Automotive DesignLine Blog
Stop whining!
Rick DeMeis
8/1/2008 10:11 AM EDT
As you may remember from some of my previous blogs, I have a 2004 Volkswagen Passat diesel wagon. Even with the higher price of the fuel, the cost of fuel per mile traveled for me is still pennies less than if I took my 1997 BMW 528 on the highway (where it gets 30 miles per gallon of premium). Also important, the over 40 mpg I get with the diesel gives me such a large range that I can avoid fueling in states where the taxes are higher (as on my trips to upstate New York from Massachusetts).
As an example, returning last weekend, I averaged 43.5 mpg over 200 miles under the following conditions: Air conditioning was off for the first third of the trip; on the Interstate, cruise control was set at 70 mph rather than 75 to save fuel; the trip went from about 2,000 ft altitude to near sea level; and three adults were in the car. (We even saw a driver on the Interstate in a hybrid Prius with his windows down in a mistaken attempt to increase mileage without using the air conditioning.)
Bottom line: The industry has a strong case to make for diesel fuel efficiency—so get off your duffs and start making it!
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henkmol
8/12/2008 5:03 AM EDT
Hello Rick
small comment from Europe. We own two cars, both diesels. The smallest is a VW Polo (with airco etc) and it does here in dense traffic in the netherlands if I drive quietly roughly 28 km per liter. The large car is a VW Transporter series 5 Van loaded with all holiday stuff two adults and 2 children. I tanked last saterday near the Italian border in Austria, and drove all the way (>950 km) without tanking to our home. No way you can do this with petrol can you. Regards, Henk Mol, Sleeuwijk, the Netherlands.
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