Petrol cars are generally less fuel-efficient than diesels You might pay less for petrol per litre than diesel, but you could well end up using more of it. That’s particularly true on longer drives at higher average speeds, where diesel engines are at their most efficient.
Why are diesel cars better than gasoline?
The reason diesel cars are, arguably, better vehicles than gasoline is because diesel fuel is — and this is less debatable — a better fuel than gasoline. Diesel fuel is a better fuel than gasoline for one reason: diesel fuel has more fuel molecules than gasoline.
Why are diesel engines so expensive?
Diesel engines also tend to be more expensive. Diesel engines, because of the weight and compression ratio, tend to have lower maximum RPM ranges than gasoline engines (see Question 381 for details). This makes diesel engines high torque rather than high horsepower, and that tends to make diesel cars slow in terms of acceleration.
How is a diesel engine similar to a gasoline engine?
Diesel vehicles are similar to gasolinevehicles because they both use internal combustion engines. One difference is that diesel engines have a compression-ignited injection system rather than the spark-ignited system used by most gasoline vehicles. In a compression-ignited system, the diesel fuel is injected into the combustion chamber of the …
Which cars have diesel engines?
According to Bell Performance, Subaru, Audi, and Volkswagen currently sell cars with diesel engines in the United States. These engines offer improved efficiency over gas engines without using electricity. Although gas cars are more popular than diesel in the U.S., diesel engines have nearly half the market share in Europe.
Why isn t diesel more popular?
The pump price of diesel is far more expensive than gasoline; even more than the premium fuel option. The savings of a diesel engine come with the fuel economy over the life of the engine. A diesel engine costs more to build and is more expensive to purchase.
Why are more cars with diesel engines not available in America?
Concerns over fuel economy and carbon-dioxide emissions have left many wondering why more cars with diesel engines aren’t available in America. After all, diesel-engined cars are 20 to 40 percent more efficient, and they’re cleaner than ever. Diesels are wildly popular in Europe, accounting for roughly 50 percent of the car market there.
Why are diesel engines taxed higher?
But in the United States, for some reason, diesel is taxed higher. Even though diesel engines are more fuel efficient than gasoline engines and produce fewer emissions, there is very little incentive for car and pickup truck manufacturers to produce them. Diesel engines are more expensive to produce than gasoline engines.
Is a diesel engine better than a gasoline engine?
“ In fact, to some degree, some people who drive diesels find they perform better than gasoline engines.” That’s because diesel-powered engines get their best power when the engine’s revolutions per minute ( RPM) are low—that is, at speeds below 65 miles per hour, where most driving takes place.
Why are diesels so popular in Europe?
Diesels are wildly popular in Europe, accounting for roughly 50 percent of the car market there. So why don’t automakers simply bring the European cars here? It comes down to intrinsic differences between U.S. and European governmental policies, consumer demand and fuel prices.
