Why I Hate Diesel Engines

16 Mar 2016

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

Ethanol is king.

Praying for sarcasm here.

I love a diesel as a daily, mostly because of the torque down low (less shifting) and foremost they are quite a bit more economical than a similar output petrol engine. For example my Alfa 2.4 JTD, which uses 1 liter every 13 km or so. Say I compare it to a 2.5 V6 which has a bit more power than a standard 2.4 JTD but less torque, that engine uses 1:8 or 1:9.. And petrol is quite expensive in Holland if you drive a lot. Mine doesn’t sound too bad as well, it’s a five-pot engine with its characteristic sound and the open exhaust helps with that too. And yes it’ll fly with 220hp on tap now that it’s tuned…

But still, yes it is completely different from a petrol. Although my diesel sounds good, an Alfa V6 sounds epic, the throttle response is indeed a lot quicker and it is also very fast. I’d say give me a V6 for a fun drive through some country roads, I’ll use the diesel for the daily commute :)

You turn

It is a different driving experience for sure. The TDI (VW anyway) will always be interesting to me.

I have seen it shift from being what the odd “TDI customer” drives, to the car everyone wants because it’s cool, to a split between the people that now HATE VW, and the people that still love their car.

I will agree that the overall savings of driving a diesel car is not what it was 10 years ago.

I’m not a big diesel fan mostly because I don’t have a need for a diesel and diesel is more expensive then gasoline…. that being said diesel engines are great for work vehicles

Well, you have good points, about the noice, and is really slow, not sporty at all. But, the point 2, depends of the diesel quality you can put in the tank. For example, in my country is really bad the diesel, but some truckers put diesel with kerosene (that even worst). But they have no problems at all. We have a Chevrolet S10 2.8 TDI, 170k kms, and no problems for now in the engine. Maybe, if you have a bigger engine, the realibility is much better, you don’t have sparks, so the explosions are less expansives.

Yeah, the sound is rubbish, but s the sound of torque!! :P haha great post! thanks!

I don’t know anything about diesel cars, but I dig my dad’s 99 Ram 3500. Custom fuel system, upgraded turbo, and a few other things make it a surprisingly quick thing to drive. That and 650 ft/lbs of torque is always fun!

Fact is, unleaded engines can be as durable as diesel engines, so any argument saying “But diesel engines last forever!” is not well founded. Many gasoline powered engines can have just as long of a life, but it takes solid engineering and investment from the manufacturer. I don’t know for a fact, but I think more gasoline engines are developed year-to-year than diesel, which can explain why gasoline is constantly improving and diesel has remained relatively stagnant over the last 10-15 years or so.

Nah, Y’all gotta come to Canada. Personally I’ve never heard a diesel engine with less than 8 cylinders so i don’t know exactly how it sounds. However When it comes to full size trucks I’d take diesel 8/10 times over the gas variant. They tend to have more torque and sound a lot better in my opinion. There aren’t many things that are better than passing people up a steep hill towing a 25ft trailer with another car on top.