TDI Diesel Cars?

[suprapsu]

Right now there are currently 3 consumer Turbo Diesel Vehicles in the USA?

There is the Volkswagon TDI Jetta, Bettle and Golf. All getting pretty good FE. What are your thoughts on the TDI vehicles compared to Hybirds?

If you really think about it, are hybirds worth saving?? Keep in mind that the battery really weighs down the vehicle. On top of that you have to replace the battery eventually, and its not cheap replacing.

Another alternative is getting a Tubo Diesel. I know the golf TDI will get you well over the 50 MPG mark. Diesel engines are known to last longer than gasoline engines.

[SVOboy]

It depends on each person and what factors are most important the them.

What qualities do you want in a car?

[repete86]

The TDI's are more expensive than their gas counterparts, and cost about the same as a Prius or Civic hybrid. Plus, the TDI's are some of the dirtiest cars on the road. Also, the newer Volkswagens are plagued by mechanical and electrical problems, so I don't know if the new TDI's are going to last as long as a Prius or Civic.

[rvanengen]

Originally Posted by repete86

The TDI's are more expensive than their gas counterparts, and cost about the same as a Prius or Civic hybrid. Plus, the TDI's are some of the dirtiest cars on the road. Also, the newer Volkswagens are plagued by mechanical and electrical problems, so I don't know if the new TDI's are going to last as long as a Prius or Civic.

Looks like VW is keeping the TDI clean...especially for 2008...

http://www.dieselforum.org/newsarticle/article/718/1/

Diesel engines struggle particularly with oxides of nitrogen (NOx) pollution, and the Tier II bin 5 standard permits only 0.05 grams per mile. Volkswagen will use a NOx trap and two oxidation catalysts to scrub the Jetta TDI's breath.

[thisisntjared]

...why not a hybrid tdi????

[SVOboy]

VW doesn't really like hybrids from the articles I've seen, they made a golf tdi hybrid in europe a bit ago that improved mileage by 15% or something such...eco.power I think it was. I don't remember.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

The point of hybridization is to minimize low load engine operation because it's very inefficient for gasoline engines. Since diesels have relatively efficient low load operation, they don't gain nearly as much from hybridization. The best for a diesel is a CVT and idle/stop start, everything else just adds to much weight and doesn't help engine efficiency enough. Unless it's a plug-in hybrid with significant all electric range, but that's another story.

The VW Beetle is supposedly plagued with problems, and VW in general is on the low end of the reliability spectrum. The TDI is a great engine and shouldn't give you much trouble, but the VW it's in may. Otoh, more trouble usually means that instead of an average of one problem per year, you'll see two, so it's not a deal breaker imo. The hybrid will be more reliable initially, but unless you're a DIY type, battery replacement will be $$$. Although it'll be warrantied until 100-150k miles depending on where you live. Across the board, operating costs are probably going to be the same for each, more or less, so it really comes down to which one you like.

edit- Drop a TDI in an Insight.

[GasSavers_bobski]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

The point of hybridization is to minimize low load engine operation because it's very inefficient for gasoline engines.

No, that's the point of multi-speed gear boxes. The point of hybridization is to re-capture the kinetic energy of a moving vehicle when decelerating, rather than using conventional brakes to convert it to waste heat. Batteries and an electric motor/generator are just a convenient way of doing that. The ridiculous amount of low-end torque you get from a hybrid's electric motor is not so much a design feature as an artifact of electric motors in general.

[Hockey4mnhs]

my brother is saving for a tdi so he can run wvo thew it

[SVOboy]

Dang, 25k for the thing...