| Author | Message | ||
     Bikertrash05 |
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_37 /b4099060491065.htm I think the diesel hating American's are going to see 65mpg and start liking diesel, or Idiocracy is real. | ||
| Froggy |
I hate articles like this. It is because of the government we can't have this car. Odds are the 65mpg is listed in imperial gallons, which are larger than American gallons, so it would be somewhere around 50mpg US. Because of environmental regulations diesel engines must be just as clean running as gas engines. This has added costs, maintenance, and a performance loss to meet the new regulations. Even assuming this engine 50 state legal, it doesn’t mean the rest of the car is. Many small European cars do not pass US crash test standards. I know Ford is in the process of bringing the Fiesta here, so they will work around that. | ||
| Glitch |
Thanks Froggy! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Give me a frickin' diesel, damn you! WHY the manufacturers don't bring more here I'll never know. It isn't like it's impossible. I think only the German manufacturers are importing diesels currently. The Jetta Sport Wagon will have one. I want one. We are currently having a gas shortage here in middle TN. There was a near gasoline run on the stations here over the weekend. 90%+ of the stations are completely tapped for fuel. The ones that have fuel have lines for 45 minutes or longer. The sad thing is that NONE of them are running out of diesel. The other problem is the EPA regulations limiting access to CNG for automobile use. The list for approved "kits" is very short and mostly pick-up trucks. I'd love to have been able to bypass the stations and fill up off of my home line. Hey Congress, pull your heads out of your asses and give us some actual solutions bitches. | ||
| 12x9sl |
Ahem Ft. Bstd, I'm with you-I want a diesel as well. The TDI has been getting 50 mpg for years. There just coming back after retooling for the new emissions standard. I was in Europe in April, there were diesels with manuel transmissions all over the place; and made by the American big three no less. Now why we can't get our hands on those vehicles, I will never understand. (Message edited by 12x9sl on September 21, 2008) | ||
| Thesmaz |
I'm currently stationed in Italy and spent 3 years in Belgium prior to this assignment and have a BMW 6 cyl turbo diesel and I love it! I can go two weeks on a tank of fuel and even more when I'm on the highway. It's got tons of power and the torque is amazing! hen I moved down here from BE I pulled a twin axle trailer with my Uly and a bunch of other stuff and had the car (wagon) packed to the gills and I could accelerate uphill in 5th gear! All why still making almost 40mpg! By the time my tour is up here there should be better availability of oil burners in the US and I will be buying a couple of new BMW's to bring back home, I love them! Just to give an example, my car is a 2000 with nearly 270,000 kilometers on the clock and runs like a top! | ||
| New12r |
I got a buddy with a Naziwagon diesel, gets 48 mpg on the hwy pulling two bikes, camping gear, riding gear etc... I am a diesel fan for sure! | ||
| Brumbear |
I had a Ford Fiesta in Germany and I loved the thing | ||
| Barker |
Ralph Nader  IRRC we can look forward to Honda's 2.2-liter diesel Accord in the U.S. for 2009 range. | ||
| Glitch |
The other problem is the EPA regulations limiting access to CNG for automobile use. In my constant search to become self occupied I was looking into the CNG conversion business. A friend of mine in Australia does the CNG conversions, so I got in touch with him. It's a booming business for him, he's doing quite well. I asked him about the kit, and after doing a bit of research I finally found the manufacturer. They're in California! Go figure... The technology is here and is way expensive for some reason. I'm sure the cost will go down as more people do it. Unfortunately it's too expensive for me to start... Back to the drawing board... | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
The problem is all of the cost to get the conversion approved through the EPA. Because there are so few people buying the kits, they have to spread the approval cost out, and there are fewer units to cover the cost. Can you buy a bootleg, unapproved kit from Australia? | ||
| Kuuud |
What about city buses, etc. that have been running on CNG for years? What ever came of that? I also remember seeing pics of Ford Crown Vic's with tanks in the trunk. Somewhere it does list kits for full-sized Ford pickups. I think that was related to the full page ad in USA today last week. ...now if I could just remember the email address in the ad... | ||
| Glitch |
Can you buy a bootleg, unapproved kit from Australia? Probably, I'll check into it. Hopefully it won't be too cost prohibitive. What ever came of that? Most all buses here are CNG. I also remember seeing pics of Ford Crown Vic's with tanks in the trunk. Those may have been propane. A much easier conversion. There are kits all over for propane, as long as you've got a carb. Problem is most all cars now a days are fuel injected. The main reason I like the CNG conversion is that we have a CNG line to our house, and there's a kit to do home fill ups. | ||
| Swampy |
I had a VW Jetta Diesel and I got 47 MPG at 72 MPH with the air on all the time with out even breaking a sweat. When I sold it to a dog trainer it had over 325,000 one the odometer. Who gives a crap what came out of the exhaust, it was jsut black dust and blew off to the side of the road. CNG? I just hear of a guy buying a secondhand CNG powered utility van from a large corporation, one day while refilling the thing the tank blew up. He survived. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
One of the problems we have here is the difference in fuels. My understanding is that up until 2007 the US market didn't require the ultra-low sulphur diesel that Europe utilizes. As a result, the diesels produced there were incompatible with US fuel sources. Now that the fuels are the same on both sides of the pond, the engines are compatible. Supposedly, Honda, Toyota, and Honda will be importing more diesels into the US beginning 2010. I'd love an FJ Cruiser with a 4cyl CDI. The problem that I see is that the amount of diesel created in the US is much lower than in Europe. It's a chicken and egg issue in that the refineries would have to change the mix of fuels to increase the diesel production. Otherwise, the price increases as the demand increases negating the benefits of the higher mileage. It would also increase the cost of trucking goods across the US. If you added 20-30 million new diesel autos to the road, it will definitely alter things. | ||
