40 years ago that diesel BMW was SLOW! It had NO pickup!
Audi dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans for many years with various turbo diesels, most recently in hybrid form.
That winning streak helped build a reputation, which has been destroyed.
When winning Le Mans, higher fuel economy reduced the number of fueling stops, aiding them in overall time. They were not the fastest rabbits, but they were highly reliable tortoises.
Watched them at Laguna Seca. The big Audi had a low pitched sound, because it ran at lower rpms. It didn’t “sound” fast, but it was fast.
On the street, turbos are fun to drive for the low rpm torque, and stoplight to stoplight zero to 50 getaways.
Have had Saab and Audi gas turbos before, and VW TDI now.