Long-time readers of this site know I am a fan of diesels, and a disparager of hybrids and electric cars. I can back up what I say about them too, as you can see for yourself here, here, here, here, here, and here. And that's not even all of them. In the same basic vehicle type, diesels last longer and achieve better real-world fuel economy than hybrids.
The thing is, though, diesel cars are hard to get in the US. It's not that they don't exist; they do. Even US automakers build diesel vehicles that they sell all over the world, except here. And it's not that people don't want them, either: Jeep, for example, has built diesel-powered vehicles continuously since 1968. Most of the time (including right now), Jeep has built more than one vehicle in a diesel version. The XJ Cherokee, which is the economically-priced midsize SUV that was one of the most popular vehicles in the US and the world until its discontinuation in 2002, was always available as a diesel. But have you ever seen one? Probably not if you live in the US, because they were never sold here, even though Jeep enthusiasts demanded one during the entire 18 years of its production. In fact, the number one most-requested vehicle by US Jeep owners is a diesel version of their favorite Jeep platform.
So it's not that people don't want diesels. The government has the power to certify vehicles for sale here, and they simply refuse to certify diesel-powered vehicles smaller than a 3/4 ton pickup truck (6,000-lb GVWR), with very few exceptions.
The reason I mention all that is to introduce you to a new economy car of which you may be unaware; the Suzuki Swift1.3 DDiS. You know, Suzuki: the affordable car just about anyone can manage to buy new. Except you can't buy this one. It is rated at 49.6 mpg city, 69 mpg highway, and 61.4 mpg combined. And with a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 14.2 seconds and top speed of 102 mph it is not what you would call a muscle car, but its performance is on par with most other economy cars. And it's not a hybrid. It's a diesel. Which is why the government won't let us have one.
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4 comments:
It is crazy isn't it, i feel like there is just a bit of a con going on with hybrids and electrics - just a way to make people buy new cars and keep the economy going. Electric cars use up so much energy in production too.
The Fiat 500 is coming, I hope the diesel makes it.
Interesting. Please tell us more.
Just get a 1988 honda civic HF, 55 mpg, lasts for ever. When considering diesel price is more than gasoline it cost the same to drive as a 60+ mpg diesel. They can build fuel efficient cars. They just cant sell enough to justify it because people do not want to sacrifice acceleration and size and can still afford the fuel prices.
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