I'm sure now you can see why diesels have always proven more popular in Europe, it's very hard switching back when you've been spoiled by the Brutal performance AND economy too...

Indeed! Also, where I live, diesel fuel is less expensive than regular unleaded gasoline (petrol). At the moment, diesel is CAD$0.837/L, Reg=$0.975, Mid=$1.109, and Prem=$1.149, so I save not only on the price of fuel, but also in enhanced fuel economy. Brisk acceleration is an added bonus. My calculations tell me my fuel bill is 1/3 lower than if I had got a 2.0L petrol Q5 that requires premium. I'm a diesel fan, in spite of VW/Audi group's Dieselgate (I just hope my fuel economy doesn't suffer when the dust settles and the recalls are done).

FWIW, I enjoy the No.1 spot for best fuel economy of any Q5 (any engine) on Fuelly :-) I've deliberately been driving gently since Day-1, just to see how good I can get.

[LDB]

I was seriously considering a VW diesel last August. I'm glad I got the Prius with the solar roof option. I'll never have a car without the solar roof option again. The torque of a VW diesel is a magnificent thing though. Congrats on being number 1. I'm nowhere near number one in the Prius bunch but I'm happy with it. I'm still kind of curious what I'd be getting in comparison if I had the VW diesel.