| Thumper74 |
I'd like a smaller SUV with a diesel, front and rear lockers, rag top, etc. Wait... Jeep made the body and the engine in different vehicles, one was discontinued | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Its a fooooord, its a Fiesta . That is all that went wrong with that company...Starting with the fat thunderbird, carrying on into the chunky mustang and a glorified pinto attempting to call itself a Cobra. I will at least give them a design nod for ignoring the pacer, the gremlin, and the chevette. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
I don't take a Ford or Chevy side, but Chevy has ruined quite a few names, too. Impala, Malibu, Nova, and "SS" used to mean something. | ||
| Froggy |
It still does. Everything that has SS in the name is track tuned in Germany. They dropped the SS-ing of everything. The old Cobalt SS is now Cobalt Sport, and the turbo Cobalt has the SS badge now, and it deserves it, spanking the Civic SI, Caliber SRT4 and even the Mustang GT. Silverado SS never got transferred over to the newer trucks, which is unfortunate because the 500hp LS7 would be great to challenge the Ram SRT-10. Trailblazer SS owns the BMW X3 and X5, and sits right next to the Cherokee SRT8. HRR-SS (I pronounce it Hearse) is in a league of its own. Only questionable entry is the Impala SS, but it is the most powerful front drive sedan on the market, and handling isn’t that bad. | ||
| Darthane |
I think Froggy's largely right in terms of the ridiculous requirements that our government places on diesels and its effect on the ability of the manufacturers to bring them here (and still make a profit, which is, of course, the name of the game). The American people, by and large, are also to blame for this. Most of us still view diesels as smelly, noisy, tractor-trailer engines - they have a negative connotation for most of the population. I'm with most of you guys, I'd love to have a little DI turbo for my car, but alas, the choices are SORELY limited here. Its a fooooord, its a Fiesta . The Fiesta that's coming to the US is the same platform as the Mazda2 (also known as a Demio is some markets). It's a great little car - I'd have seriously considered a 2 instead of the 3 when I bought mine, but currently there's no plans for the Mazda version to cross the pond. I will agree on this point at least - resurrecting the 'Fiesta' nameplate was a MASSIVE marketing gaffe on Ford's part. The working name (Verve) was far superior given the horridness of the previous Fiesta. (Message edited by darthane on September 22, 2008) | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Hell, I'd run diesel in the Buell if it was designed to perform the same as on gas!!!! (Message edited by Paint shaker on September 22, 2008) | ||
| B00stzx3 |
As a Focus owner, I'd have to say that Ford really hates America for being an American company. they have LOTS of REALLY nice cars in other countries. Example, the Focus RS in Europe, AWD Turbo 300hp from the factory. Here? My 130 power FWD econobox. Its not just diesel, Ford just doesnt wanna give us nice cars. They give Mexico nicer cars for gods sake. | ||
| Darthane |
The original (North American) Focus is a great example of an excellent car RUINED by coming across the pond - and it wasn't all Ford's fault, though they certainly carry a lot of the blame. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Chevy has ruined quite a few names, too. Impala, Malibu, Nova, and "SS" used to mean something. Get your facts right. First off, my Cobalt SS does just fine for itself. I don't need to brag any further. As far as names like Malibu, Nova and Impala, you're likely having selective memory of say, Malibu SS's, Impala SS's and Nova SS's. The bottom line is the Impala was nothing more, at the time, then a full-sized basic sedan. The Malibu was a basic mid-size, and the Nova a basic small car. The Impala and Malibu fit the exact same market today as they did 40 years ago. The resurrected Nova did as well when it was being built in the late 80's and early 90's. | ||
| Froggy |
Mark I was thinking the same thing about the 3 sedans, but I gave up years ago defending it because most people get one idea in their head and won't change it. Kinda like most people hated the GTO, because it was exactly what a GTO was 40 years ago but the idea was to be as if the GTO never went out of production and instead evolved over the years. They did a great job with it, can't wait for the G8 Pickup  | ||
| B00stzx3 |
its been said that Fords thinking was no one would buy small, fast, sporty, reasonably priced cars. just like no one at all bought SRT-4s, Evos, WRX, Cobalt SS, no one at all  That wasn't ever true, and is less true than ever with gas prices high and Americans still wanting fastness. | ||
| Xl1200r |
B00 - coudln't agree more. And a high-performance deisel would be just the ticket for me. Instead, with the domestic "sporty small car" market sitting stagnant, I'm forced to begin saving a down payment on a new Camaro. I have no idea what I'll do with 422hp, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. | ||
| B00stzx3 |
I thought about that to Xl, maybe trading in and putting myself into debt for one of my dream vehicles- the SVT Lightning. There still mad expensive even high mileage though, but they are the definition of the word badass. Instead I've decided that a built block, boost and 400 whp in my Focus would be just as enjoyable, and cheaper. Theres plenty of aftermarket options to go with, and even though its a pain in the bum to deal with the buildup and garuanteed problems, it seems to be a good solution. When Ford won't do there job, do it for them. | ||
| Xl1200r |
B00s - make sure the rest of your driveline can take that HP. I know on the Cobalt SS, you can safely go to 300hp - after that you need to get different axles. | ||
| Froggy |
Boo you forgot the SVT focus and after that the ZX4 Ok so what they aren't boosted like the others in your list, thats not hard to do! |
