Over the past few years the sales of diesel vehicles has declined from a high of around
50% market share in 2016 to a new low of 25% today, according to figures published this morning by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
This massive decline is blamed on “the demonising of diesel by the government”
Adverse health outcomes as a result of poor air quality.
Brexit and the proposed ban of diesel cars in cities.
What is your view ?
Would you spend your own money on a diesel today ?
At the moment I would as the travel is cheaper as I travel long distances, and find this is much more cost efficient than using petrol vehicles.
Hybrid/Electric cars are still evolving and still are out of reach for people who can’t afford the extra initial upfront costs for a new car.
You might be right but personally I doubt if there will be a significant development of Petrol Hybrids in the future.
Fossil fuels are on the way out and diesel will be the first to disappear.
As for costs, I think that in relation to pure ICE the capital cost will be narrowed and who knows, the government is already behind with it’s emissions lowering target so perhaps grants will be back.
I have a 2011 Nissan Note diesel, I drive 250 miles a week and it costs me £25 a week.
I’d love an electric car that would cost me only £10 a week to charge. But I don’t have a permenent parking space outside my home to charge said car let alone the money to buy even a nearly new electric or hybrid car.
Also with my car having just crossed the 60k miles mark, it’s still got at least another 4 or 5 years in it, but saving £15 a week on fuel just won’t offset the depreciation on a 2 or 3 year old car.
Maybe when they start getting a bit cheaper and are a bit easier to find.
1 Like
Cerberus
(There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.)
7
I will probably keep my 2017 L200 until its death and see where electric pick ups are in 10 years time. If I did get another diesel in the short term it would be a 3 liter Amarok.
phildawson
(Sorry, I will have to escalate this.)
9
How many diesels have you driven? Are you talking on track or day to day commuting? For people who don’t care about sound and speed it make little difference in how they drive, you get much more torque and lower in the revs so for the vast majority probably better, petrol engines have a far better soundtrack. For the vast majority it means diddly squat in how it reacts driven normally.
As for hugely polluting it’s the same with petrol, and euro 6 from the end of 2015 onwards and they are almost held to the same standards. CO half that of petrol, and a max of 0.02 NOx more.
For the thread financially it makes sense for me to drive a diesel like a GTD but I have a 2.0 petrol instead. If I did it certainly wouldn’t be new but Euro 6. My last diesel was a remapped 120d which was ace. I’d rather have an electric, but I want to wait for the El-born to get the range/price I want.
I spoke to a friend of mine who works as a combustion chemist at McLaren, and apparently the new diesels produce less CO2 (but more pollution generally) than the new petrols. But this was a passing conversation. I have zero written sources to back this up.
Regarding “awful to drive” first, as that’s quickest to respond to. It’s simply my personal opinion. I’ve driven several, and dislike the way they feel ‘laggy’ - where I put my foot down and they don’t respond very quickly. I much prefer, as I said, a petrol car with a decent turbo because then there’s little to no lag when I put my foot down, and feels much more zippy and responsive.
Both petrol and diesel vehicles produce NOx, but diesel-powered cars produce it in much higher quantities than petrol equivalents – 11.5 times as much on average, in our tests.
It was a big scandal when that news came out, that people had been encouraged to use diesels because they were less polluting, but it’s the type of pollution that matters and they were actually more polluting in the worst type, making air quality in cities actually far worse.
I drive 15-18k a year. Yes I’d buy another diesel.
Anyone who drives less miles than this defo needs petrol.
I think the only real concern with present diesels is the DPF & EGR valve - 3 out of my last 5 cars have had issues with these.
phildawson
(Sorry, I will have to escalate this.)
14
Ah well turbo lag affects both petrol and diesel that’s just down to the car. If you try a 320d you’ll find zero lag as an example and it’s just like the petrol. I’ve driven laggy diesels but also laggy petrol.
Also a turbo doesn’t really have the same aim as a petrol in increasing power. This is why you can have a tiny 1.0 or 1.2 petrol with a turbo and get decent HP but you can’t pull that trick with diesel. Most likely a 1.5 diesel with the same HP result would have a lot less lag.
As for the emissions it’s certainly whether or not the less polluting euro 6s are actually better or just fudged the result in test mode to pass the requirements.
I probably would, as I always buy second hand cars - and now diesels have fallen out of favour, there are some pretty good deals. That said, there’s a diesel surcharge in my London borough for resident parking… and it’s probably only a matter of time before they ban them altogether.
I can proudly say in my 35 years of driving, I have never had a diesel car
Diesel is for tractors, lorries and buses and should never be used to power a car
In all seriousness though, my current car does 55mpg (petrol) and with my annual mileage (3k) it would not be economically viable.
Cerberus
(There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.)
18
All these people who keep taking about lag on diesels clearly haven’t driven one since the 90’s
Also turbo lag will exist on either engine type but today’s standards mean it’s hardly noticeable.
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phildawson
(Sorry, I will have to escalate this.)
19
I would guess most reading this will have been born in the 90s not driving, and picked up a myth that lag only affects diesel probably never driven one.
If anyone has driven equal HP of petrol / diesel in the last decade you’ll find them almost identical and probably more noticeable lag on the petrol as the turbo plays an important role in boosting power when needed to stay as efficient whilst the diesel the turbo does minimal.
It’s only when you drive the nuts off one then petrol wins out and with a nicer soundtrack. For nearly everyone on the road identical.
