Sold in the US as the Dodge Sprinter. You can buy the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter grill separately if you want to impress the neighbors.
Posted on 10/19/2006 4:02:52 PM PDT by kellynla
Steering the big E320 sedan, Mercedes-Benz engineer Rudolf W. Thom comes around a corner and gently presses down on the accelerator, revealing the faint yet familiar sound of a diesel engine.
"If you compare this diesel to the diesels of the past, can you hear this diesel?" he said. "Can you smell this diesel? It is not like the bad diesels of the past."
The E320 gets 35 miles per gallon, 30 percent better than the comparable gasoline version of the car. Because of favorable tax policies in Europe, diesels have taken off there in the past 15 years, accounting for 50 percent of the new models sold each year. In the United States, development of the market has lagged because of government concerns over what the fuel does to air quality; diesel vehicles make up just 3.2 percent of the market.
The dynamics began to shift this week. On Sunday, the Environmental Protection Agency began requiring refiners and fuel importers to reduce the sulfur content in diesel fuel by 97 percent. The low-sulfur fuel opens the door to a new generation of clean diesel cars, and automakers are moving to bring out more models in the U.S. market.
The change promises to significantly cut air pollution caused by diesel emissions. Regulators say high concentrations of sulfur in the old diesel fuel poison the engine systems that clean exhaust of harmful pollutants. The biggest concern is particulate matter, one of the byproducts of engine combustion, said Margo Oge, director of the EPA's office of transportation and air quality. The particles are a fraction of the size of a human hair. Public health advocates have described the particles as tiny spaceships that dive into the respiratory system when people inhale, damaging the lining of the lungs.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I've run it (B99), but it's fairly expensive to buy it retail around here ($3.29/gal.). Fuel economy goes down slightly, and it is more susceptible to gelling in cold weather, although I never had any gelling problems.
At lower concentrations (B20, B5), the cost penalty is not much, and the side effects are few or none. Those blends are not available retail in this area.
I saw a new diesel-powered jeep yesterday. I was amzazed at how quiet and non-smokey the exhaust was.
amzazed=amazed
Which will make it well more expensive than gasoline, period.
Not necessarily, because sulfur content in gasoline is also being pushed down. The bottom line is that diesel can cost 50% more than gasoline and still be a viable alternative because diesel engines burn less of the stuff.
have you considered making your own biodiesel?
My 1984 Mercedes 300D Turbo Diesel still runs fine and gets about 24mpg and isn't that loud or smokey. Today's diesels from M-B cost too much for most drivers.
Yeah, but I don't really have the time to hassle with it. I already homebrew my beer, which is much more important.
Nope. The switch has already occurred, and right now, where I buy diesel, regular unleaded is $2.38/gal, and diesel is $2.43/gal.
Not here....I drive a diesel and paid $2.69 today. Regular gas at same station was $2.08. Still love my diesel truck and routinely get 18-20 mpg. Not bad for 7500lbs!
Sold in the US as the Dodge Sprinter. You can buy the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter grill separately if you want to impress the neighbors.
yep, that E320 is 50K but MB D's are bulletproof
I've known folks who've had MB D's with 300K on 'em and don't know what an auto repair shop is. LOL
Dude, there's no accessory that you can add to a goofy looking van to impress anybody.
Especially chicks.
Article says the particular diesel engine burns 30% less than a comparable gasoline. A 50% higher cost will not equate to a savings. Diesel engines cost more initially and cost more to maintain.
Unfortunately the hardware needed to make the 2007 and 2010 diesels pass US emission laws is a real complex and costly proposition. Watch what happens to the price of a diesel pickup for 2007.
I know the mid range trucks, school buses, etc are going up about 5 grand. Even the lube oil (new spec) costs a bunch more.
I dunno about the sixes, and the recent E-class diesels are sixes.
Anyway, you can still buy a MB turbodiesel five for less than $30,000, and take all the kids in the neighborhood to soccer practice at the same time.
I'd plan to increase it by buying a Golf TDI (turbo diesel injection, 51mpg)...soon as I can afford one.
yep, I'm in the market for another Jeep but 26MPG(listed)HWY which is always overrated for the diesel and nothing to write home about. LOL
I may just keep my '90 Jeep Cherokee with 200K and go for 300K. I can buy a lot of gas with $30K(Liberty CRD, tax & license)
Welcome to my VW Golf TDI Review and Long Term Road Test
(Biodiesel capable, better alternative than Prius and hybrid electric technology)
By Paul Vachier
The Volkswagen Golf TDI (Turbo Diesel) is one of the most fuel efficient cars sold in America and one of the most popular cars in Europe. I own a 2002 Golf TDI, and this page chronicles some of my experiences and impressions of this vehicle.
Most people in America have never thought about buying a diesel automobile due to bad perceptions about diesel engines and/or diesel fuel. I had the same preconceptions but starting researching fuel efficient vehicles 2 years before I bought this car. I had test driven scores of cars and the only one that put a smile on my face was this one. I loved it from the moment I got in the driver's seat. Besides being very peppy, it's a joy to drive. You wouldn't even know it's a diesel except when you go to the filling station.
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