Diesels won't work because they won't pass the new EPA standards. Ahem.
Yes, they will, as soon as the EPA gets around to OK-ing urea injection. The Mercedes E320 CDI with the new V-6 is ready to go as soon as that happens.
There are also other alternative solutions.
Including revising the emissions standards to not be completely biased towards gasoline engines.
Hybrids make sense for urban use; diesels for rural/highway.
Diesels won't work because they won't pass the new EPA standards.
Ahem.
Yes, they will, as soon as the EPA gets around to OK-ing urea injection. The Mercedes E320 CDI with the new V-6 is ready to go as soon as that happens.
There are also other alternative solutions.
Including revising the emissions standards to not be completely biased towards gasoline engines.
Hybrids make sense for urban use; diesels for rural/highway.
I drove the Escape the other day up and down hills on one of the main highways and it had plenty of power; more in fact than the regular Escape and I had a full load on board. I was doing the speed limit and it had no difficulty in keeping up with the traffic.
All I know is what I read and experience. Casaba Cerra (editor-in-chief) of Car and Driver said in the latest issue that the diesels will not pass the new regulations and hybrids win the mileage debate by default. And that all manufacturers will have to move in the hybrid direction or go out of business. And the European manufacturers are behind the curve on this technology.
I didn't buy this because I was concerned about saving the environment or even saving money over the long haul. My old Escape's warranty was about to run out and I was looking for something new and drove it and liked it immediately. (I liked the old one but not the mpg.) I drove the new Escape three times over all kinds of roads before buying it (about 30 miles) and was amazed that I was giving up nothing in the way of drivability. And the silence at stoplights is amazing. After the initial warm-up the gas engine doesn't kick on until about 25 mph. Today I drove home almost two miles and the gas engine didn't kick on until I was close to home driving up a steep hill. It's neat when the engine rpms drop to 0 at speeds up to 35 mph when descending. The batteries are warranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles and the reports I have read is that they just don't fail.