A New Dawn for Diesel

This article reviews that diesel engines are more expensive than gasoline engines and the lower fuel prices in the United States make buying decisions based on fuel economy alone unlikely. Many of the advancements have gone largely unnoticed by US drivers, who still view diesels as workhorses for large trucks. But some proponents of diesel say that a combination of higher torque, better fuel economy, and smooth, quiet engine performance could sway a significant number of drivers here to consider diesels for smaller, personal-use vehicles. Diesels provide better fuel efficiency than gasoline engines do and are well suited to heavy loads and continuous driving. Hauling a heavy load up a steep grade, the difference in fuel economy could be as high as 75 percent compared to conventional gasoline engines. Diesels could make a bigger impact on fuel consumption from a fleet perspective in this country, where people favor larger vehicles, than in Europe. Diesels deliver higher torque at lower speeds than gasoline engines, allowing drivers to get away with a comparatively smaller, lower horsepower diesel without sacrificing acceleration or towing capacity.