Why I Hate Diesel Engines
Whoa, whoa! Hold your horses!
I don’t have a problem with the people who like them.
I learned to drive on a diesel Dacia Logan actually, but right now and most likely in the future I won’t throw my money on a diesel powered car.
Where does my hate come from?
1) I’m surrounded by people who overly exaggerate how useful a diesel powered car is. The main point is money saved on fuel, but let’s be fair, nowadays (at least in my country) the price of diesel is equal to petrol and the newer generation petrol engines have similar fuel consumptions as the diesel versions, so in my book this is an invalid point.
2) As diesel is basically a lower quality combustible it is more likely to damage internals of the vehicle or accumulate impurities in the injection system, which is not good for the engine. The car I learned to drive on actually had these type of problems.
3) Aside from it leaving a cloud of smog when you floor it, I don’t like how it sounds. I don’t know how bigger CC diesel engines sound, but the average engines you hear everyday on the streets of my city sound like a constantly farting horse, I like the pure sound of a petrol powered engine, which is actually not as loud and screaming for attention.
4) It is not as sporty as petrol. I’m speaking from experience right now… diesel powered cars respond notably lazier to the throttle and I don’t like that in any environment, when I floor it, I want it to fly!
I’m not a total hater though!
It is actually easier to drive as it has more torque and when you’re leaving from standstill the clutch is way more forgiving, but again I’m not actually interested to be forgiven by a car, I want to become a better driver!
It’s actually really useful on cars that have to carry a lot of weight like pick ups and SUVs. I have a petrol powered Nissan Terrano 2 and when you’re having an off roader it’s way more useful to have some more torque to use.
I’m not looking to have hateful comments on this because I know some people actually like diesel, but let’s have some elevated talk :D You think I’m wrong? I want you to prove me wrong with your best opinions!
Comments
Very good pointed there!. I prefer petrol engines too, because of the many reasons you wrote there and some others. But…there’s also a “but”, most of the TDIs I drove, the well known 1.9 TDI has a much better throttle response compared to a petrol engine on most of the cars. I drove petrol with much better throttle response than a TDI, but they’re kind of rare, most of them rev a little bit slower than the TDI. I think that the better throttle response is given by the turbocharger in the TDI case, and blaming N/A petrol engines for a little bit slower throttle response is pointless. If we compare a TFSI with a TDI for example, that’s a whole different story with different results :D
Some engines are electronically limited. My father had a Skoda Octavia 2 (the non facelifted one) and if you slammed the throttle on it, it was always responding 1-2 seconds later. I don’t know why it does it, but it’s super annoying. My brother also has a Ford Focus 2015 who does the same thing. (both petrol powered) I think it’s a safety feature or something, but to most of us it’s annoying.
Also thought of that. The 1.9TDI in a Golf feels really strong and quick for the horsepower it actually just puts out
Personally, I don’t care, they are useful for working vehicles that need torque, and off-roading.
But as a daily? Nah, I can not stand the “chuga-chuga-chuga-chuga” exhaust note…
Bookmarking to read hate comments later…
That’s the thing because most of the people I know think that if it’s diesel it’s the best engine for a daily.
Straight 6 diesel doesn’t sound that bad tho? I had an e46 330d touring and i actually liked the sound the engine made. Exhaust note was not that of a petrol ofc, but it was kinda nice though in my opinion. But i can see your point, i’d rather have had a 330i, but then again, would’ve cost me a lot more in fuel as the diesel only consumed about 6,6l/100km at 140kmh on the highway ..
BMWs straight-6 diesels are good though. And Audi/VW V8 Diesels.
The problem with the newer diesel engines at least here in the USA is all the emissions systems that they have to run the are complicated unreliable and hurt efficiency. That and diesel has only been widely used in big semis and heavy duty trucks here traditionally. VW is the only one that even sells a small diesel. Even big pickups and SUV run gas engines. It’s starting to change now but I still don’t see much point diesel is usually pricer then regular gasoline with the added hassle I don’t see the point.
In Europe we’ve got all sorts of small capacity diesel hatchbacks
But my diesel doesn’t sound that bad…goes and cries in a corner because the only Megane in stock was a diesel**but then remembers that the car is probably unique in his country and feels better
i agree with you they sound as a vacuum cleaner and they are very loud which can be very annoying since you sometimes have to yell so that others can hear you, but as a guy who likes diesel engines they should be kept on bigger cars and not small ones (I’m talking american size here)
I completely agree with you
In my country petrol prices are considerably higher than the diesel prices so whole my family drives diesel cars and they don’t sound that bad and they are really good on throttle
meh i gots a diesel. mercedes diesels are pretty neat with some modifications. overall i still have the “i wish you were a petrol” feel tho. i mean. i did put a sticker that says “nitro fuel only” on the inside of the filler cap as some kind of easteregg if someone ever borrows it tho :p
I can’t agree with the “respond lazy” part. The engine is often bigger with a similar horsepower output and so feels a lot stronger in the lower rpms.
Also they are cheaper if you drive a lot. In Germany diesel is at 1,04€ and petrol at 1,17€. And honestly they really consume less. A Volvo s60 D5 (184bhp) needs like 6l on 100km while my Volvo V40 1.6 (109bhp) needed 8l on 100km. The taxes are higher on diesel engines, but if you drive more than 20.000km a year a diesel is the better choice.
Sound? What sound ? I know no stock diesel car that has any type of real sound.. Diesels are usually really quiet. The E Class V6 diesel is amazingly quiet (although I like loud exhausts). I dont know what you mean when you say “cloud of smoke”.. Normal diesels dont do that.. And btw petrol cars can to it as well when the fuel mixture is at a specific level.
Last point: gas response. Turbo diesel cars have anti lag (its disappearing because of e turbos but many still have). I kinda like it when you floor it in 2nd gear and it takes maybe 1-3sec until the turbo kicks in and then its full on awesome mode and you feel like you could destroy everything ^^
Just my opinion